Secretary of State Historical Report

I know, not the most interesting title for a blog post, but hear me out. This report is one of the more interesting state government and state history resources we have available here at the library. Complied by the State Capitol Historian, this book has short essays about the history of Arkansas, information about various state officials (as of 2008, the last time it was revised), and complete rosters of all the legislatures going back to the first Territorial General Assembly in 1819. The report also has the historical roster for the Arkansas Courts, and rosters of all the various county officials for all of the counties. But wait, there is more! There are also Arkansas vote tallies for the presidential elections going back to 1836, as well as gubernatorial and U.S. legislative elections.

And the best part? The report is available, for free download or order, to everyone. While we would love to have you come use the report here at the library, we realize that is not always possible. So, if your interest has been peaked, visit the Secretary of State's web page, and start browsing the Historical Report!

Memorial Day

Next Monday, May 28th, is Memorial Day. For many Americans, the three-day weekend marks the beginning of summer, and is hardly more than a day off from work or school. It's origins, however, are much more solemn. In the aftermath of the Civil War, it was seen as a day of reconciliation and remembrance.  The Library of Congress American Memory website says that:

In 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11 designating May 30 as a memorial day "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land."
The first national celebration of the holiday took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where both Confederate and Union soldiers were buried. Originally known as Decoration Day, at the turn of the century it was designated as Memorial Day.

If you are interested in visiting historical sites that also act as memorials over the long weekend, one option here in Arkansas is Pea Ridge National Military Park, which just commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge.  Arkansas was an active front during the Civil War, and and according to the National Park Service website, "Pea Ridge was one of the most pivotal Civil War battles, and is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the country."

If you would prefer something a little closer to home, Mount Holly Cemetery is the final resting place for 11 Arkansas governors, 14 state Supreme Court justices, five Confederate Generals, and numerous heroes of military conflicts. For more information about the cemetery, visit the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry. It is just south of downtown Little Rock at 1200 Broadway.

The library will be closed in observance of the holiday and will re-open at 8 AM on Tuesday. 

Obituary Searches - Other Resources

While we are happy to do obituary searches here at the Arkansas State Library, we only have access to one newspaper - the Arkansas Gazette (now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) here at the library. For many years, the paper really only covered deaths in Little Rock, so if your relative died in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, or Helena, they are probably not listed. This is especially true if they lived in a very small town in the country.

All is not necessarily lost, however. Many of the towns and counties in Arkansas had their own papers, and the Arkansas History Commission has a large collection of those papers available on microfilm. Using their online newspaper database, you can search for a specific city or county, and see what papers they have available for what dates. According to their website, the History Commission does not do research for patrons, so you will probably need to visit yourself to search the microfilm. If you live out of state and that is not possible, you will need to contact them directly to see if they can find the obituary for you, or if you will need to hire a proxy researcher. Their phone number is 501-682-6900.

Early Voting Has Started

A reminder that early voting for the preferential primary has now started here in Arkansas. For information about your registration, the candidates, and all other issues election, visit the Secretary of State's Elections Division web page.  Here at the library, we have candidate information booklets available for the public, as well as public access computers that you can use to visit the Secretary of State's web site.