Little Rock Genealogy Records
Little Rock genealogy records are held by Pulaski County, the state archives, and several major local repositories that make this city one of the best-resourced genealogy research locations in Arkansas.
Little Rock at a Glance
Pulaski County Courthouse Records
Little Rock is the county seat of Pulaski County. The Pulaski County Clerk's office is at 401 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 340-8500. The Clerk holds marriage records from 1838, probate records from 1820, and land records from 1819. These are some of the earliest dated records in the state, reflecting Pulaski County's formation in 1818 from Arkansas County. Naturalization records from 1870 to 1918 are also held at the courthouse and are indexed on FamilySearch.
Pulaski County is one of the oldest counties in Arkansas, and the record base in Little Rock goes back nearly two centuries. The county was the parent of Saline, Faulkner, and Lonoke counties, which means that families in those areas before their respective formation dates have their earlier records at the Pulaski County courthouse in Little Rock. The courthouse holds continuous records from 1819, and the FamilySearch wiki for Pulaski County is a good starting point for identifying what is digitized.
The Little Rock City Clerk at City Hall maintains official city records. The Clerk's office holds ordinances, resolutions, and minutes, and some historical city records useful for local history research.
The Little Rock City Clerk's office at City Hall holds city records. County genealogy records are at the Pulaski County courthouse at 401 W. Markham Street.
Arkansas State Archives
The Arkansas State Archives is located at 1100 North Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 682-6900. It holds Confederate pension records, World War I discharge records, 1911 Confederate Veterans Questionnaires, land records, and microfilmed county materials from across the state. For statewide research, the State Archives is the single most important repository in Arkansas.
Researchers visiting Little Rock for genealogy work can combine a trip to the State Archives with visits to the Butler Center, the Central Arkansas Library System, and the Pulaski County courthouse. These four repositories together give access to the widest possible range of Arkansas records from a single city. The State Archives reading room is open to the public, and staff can assist with identifying relevant collections.
Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is at 401 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 320-5700. It is part of the Central Arkansas Library System and holds extensive manuscript collections, photograph collections, maps, and historical documents relevant to Little Rock and the broader Arkansas region. The Butler Center's collections go well beyond genealogy into social history and are valuable for understanding the context of family history in Pulaski County.
The Central Arkansas Library System at Roberts Library provides in-library access to Ancestry Library Edition, African American Heritage databases, Civil War newspapers, and digitized Arkansas newspapers including the Arkansas Gazette from 1819 to 1923 and the Arkansas Democrat from 1878 to 1923. These newspaper archives are especially useful for obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements that supplement courthouse records.
Cemeteries and Other Resources
Mount Holly Cemetery at 1200 S. Broadway, Little Rock, holds burial records and is one of the oldest and most historically significant cemeteries in Arkansas. Many founding families of Little Rock and prominent Arkansans are interred here, and the cemetery maintains its own records. The Historic Arkansas Museum at 200 E. 3rd Street also holds research library materials relevant to Little Rock history and early Arkansas families.
The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records from 1914. For vital records before that date, the Pulaski County courthouse is the primary source. The National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620, holds federal records for Arkansas including census, military, and land records.
Nearby Cities
Cities near Little Rock with genealogy pages include North Little Rock, Conway, Maumelle, Jacksonville, Benton, and Bryant. North Little Rock is also in Pulaski County and uses the same courthouse. Conway is in Faulkner County, which was formed from Pulaski County in 1873.