Cleveland County was created on 17 April 1873 and was formed fromBradley, Dallas, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties. Located in the southeastern corner of Arkansas, Cleveland County was first called Dorsey County in honor of Stephen Dorsey, a U.S. Senator from Arkansas. The name was changed in 1885 to Cleveland in honor of President Grover Cleveland. The residence of N.V. Barnett was its first county seat until 1872 when it moved to Toledo. In 1889, the seat moved to Rison. Cleveland County is bordered by , Grant County (north), Jefferson County (north), Lincoln County (east), Drew County (southeast), Bradley County (south), Calhoun County (southwest), Dallas County (west). Cities, Towns & Communities include , Kingsland, Rison, New Edinburg
The Official County Website is located at ? .
See Extended History for More information. It is reported, "the records are incomplete and some are not in good condition. Several tax books, one marriage record, and one or more court records are missing."
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. The records are incomplete and some are not in good condition. Several tax books, one marriage record, and one or more court records are missing.
Cleveland County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1873 and Land Records from 1836 and is located at #20 Magnolia Street, Rison, 71665; (870) 325-6902 . The circuit clerk is the clerk of the circuit, chancery court, and juvenile court and usually acts as the ex-officio recorder of the county. The administrative duties of the clerk are to maintain a record of all proceedings of the circuit, chancery and juvenile courts and to prepare the dockets for these courts. They are also the ex-officio county recorder; and is responsible for recording deeds, mortgages, liens, and surety bonds, and many other orders and instruments which involve property within the county
Cleveland County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1873 and Probate Records from 1873 and is located at #20 Magnolia Street, Rison, 71665; (870) 325-6521 . Although probate court is a court of equity and is presided over by the chancery judge, prior to 1937 it was a function of the county court, and under the amended procedure, the county clerk still operates ad the clerk of the probate court. As clerk to the probate court, the clerk files all instruments making them a matter of record in descendent estate cases, and swears in all witnesses in contested estates. The clerk, also in this capacity, maintains all records relative to adoptions and guardianship cases within the county. Although probate court is a court of equity and is presided over by the chancery judge, prior to 1937 it was a function of the county court, and under the amended procedure, the county clerk still operates ad the clerk of the probate court
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Arkansas Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Arkansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Vital Records,
4815 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205, Please allow up to approximately 4-6 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:
Birth Certificates: Birth records maintained by Arkansas Vital Records start with February 1, 1914 through the present. Vital Records does have a limited number of birth records prior to 1914. The birth records dated prior to 1914 were filed with Arkansas Vital Records after 1914. They have original copies of Little Rock and Fort Smith births dating from 1881.
Cost: The cost of a birth record is $12.00 for the first copy and $10.00 for each additional copy ordered of the same record at the same time. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $12.00 search fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Death Certificates: Death records maintained by Arkansas Vital Records start with February 1, 1914 through the present. Arkansas Vital Records does have a limited number of deaths occurring prior to 1914 for Little Rock and Fort Smith dating from 1881. The Arkansas History Commission has a death index of deaths occurring in Arkansas from 1914 through 1949. This is only an alphabetical listing of deaths occurring in Arkansas. The History Commission does not have copies of the death records.
Cost: The cost of a certified death certificate is $10.00 for the first copy and $8.00 for each additional copy issued at the same time for the same certificate. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $10.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $10.00 search fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage records maintained in Arkansas Vital Records begin with January 1917. Arkansas Vital Records does not have any marriage records prior to 1917.
Divorce records maintained in Arkansas Vital Records begin with January 1923. Arkansas Vital Records does not have any divorce records prior to 1923. Records of marriage & divorce proceedings are available from the Cleveland County clerk of Probate Court that granted the decree.You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificates . You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
Cost: Arkansas Vital Records maintains a file of marriage and divorce coupons. These coupons are acceptable with organizations that require a certified record. The cost of a marriage or divorce coupon is $10.00 for each copy. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $10.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $10.00 search fee.
Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Order In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office. If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. The office is located at 4815 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205. Directions to Vital Statistics Office Order By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the "Vital Records " along with the necessary information to the following address: Vital Records, PO Box 8184,
Little Rock AR 72203-8184. Please include return address on envelope and application form. Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Arkansas Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Cleveland County, Arkansas are 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Cleveland County, Arkansas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1880.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Arkansas and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Arkansas showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Arkansas showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at The Arkansas Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Maps. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Arkansas Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Arkansas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Tax
records are available at the respective county courthouses and
in the Arkansas History Commission. Nearly 600 tax books, original
or microfilmed, for Arkansas counties are included in the collection
at the Commission. Legislation was enacted in Arkansas which
required that copies of early county tax records be sent to
the state auditor in Little Rock. Where county records were
lost, the state auditor's copies are especially valuable.
