Sebastian County was created on 6 January 1851 and was formed fromScott, Polk and Crawford Counties. It was named after William K. Sebastian, a judge for the U.S. Circuit Court. The county seat was first located at Greenwood, then moved to the second-largest community in Arkansas, Fort Smith, before being relocated back to Greenwood in 1852. In 1861, it was decided that the county would have two seats of government; one at Fort Smith and the other at Greenwood. Fort Smith, originally Belle Point, was a U.S. military installation throughout the 1800s along the Arkansas River. The Hanging Judge, Isaac Parker, presided over its court system in the late 1800s. Sebastian County is bordered by Crawford County (north), Franklin County (east), Logan County (southeast), Scott County (south), Le Flore County, OK (southwest), Sequoyah County, OK (northwest). Cities, Towns & Communities include Barling, Bonanza, Central City, Fort Smith, Greenwood, Hackett, Hartford, Huntington, Lavaca, Mansfield, Midland
Other county boundry changes occured when Part annexed to Scott County and Polk 1 June 1861.
The Official County Website is located at http://www.sebastiancountyonline.com/ .
See Extended History for More information. It was reported the courthouse at Greenwood burned in 1881 and again in 1882, "but few records being saved. All records since 1882 are in good condition and those prior to that date have been recopied as far as possible."
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 courthouse at Greenwood burned in 1881 and again in 1882, but few records being saved. All records since 1882 are in good condition and those prior to that date have been recopied as far as possible.
Sebastian County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1851 and Land Records from 1861 and is located at 35 South Sixth Street, Fort Smith, 72901; (479) 782-1046 . 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
Sebastian County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1865 and Probate Records from 1851 and is located at 35 South Sixth Street, Fort Smith, 72901; (479) 782-5065 . 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 Sebastian County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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.
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.
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 Sebastian County clerk of Probate Court that granted the decree.You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificates .
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.
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.
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. Processing Time takes 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you Order Online.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please click below.
Below is a list of online resources for Sebastian County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Arkansas newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
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 Sebastian County, Arkansas are 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Sebastian County, Arkansas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1860, 1870 and 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 Sebastian County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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 Sebastian County Maps. Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Sebastian County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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 Sebastian County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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 Sebastian County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Sebastian County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Scott Sebastiona Regional
Library, 18 North Adair Street, Greenwood AR 72936
Fort Smith Historical Society, Inc. publish "The Journal" twice a year in April and November.
Subscriptions are $25 per year ($15 for senior citizens) / $200 for lifetime.
Frontier Researchers, A Genealogy Society,
P.O. Box 2123,
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902-2123 "Frontier Researchers" meet eleven times a year, on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Fort Smith Public Library. There is no meeting in December. Featured in these meetings are experts in ancestral research as well as local news and project of genealogical interest. Membership is open to all interested with dues of $15
due annually. Included in the membership is a subscription to Frontier Research which is published semi-annually. Included in this publication is historical and genealogical information of local interest. Frontier Researchers has also established an elite organization known as "Frontier Families of the Western District of Arkansas." This was designed to preserve the family history of people who came into this area between March 3, 1851 and February 20, 1897. If a person can prove each generation of lineage back to an individual who was in the Western District of Arkansas during these dates then they are eligible for membership. The Western District covered 13 counties in Arkansas and about 1/2 of the Oklahoma Territory. The ancestors may be male or female. And the information collected will be archived at the Fort Smith National Historic Site where it will be available for researchers in the future. A beautiful certificate accompanies the membership and membership is a one time fee of $25. Any one interested and send their request for an application along with a Self Address Stamped Envelope to the above address. We have several books for sale of local interest also and can be obtain through the above address.
Sebastian County, Arkansas Original Land Grants.......................$8.00
Crawford County, Arkansas Original Land Grants..........................$8.00
1890 Reconstructed Census of Sebastian County, Arkansas.........$20.00
Master Index, Agent Funeral Home Records, Books 1-14, Sequoyah County,
Oklahoma.............................................................................. $15.00
Please add $2.00 per book for postage and handling.
The Fort Smith Historical Society, Inc. ,
c/o Fort Smith Public Library ,
61 South 8th Street ,
Fort Smith AR 72901
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 Sebastian County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Sebastian County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Arkansas obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Arkansas newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Arkansas .
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 Sebastian County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Sebastian 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.
Sebastian County was formed on January 6, 1851, from parts of Crawford, Scott and Polk counties and was named for William K. Sebastian, a Judge, State Senator and U.S. Senator from Arkansas. The landscape of Sebastian County is rolling farmlands, forested ridges, isolated mountains and lakes. The county seats are Fort Smith and Greenwood. The economic base is strong and diversified with manufacturing, service industries, timber, agriculture (beef, dairy, spinach, turnip greens). A strong oriental community brings a variety of influences, businesses and restaurants. The Westark Community College offers a four-year degree through the University of Arkansas. Fort Smith’s arts center, community theater, and symphony further enrich the cultural life of the area. The stately limestone courthouse in Ft. Smith, which contains 254 rooms, houses early history of the county. Among several markers on the courthouse grounds is a statue of a Confederate soldier, on top of a pedestal nearly three stories tall that stands with its back toward a national cemetery a few blocks away from where it was originally planned to stand. The United States Secretary of War at the time refused to consent to the words “Lest we forget.” The Confederate veterans and citizens who raised funds to erect the monument would not agree to the omission, and the statue was placed on the courthouse lawn. The Greenwood Courthouse, a more modern structure, is a living part of the community. On April 19, 1968, this building’s predecessor shared the fate of much of the rest of this county seat when it was demolished by a tornado. A bronze plaque on the present building demonstrates the determination of county residents with the words “This building embodies the continuous spirit of Sebastian County as its courthouses have risen from ashes and other disasters since the county was created in 1851.” The flag of the City of Greenwood is flown along with the Arkansas and American flags in front of the courthouse.
