Cleveland County, Arkansas
Cleveland County was created on 17 April 1873 and was originally called Dorsey County, it was formed from Bradley, 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, Bradley County (south), Calhoun County (southwest), Dallas County (west). Cities, Towns & Communities include , Kingsland, Rison, New Edinburg
The Official County Government Website is located at ? .
County Court, Probate and Tax Records
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 .
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
Tax records are located in the county courthouse and the Arkansas History Commission.
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:
County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
Arkansas 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 Cleveland 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.
- Ordering Vital Records - You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Certificates to mail.
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:
- Submit a website for Cleveland Co. Vital Records
- Vital Records from Archives.com: Order Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records Online!

- Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research.
- 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.
- Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950 - index to approximately 594,000 deaths that occurred in Arkansas between 1914 and 1950.
- Arkansas Divorce Index, 1923-1939 - index to divorces that were filed in Arkansas from 1923-27 and 1934-39. Information can include plaintiff's name, defendant's name, date of divorce, county of divorce, volume number, docket number, and certificate number.
- Arkansas Marriage Index, 1933-1939 - index to individuals who were married in Arkansas from 1933-1939. Information that may be found in this database can include groom's name, bride's name, marriage date, license date, county of marriage, marriage certificate and volume number.
- Arkansas Marriages to 1850 - contains Arkansas marriages to 1850 and contains over 18,000 names.
- Arkansas Marriages, 1779-1992 - contains marriage information from selected areas of Arkansas for over 300,000 individuals from 1779-1992.
- Arkansas Marriages, 1820-1949 - contains marriage information from selected areas of Arkansas from 1820-1949.
- Arkansas Marriages, 1851-1900 - database of Arkansas marriage records between 1851 and 1900 includes records from Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Cross, Dallas, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Logan, Lonoke, Marion, Montgomery, Nevada, Phillips, Pike, Polk, Prairie, Randolph, St. Francis, Scott, Sebastian, Sharp, Stone Yell, Union, Washington, and White Counties
- Cleveland County, Arkansas Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
County 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, 1910, 1920 and 1940. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Cleveland County, Arkansas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules 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:
County Maps & Atlases
Below is a list of online resources for Cleveland County Maps. Email us with websites containing Cleveland County Maps by clicking the link below:
County Military Records
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:
- Submit a website for Cleveland Co. Military Records
- Southern Claims - Barred and Disallowed 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.
- Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Arkansas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Arkansas
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from southern units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
- Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67 from the State of Arkansas (The National Archives): NARA M1003. View, Print Copy & Save Original Applications for pardon submitted to President Andrew Johnson, 1865-67, by former Confederates excluded from earlier amnesty proclamations.
- Arkansas Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
- Arkansas Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
- National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
- Cleveland County, Arkansas Military Books at Amazon.com
County Genealogical Addresses
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:
- Submit a website for Cleveland Co. Genealogical Addresses
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- Arkansas History Commission, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201; 501.682.6900
- Arkansas Genealogical Society, 1411 Shady Grove Road, P.O. Box 908, Hot Springs, AR 71902-0908; Phone: 501-262-4513
- Arkansas Historical Society, 422 South Sixth Street, Van Buren, AR 72201
- Arkansas Family History Association, 609 Colynwood, Sherwood, Arkansas 72120; 501-835-7502
- Arkansas Historical Association, 416 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; 479-575-5884, 479-575-2775 FAX
- Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
- Arkansas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
County Church & Cemeteries
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.
There are many churches and cemeteries in Cleveland County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Cleveland County Tombstone Transcription Project.
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:
County Church & Bible Records
Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits
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: