Texarkana Arkansas Genealogy Records

Texarkana Arkansas genealogy records are held by Miller County, with courthouse records beginning in 1880 due to the county's unusual boundary history, and the Texarkana Public Library serving researchers on both the Arkansas and Texas sides of this twin city.

Miller County Courthouse Records

Texarkana, Arkansas is the county seat of Miller County. The Miller County Clerk's office is at 400 Laurel Street, Texarkana, AR 71854, phone (870) 774-1301. The Clerk holds marriage records from 1880 and probate records from 1880. Miller County's courthouse records begin in 1880 because of the county's complex boundary history — the area was originally claimed by both Arkansas and Texas, was attached to Texas jurisdiction for a period, and was not definitively organized as an Arkansas county until the 1870s. The Circuit Court Clerk holds land records and court files. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.

The boundary dispute history means that researchers tracing families in the Texarkana area before 1880 face a more complex research problem than in most Arkansas counties. Some records for the pre-1880 period may exist in Hempstead County at Hope, which had administrative authority over parts of the area during the uncertain period. Texas county records across the state line in Bowie County (county seat: Boston, Texas) may also hold documentation for families in the Texarkana area during periods of Texas jurisdiction.

Texarkana is a unique research environment because the city straddles the Arkansas-Texas state line. Genealogical records for the Arkansas portion are at the Miller County courthouse. Records for the Texas portion are in Bowie County, Texas. Some families had connections on both sides of the line, and researchers should be prepared to work with both state record systems for a complete family picture.

Texarkana Public Library and Historical Resources

The Texarkana Public Library holds an Arkansas History Room collection with local history materials and genealogy resources relevant to the Texarkana area. The library serves both the Arkansas and Texas sides of the city and holds materials that cross the state line boundary. The Texarkana Historical Museum holds historical archives, photographs, and exhibits documenting the city's history from its founding as a railroad town in the 1870s.

The Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives (SARA) at 201 Highway 195 S, Washington, AR 71862, phone (870) 983-2633, covers 12 southwest Arkansas counties including Miller County. SARA holds regional records that supplement the courthouse and can be especially valuable given Miller County's late record start. The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records from 1914. The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds Confederate pension files and microfilmed county materials for Miller County. Federal records are at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620.

The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds Miller County records, Confederate pension files, and other genealogical collections relevant to Texarkana Arkansas research.

Nearby Cities

Cities near Texarkana with genealogy pages include El Dorado to the northeast in Union County. The broader southwest Arkansas region has no other qualifying cities on this site, though the SARA archives in Washington serve the entire region.