Genealogy Resources in Little Rock

One set of questions we get asked a lot are genealogical questions - a request for an obituary, a birth or death record, any other information about a particular person or family history. Sadly, we cannot answer most of these questions, because we do not have many of the genealogical resources needed to do so.  We can do obituary searches, but only in the Arkansas Gazette/Democrat-Gazette and only if we are provided with an exact date of death. Unfortunately, in many cases the chances of us finding a very old obituary are fairly low, especially if the deceased was outside of the Little Rock area, was not a well-known state figure, or was poor or African-American.

So who should you contact for more information?

• For birth and death records after 1914, the Vital Records and Statistics office of the Arkansas Department of Health should be on your list. Prior to 1914, you may be able to get information from the local county courthouse where the birth or death took place, but that is not always the case. It may take more digging on your part.
• If you are looking for Civil War records, some county records, newspapers from around the state, and other state government-related genealogical materials, the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives is a good place to start.
• Another genealogical resource that also has a wide range of Arkansas-related historical material is the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Part of the Arkansas Studies Institute and a department of the Central Arkansas Library System, the Butler Center was created " for the purpose of promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture" and has "more than 10 million documents and photographs on Arkansas history available for public use."