Arkansas Genealogy is designed to serve as a comprehensive genealogical and historical resource for your personal use. Initially intended to be a guide for finding Arkansas-related genealogy and historical information on the web, we have now expanded to include specific data directly on this site for your convenience.
The first European settlement in Arkansas was established by the French in 1686 at Arkansas Post. This site later served as the residence for both French and Spanish governors, a crucial trading post during early American occupation, and the first territorial capital from 1810 to 1820. In 1720, John Law received a land grant on the Arkansas River. The territory changed hands, passing to Spain in 1762, back to France in 1780, and finally to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Apart from its role in early western frontier trade and the complex land disputes left by French and Spanish colonists, the pre-American period holds little historical significance compared to later years.
From 1804 to 1812, present-day Arkansas was part of the Louisiana district, which later became the Louisiana Territory. From 1812 to 1819, it was part of the Missouri Territory. The earliest county organizations in Arkansas date back to this period. Arkansas was designated a territory of the first and second class by acts of Congress on March 2, 1819, and April 21, 1820, respectively. On June 15, 1836, it was admitted to 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 County History and Genealogy
- Arkansas County Arkansas Genealogy
- Benton County, Arkansas Genealogy
- Carroll County Arkansas Genealogy
- Faulkner County Arkansas Genealogy
- Jefferson County, Arkansas Genealogy and History
- Washington County, Arkansas Genealogy and History
New Cemeteries
- Barlow Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Bethel Cemetery – Glenwood, Pike, Arkansas
- Caney Valley Cemetery – Pike County, Arkansas
- Chalybeat Springs Cemetery – Emerson, Columbia, Arkansas
- Coker Cemetery – Rosboro, Pike, Arkansas
- Ebenezer Cemetery – Glenwood, Pike, Arkansas
- Ebenezer Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Frazier Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Glenwood Cemetery – Glenwood, Pike, Arkansas
- Grizard Cemetery – White County Arkansas
- Hephzibah Cemetery – Emerson, Columbia, Arkansas
- I. O. O. F. Cemetery – West Helena, Phillips, Arkansas
- Miller Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery – Murfreesboro, Pike, Arkansas
- Mt. Vernon Cemetery – Waldo, Columbia, Arkansas
- Oak Grove Cemetery – Conway, Faulkner, Arkansas
- Old Ebenezer Cemetery – Glenwood, Pike, Arkansas
- Palmer Chapel Cemetery – Rosboro, Pike, Arkansas
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery – Nevada County, Arkansas
- Powers Chapel Cemetery – Pike County, Arkansas
- Salem Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Salem Cemetery – Salem, Pike, Arkansas
- Sharmon Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Smyrna Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Spotville Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
- Sweet Home Cemetery – Nathan, Pike, Arkansas
- Valley Grove Cemetery – Kirby, Pike, Arkansas
- Ware Cemetery – Emerson, Columbia, Arkansas
- Western Cemetery – Magnolia, Columbia, Arkansas
Surrounding States Genealogy
New Arkansas Genealogy
Biography of J. R. Miller of Faulkner County
J. R. Miller, a prosperous merchant and farmer in Faulkner County, was born on January 2, 1856, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of J. J. and Nancy A. (West) Miller. After moving frequently in his youth, Miller settled in Arkansas in 1876. He established a store in Mayflower in 1884 and has resided there since. Miller married twice, first to Manda E. Jackson, with whom he had three children, and later to Mary S. Surat, with whom he had three more children. An active Democrat, Miller has served as justice of the peace and is a notable community…
Biography of Edward Munroe Merriman of Conway
Edward Munroe Merriman, born on June 11, 1843, in Auburn, N.Y., graduated from West Point in 1867 and served in the First Regular Artillery until 1871. Moving to Arkansas in 1871, he became the oldest resident of Conway. Merriman held various positions including postmaster, mayor of Conway, justice of the peace, and county court judge in Faulkner County. He married Matilda Menkus in 1873, and they had one daughter, Mary Adams. Merriman, a direct descendant of President John Quincy Adams, was instrumental in creating Faulkner County and practiced law from 1886. He was a lifelong Democrat.
