Arkansas county histories are unusual in that most of the counties were represented in regional histories in the late 1800s. Therefore, although most Arkansas counties in this list appear to have no digitized histories, it is important to carefully check the STATE list.
FAQ
1. While every county in the state is listed, links are only provided for titles that no longer fall under U.S. copyright laws. All (almost) links connect to free websites.
2. There are a few instances when a book has been digitized, but is only found on a paid site. In that case, no link is inserted, but a note as to the website where it has been found is given.
3. When a state history has also been found in digital format, it is listed in the STATE section that precedes the county list. I have limited STATE entries to those with county histories/biographical volumes in them.
4. There are a number of counties that DO have histories written, BUT they remain copyrighted material. Therefore, if a county has NONE after its name, it doesn’t mean there is no county history, just that none has been digitized. It’s also possible that the only digitized county history is included in one of the state volumes, so be sure to check those entries.
5. If the book is on FamilySearch, you will need a free account to access it. This list does NOT include town histories.
6. When all fifty states have been completed, I will post a PDF of them all.
7. One last note – it is very possible that a book is digitally available on more than one website. I’ve only included links to one site per book.
ARKANSAS
STATE – Biographical and historical memoirs of eastern Arkansas, Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1890. [Arkansas, Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, Prairie, St Francis, White & Woodruff counties]
STATE – Biographical and pictorial history of Arkansas, Volumes 1&2, John Hallum, Weed, Parsons & Company, 1887.
STATE – Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas, Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889. [Clay, Craighead, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph & Sharp Counties]
STATE – Biographical and historical memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland and Hot Spring counties, Arkansas: comprising a condensed history of the state, Goodspeed Publishing company, Chicago, 1889.
STATE – Biographical and historical memoirs of western Arkansas, Mrs. Leister E. Presley, Southern Publishing Company, Chicago, 1891. [Johnson, Logan, Montgomery, Polk, Pope, Scott and Yell Counties]
STATE – Biographical and historical memoirs of southern Arkansas: comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of its distinguished citizens, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such county, Mrs. Leister E. Presley, Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1890.
STATE – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present; including a department devoted to the preservation of sundrey personal, business, professional, and private records, Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
STATE – Pioneers and makers of Arkansas, Josiah Hazen Shinn, Genealogical and Historical Publishing, 1908.
STATE – Biographical and pictorial history of Arkansas, John Hallum, Weed, Parsons & Company, Albany, 1887.
STATE – Annals of Arkansas, 1947: a narrative historical edition revising, reediting and continuing A Centennial history of Arkansas, preserving the record of the growth and development of the state and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Volume 1, Dallas Tabor Herndon, Historical Record Association, Hopkinsville, Arkansas, 1947.
STATE – Annals of Arkansas, 1947: a narrative historical edition revising, reediting and continuing A Centennial history of Arkansas, preserving the record of the growth and development of the state and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Volume 2, Dallas Tabor Herndon, Historical Record Association, Hopkinsville, Arkansas, 1947.
STATE – Annals of Arkansas, 1947: a narrative historical edition revising, reediting and continuing A Centennial history of Arkansas, preserving the record of the growth and development of the state and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Volume 3, Dallas Tabor Herndon, Historical Record Association, Hopkinsville, Arkansas, 1947.
STATE – Annals of Arkansas, 1947: a narrative historical edition revising, reediting and continuing A Centennial history of Arkansas, preserving the record of the growth and development of the state and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Volume 4, Dallas Tabor Herndon, Historical Record Association, Hopkinsville, Arkansas, 1947.
STATE – A reminiscent history of the Ozark region: comprising a condensed general history, a brief descriptive history of each county, and numerous biographical sketches of prominent citizens of such counties, Goodspeed Brothers, Chicago, 1894.
STATE – Centennial History of Arkansas, Volume 1, Dallas Tabor Herndon, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago-Little Rock, 1922.
STATE – Centennial History of Arkansas, Volume 2, Dallas Tabor Herndon, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago-Little Rock, 1922.
STATE – A pictorial history of Arkansas, from the earliest times to the year 1890, Fay Hempstead, N.D. Thompson Publishing Company, St. Louis & New YorK, 1890.
ARKANSAS – A topographical description and history of Arkansas County, Arkansas from 1541 to 1875, William Henry Halliburton, 1876.
ASHLEY – History of Ashley County, Arkansas, Young W. Etheridge, Press-Argus, Van Buren, 1959.
BAXTER – Baxter County centennial: 100 years of progress, 1873-1973, Publicity Committee of the Baxter County Centennial, 1973, Mountain Home, Arkansas, 1973.
BAXTER – History of Baxter County, Frances H. Shiras, W. Daniel & Shiras Brothers Print Shop, 1939.
BENTON – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
BOONE – Mountain heritage: some glimpses into Boone County’s past after one hundred years, Roger V. Logan Jr., Harrison Junior Chamber of Commerce, Harrison, Arkansas, 1969.
BRADLEY – NONE
CALHOUN – NONE
CARROLL – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
CHICOT – NONE
CLARK – NONE
CLAY – NONE
CLEBURNE – NONE
CLEVELAND – NONE
COLUMBIA – History of Columbia County, Nettie Hicks Killgore, Magnolia, 1947.
CONWAY – Historical reminiscenses and biographical memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas, Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1890. Reprinted by Press-Argus, Van Buren, Arkansas, 1960.
