Latta House, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, Arkansas

Arkansas Genealogy

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.

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

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

Surrounding States

Background of Arkansas Land Records

The Missouri Territory, established in 1812, which encompassed present-day Arkansas, agreed to honor private land granted previously by Spain and Mexico, and also awarded two grants to prior French claims. A substantial portion of these Spanish and Mexican grants were situated in current Arkansas and Desha counties. Land claim issues…

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Biography of Isaac Asbury Clarke

Professor Isaac Asbury Clarke, who for years was principal of Clarke’s Academy of Berryville and was one of the most widely known and ablest educators of the state, was born in Overton County, Tennessee, March 22, 1837. He acquired his early education in Rhea’s Academy at Berryville, which he attended…

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Biography of Ray Anderson

Ray Anderson, cashier of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Green Forest, was born on a farm near the city in which he still makes his home, his natal day being October 26, 1891. He is a son of Columbus and Alice (Johnson) Anderson, the former born in Carroll County,…

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Carroll County Arkansas Biographies

Biographies of Carroll County Arkansas people from the History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas.
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Gross Mortuary record books, 1874-1922

This is an overview of the Gross Mortuary record books, 1874-1922 freely available online, providing a history of the Mortuary of James B. McCaffrey and Billy Gross.
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Men and women in the Armed Forces from Ashley County

One of the county-wide “yearbooks” published after the end of World War II was titled “Men and women in the Armed Forces from Ashley County.” These books contain a roster of the known participants from the county who served in the war, along with brief biographical sketches and photographs of…
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