Personal property tax records have been published for
a few counties. Tax lists, along with other sources, are being
used to reconstruct the lost 1890 federal population census.
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Arkansas Historical Association, 416 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; 479-575-5884, 479-575-2775 FAX
Arkansas Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Arkansas Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
Some
church records for Arkansas churches are available at the Arkansas
History Commission. These include published church histories,
church records, newspapers, and manuscript collections.
Local county genealogical and historical organizations have copied, cataloged, and published records of local cemeteries. Most of these are in the collection at the Arkansas History Commission; many are in the DAR Library. Most of those in the DAR collection have been microfilmed by the FHL.
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Arkansas Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Arkansas Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Cleveland County, a county of rolling hills, was formed April 17, 1873, and was originally called Dorsey County, named for Stephen W. Dorsey, a U.S. Senator from Arkansas, who later fell out of favor with Arkansans. Citizens petitioned for a change of name and in 1885 it was renamed Cleveland County in honor of Grover Cleveland, who had just been elected president of the United States. The county seat is Rison. Timber is the leading industry in the county. The Saline River was used for shipping logs before the railroads came to the county in 1881. The county has extended its economic base to produce tomatoes, broiler chicks and cattle. Rison is at the center of an estimated 15-by-6 mile iron deposit containing as much as 42% magnetite. The Saline River, a scenic river, runs through the county that also provides excellent fishing and floating. The courthouse represents an outstanding courthouse restoration and is listed on the National Register. On the courthouse lawn stands a memorial to veterans of the First and Second World Wars.
In 1819, most of this area was in Clark County. By the time Arkansas became a state, in 1836, the area was called Union County. Bradley County was created December 18, 1840. The area now known as Cleveland County was a part of this county.
Dorsey County was formed by an act of Legislature, April 17, 1873. It was formed from parts of Bradley, Jefferson, Dallas and Lincoln Counties and was named in honor of Stephen W. Dorsey, a Republican senator, who entered Congress in that year. On March 5, 1885, Dorsey County was renamed by an act of the General Assembly in honor of Grover Cleveland, who
had just been elected President of the United States. The first meeting of the Dorsey County Board of Supervisors was
held at Pleasant Ridge, on May 17, 1873. At this meeting the county was divided into eight townships: Red Land, Lee, Saline, White Oak, Whiteville, Smith, Miller and Harper. The next meeting was held at Toledo, June 2, at the residence of
N.V. Barnett. It was declared a temporary courthouse. The county seat was then located at Toledo, July 7, and the county purchased the residence there of M.T. McGehee for a courthouse, which later burned on March 9, 1889.
After the courthouse had burned, other villages in the county became interested in having the courthouse in their area, including: New Edinburg, Kingsland, Rison, and Beasley's Switch. Each petitioned in its own right. An election was held June 29, 1889, with Rison being the final choice.
Early Settlers
Early pioneers began to settle in what is now Cleveland County by 1834. John Harvie Marks, Nathaniel Barnett, both wealthy slaveholders, along with David Gilmore and several others, moved into the Red Land Township area with their
families. Land was cheap, at $.35 per acre. The pioneers found Indian tribes here when they arrived, mostly Quapaw. Some other families that settled in the area before 1850 were the families of Samuel Blankenship, Lydia Dorman, John Wooldridge, Paschal B. Andrews, John Davis, Robert Harper, Roland Vint, Nancy McMillon, John Chappell, John Tucker, Pleasant Culpepper,
William Gilbert, Marion Hudson, Rachel Kimbrell, Nancy Whitehead, Abraham Smith, James Overton, Gabriel May, Adereston Rogers, Joseph Merriweather, Ransom Capps, Elisha Gunn, Thomas Chowning, John Hudson, Jesse Varnell, Paschal Roberts, Silas Baggett, David Patrick and Madison T. McGhee. This is just a partial list of families in the county before 1850. There
are more listed in The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas.
Some of the earliest doctors in Cleveland County were: Louis Leali, T.B. Tims, W.A. Ward, A.D. Rogers, E.H. Moses, A.W. Preston, C.A. Standfield, William D. Barnett, C.D. Niven, John B. Chowning, T.J. Julian, J.C. Thompson, T.W. Chowning, Lewis Julian, A.T. Clark and W.W. Haley.
Sixteen newspapers have been published in Cleveland County during its history. The Toledo Blade, established in 1879, was probably the first. The longest running newspaper, The Cleveland County Herald, has been in publication since 1896. The first wireless radio came to Cleveland County in 1923 at the home of Dr. Attwood in Rison.
The following companies are currently offering free trials on their subscriptions from 7 to 14 days. You can receive more information by clicking the links below:
Arkansas 