CRAIGHEAD – The story of Craighead County: a narrative of people and events in northeast Arkansas, Charles Albert Stuck, Jonesboro, Arkansas, 1960.
CRAIGHEAD – History of Craighead County, Arkansas, Harry Lee Williams, Parke-Harper Company, Little Rock, 1930.
CRAWFORD – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
CRAWFORD – History of Crawford County, Arkansas, Clara Bertha Eno, Press-Argus, Van Buren, Arkansas, 1951.
CRAWFORD – The History of Crawford County, Arkansas: from the days of the river flatboats through the era of the overland stage, Press-Argus, Van Buren, Arkansas, 1961.
CRITTENDEN – NONE
CROSS – History of Cross County, Arkansas, 1955: a narrative historical edition preserving the record of the growth and development of Cross County, Arkansas, and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Robert W. Chowning, Wynne Progress, Wynne, Arkansas, 1955.
DALLAS – NONE
DESHA – NONE
DREW – NONE
FAULKNER – The history of Faulkner County, Arkansas, Alexander McPherson, J.H. Glass & Mrs. H.E. Cureton, Conway Times Plant, Conway, Arkansas, 1927.
FRANKLIN – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
FULTON – NONE
GARLAND – NONE
GRANT – NONE
GREENE – NONE
HEMPSTEAD – NONE
HOT SPRING – NONE
HOWARD – NONE
INDEPENDENCE – NONE
IZARD – Historical and biographical sketches of the early settlement of the valley of White River together with a history of Izard County … 1800-1877, Augustus Curren Jeffery, Jeffery Historical Society, 1973. Reprint from 1877.
IZARD – A history of Izard County, Arkansas, Karr Shannon, Democrat Printing and Lithographing Company, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1947.
IZARD – Izard County, Arkansas, Volume 1, 195_.
IZARD – Izard County, Arkansas, Volume 2, 195_.
JACKSON – NONE
JEFFERSON – NONE
JOHNSON – History of Johnson County, Arkansas: the first hundred years, Ella Molloy Langford, Sallis, Threadgill & Sallis, Clarksville, Arkansas, 1921.
LAFAYETTE – NONE
LAWRENCE – NONE
LEE – NONE
LINCOLN – NONE
LITTLE RIVER – NONE
LOGAN – NONE
LONOKE – NONE
MADISON – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
MADISON – Index to Goodspeed’s History and autobiographical sketches of Madison County, Arkansas, Hilda Nancy Ersula Snowberger Chance, 1968.
MARION – NONE
MILLER – NONE
MISSISSIPPI – History of Mississippi County, Arkansas, Mabel Flanningan Edrington, Ocala Star-Banner, Ocala, Florida, 1962.
MONROE – Historical notes of Monroe County, Arkansas, Jo Claire Knoll English, typescript, n.d. [Familysearch Film 1016244, Item 1]
MONROE – Pages from the past : historical notes on Clarendon, Monroe County and early Arkansas, Jo Claire Knoll English, Clendon, Arkansas, 1976.
MONTGOMERY – NONE
NEWTON – NONE
OUACHITA – NONE
PERRY – NONE
PHILLIPS – NONE
PIKE – NONE
POINSETT – NONE
POLK – NONE
POPE – David Porter West’s early history of Pope County, Arkansas: a story, David Porter West, 1906.
POPE – History of Pope County, Arkansas, Volume 1, Pope County Historical Association History Book Committee, Russellville, Arkansas, Jostens, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1981-1999.
POPE – History of Pope County, Arkansas, Volume 2, Pope County Historical Association History Book Committee, Russellville, Arkansas, Jostens, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1981-1999.
PRAIRIE – NONE
PULASKI – NONE
RANDOLPH – History of Randolph County, Arkansas, Lawrence Dalton, Democrat Printing and Lithographing, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1946.
RANDOLPH – In the long ago, photos of Randolph County, Arkansas, Volume 3, Star Herald Printing Company, Pocahontas, Arkansas, 1973. *No other volumes found.
SAINT FRANCIS – History of St. Francis County, Arkansas, 1954: a narrative historical edition preserving the record of the growth and development of St. Francis County, Arkansas, and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages, Robert W. Chowning, Times-Herald Publishing Company, Forrest City, Arkansas, 1954.
SALINE – Saline County: recollections of early settlers, Ruth Fleming Beaty & Bernice Spraggins McCurdy, Benton, Arkansas, 1986.
SCOTT – History of Scott County, Arkansas, Henry Grady McCutchen, Arkansas, 1922.
SCOTT – A history of Scott County, Arkansas, Norman Goodner, Bar D Press, Siloam Springs, Arkansas, 1941.
SCOTT – Slavery in Scott County, Arkansas, John Paul O’Nale, n.d.
SEARCY – Searcy County, Arkansas to 1850, James J. Johnston, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1991.
SEBASTIAN – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
SEVIER – Memories of yesteryear, Ilene Smith, n.d.
SHARP – NONE
STONE – NONE
UNION – NONE
VAN BUREN – NONE
WASHINGTON – History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas: from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc., Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1889.
WHITE – NONE
WOODRUFF – NONE
YELL – History of Yell County, Arkansas, Wayne Banks, Press-Argus, Van Buren, Arkansas, 1959.