Biography of J. E. Martin of Conway
J. E. Martin, a prominent merchant in Faulkner County, Arkansas, settled in his current location in 1875. Born in January 1840 in White County, Tennessee, Martin was the fourth of nine children of Daniel and Rebecca (English) Martin. His family moved to Arkansas in 1848, settling initially in Van Buren County. Martin began his commercial career in 1871 and moved to Conway in 1875. A Democratic politician, he served as Faulkner County’s first sheriff in 1874 and later in the legislature. Martin married twice and had nine children. He was an active participant in the Civil War and community development…
Biography of D. P. Loretz of Mayflower
D. P. Loretz, born June 30, 1842, in Lincoln County, North Carolina, was of Swiss descent and one of five children of Daniel and Eliza (Reinhardt) Loretz. His great-grandfather, Andrew Loretz, was a German Reformed Church minister. D. P. Loretz served as a lieutenant in the Thirty-second North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War, participating in notable battles such as Spotsylvania and Winchester. After the war, he relocated to Conway, Arkansas, and later Mayflower, engaging in farming. In 1867, he married Anna Abernathy of Jacksonville, Alabama. Loretz was active in the community, serving as postmaster and holding several local offices….
Biography of A. S. Lind of Faulkner County
A. S. Lind, a prominent farmer in Faulkner County, Arkansas, was born to A. R. Lind in Ohio. Of German descent, Lind’s grandfather moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio around 1800. A. S. Lind enlisted in the Fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry in 1862, serving in notable Civil War battles, including Altoona Pass and Corinth. Post-war, he worked as a stone mason and later moved to Arkansas in 1870, establishing a successful farm. On December 31, 1878, he married Florence Barley, with whom he had seven children. A Republican, Mason, and member of the G. A. R., Lind has served as…
Biography of Louis C. Lincoln of Conway
Louis C. Lincoln, born May 10, 1850, in Memphis, Tennessee, was a prominent attorney and real estate dealer in Faulkner County, Arkansas. A third cousin of President Abraham Lincoln, Louis moved to Conway in January 1874. He served as a drummer boy in the Confederate army and later as a courier for Gen. Wheeler during the Civil War. After the war, he pursued education, eventually graduating from Cumberland University’s law school in 1872. Lincoln practiced law in Conway, organized a military company, and served as county and probate judge. He was married to Effie Martin in 1881, with whom he…
Biography of Levi N. Lee of Wooster
Levi N. Lee, born April 23, 1843, in Coosa County, Alabama, was a prominent farmer and lumber manufacturer in Wooster, East Fork Township, Faulkner County, Arkansas. The seventh of eleven children of Isaiah and DeMaris (Donovan) Lee, Levi was educated in Coosa County and Fish Pond Academy. After farming successfully in Alabama, he moved to Faulkner County in 1882, purchasing and cultivating sixty acres of land. He established a mill and cotton gin, becoming a key local figure. A Civil War veteran, Lee was married twice: first to Sarah E. Richardson in 1862, with whom he had nine children, and…
Biography of Adam F. Kuykendall of Tupelo Township
Adam F. Kuykendall, born September 22, 1856, in Conway County, Arkansas, was a notable farmer and stock raiser in Tupelo Township, Faulkner County. Son of Amos R. Kuykendall and Hester (Stone) Kuykendall, Adam was raised in a pioneering environment, contributing to early agricultural development. He married Alice Stone on October 2, 1881, and they had three children, two of whom died in infancy. After Alice’s death in 1887, Adam returned to Faulkner County, where he continued farming. Active in local politics and the Methodist Episcopal Church, he supported public enterprises and was involved with the Agricultural Wheel and Farmer’s Alliance.
Biography of Dr. J. F. Kincheloe of Cadron Township
Dr. J. F. Kincheloe, born December 29, 1836, near Athens, Tennessee, was a prominent physician and druggist in Faulkner County, Arkansas. Son of Enoch and Mary (Grisham) Kincheloe, he served in the Union Army during the Civil War and later graduated from the Medical University of Nashville in 1871. Kincheloe married three times, with his spouses being Annie E. Taylor, Mary Virginia Allison, and Mollie J. Robertson, fathering three children. He was active in local education, several fraternal organizations, and the Church of Christ. He died in Cadron Township, where he had established his medical practice and business ventures.
Dr. John Joseph Jones of Conway
Dr. John Joseph Jones, a notable physician of Faulkner County, Arkansas, was born on August 10, 1824, in Hickman County, Tennessee. His parents were Allen and Elizabeth (Hicks) Jones. Dr. Jones began studying medicine at seventeen and started practicing in Alabama in 1848. He moved to Arkansas in 1851, where he established the first drug store and a sawmill in Springfield. He married Marietta Gratehouse in 1856, with whom he had eight children. After her death, he married Anna Watson in 1870, and they had three children. Dr. Jones served as a Confederate surgeon and was a state legislator from…