Arkansas Genealogy is being developed as a genealogical and historical resource for your personal use. While the original thought was to provide this website as a resource for finding genealogy and historical data concerning Arkansas on the web, we have begun adding specific data to this site for your personal use.

The first settlement by Europeans in Arkansas was made in 1686 by the French at Arkansas Post (later the residence of the French and Spanish governors, important as a trading post in the earlier days of the American occupation, and the first territorial capital, 1810-1820). In 1720 a grant on the Arkansas was made to John Law. In 1762 the territory passed to Spain, in 1780 back to France, and in 1803 to the United States as a part of the ” Louisiana Purchase.” Save in the beginnings of western frontier trade, and in a great mass of litigation left to the courts of later years by the curious and uncertain methods of land delimitation that prevailed among the French and Spanish colonists, the pro American period of occupation has slight connexions with the later period, and scant historical importance. From 1804 to 1812 what is now Arkansas was part of the district (and then the territory) of Louisiana, and from 1812 to 1819 of the territory of Missouri. Its earliest county organizations date from this time. It was erected successively into a territory of the first and second class by acts of Congress of the 2nd of March 1819 and the 21st of April 1820. By act of the 15th of June 1836 it was admitted into the Union as a slave state.

Featured History of Arkansas

Today we take up on the history of Arkansas as a part of the Territory of Louisiana, to when it became known as the Territory of Arkansas, and finally statehood. Brief mention is also made of secession and reconstruction in Arkansas and the government makeup of the time.

• Louisiana Territory
• Arkansas Territory
• Secession in Arkansas
• Arkansas Reconstruction
• The Poland Committee
• Leaders of Arkansas Territory

Today I posted additional pages on Arkansas history which cover the exploration, and early settlers of Arkansas before it was a state.

• Ferdinand de Soto in Arkansas
• Marquette and Joliet in Arkansas
• La Salle, Hennepin and Tonti in Arkansas
• The Bubble of John Law
• Proprietary Change of Louisiana Territory
• French and Spanish Settlers in Arkansas
• Early English Settlers in Arkansas
• The New Madrid Earthquake

I have begun the process of creating pages on Arkansas history, and have posted the first two:

• Arkansas Mounds
• Arkansas Indians

Surrounding States

• Louisiana Genealogy
• Mississippi Genealogy
• Missouri Genealogy
• Oklahoma Genealogy
• Tennessee Genealogy
• Texas Genealogy