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Research in Arkansas Court Records
Most courts in America are courts of record that is they are required by law to keep a record of their proceedings. Arkansas courts are the same. Even in the present day few people escape mention in a court room records sooner or later throughout his or her life as witnesses, litigants, jurors, appointees to office or as petition signatories. Nevertheless Americans of a few of generations ago also expected to show up at local court procedures while they were in session. It was a civic duty and then they could possibly be fined if they couldn't attend. Arkansas court files represent U.S. history. Hidden away in courthouses and archives all over the place are the desires and concerns of lots of citizens. The chances are great that your particular ancestors have left a concise record of at least some areas of life in a court room records.
Arkansas Court records include a wide selection of genealogy topics that can help you with your research, including land ownership, courts, taxes, and naturalizations. Given that Arkansas court records cover a wide variety of topics, they can help you in many different ways. For instance, they will often help you locate ancestors' residences, identify occupations, discover financial information, identify citizenship status, or make clear relationships between people. Everything will depend on on the kind of court records that your particular ancestors" names can be found in. For Definitions of all court trems see the Genealogy Encyclopedia.
Arkansas County records change greatly from county to county in both quality and volume. There are 4 forms of court records that are most likely to have details applicable in your genealogical research.
Justices of the peace, county courts, courts of chancery, and circuit courts each have jurisdiction on a countywide level. In general they have the following duties: Circuit Courts - Naturalizations, Major Civil Cases, Criminal Cases, Chancery Courts - Divorce, Equity, Probate, and Adoption Cases, County Courts - Tax Cases, County Financial Matters, Juvenile Cases, and Claim Cases, Justice of the Peace - Minor Contract Cases and Preliminary Criminal Cases
Generally, those records begin at the time when the county was organized. However, some records have been destroyed over the years, particularly by fires. When Arkansas was still a territory, it had courts of common pleas. However, records from those courts are no longer extant. All courts that function within each county have their records maintained by that county's clerk. Researchers should check each county's procedures carefully, since jurisdictions may vary. The FHL has also placed copies of many county court records on microfilm. The Arkansas History Commission now holds copies of those records.
Appeals from lower courts are heard by the state supreme court. In cases where county records have been lost, state supreme court records may be useful for filling in gaps.
Each county courthouse holds tax records for that county. The Arkansas History Commission also has tax records for the state on file. In fact, they have a collection of almost 600 tax book from across the state. Some are original, while others have been microfilmed. The FHL also has some tax records available. State auditor's copies of tax records can be helpful for filling in gaps where county tax records no longer exist. Some county property tax records have been published. Tax lists and other records are also currently being used to try to replace the data that has been lost from the no longer extant 1890 federal census records.
- See Also Research In Court Records
- See Also Research In Tax Records
- Arkansas Tax Record Books (amazon.com)
- Arkansas Court Record Books (amazon.com)
