Van Buren Genealogy Records
Van Buren genealogy records are held at the Crawford County courthouse, which is located in Van Buren as the county seat, with records going back to 1877 and the Crawford County Historical Society maintaining a museum and archives for the region.
Van Buren at a Glance
Crawford County Courthouse Records
Van Buren is the county seat of Crawford County. The Crawford County Clerk's office is at 300 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956, phone (479) 474-1821. The Clerk holds marriage records from 1877 and probate records from 1877. Crawford County was formed in 1820 from Arkansas County, and the courthouse records beginning in 1877 reflect the aftermath of a courthouse fire that destroyed earlier records. The Circuit Court Clerk holds land records and court files. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.
The courthouse fire loss is the defining challenge for Crawford County genealogy. The county was established in 1820 and Van Buren was a significant river port by the 1830s and 1840s, but courthouse records surviving before 1877 are limited. Researchers working on Crawford County families from the antebellum period need to rely on federal census records, church records, newspapers, and FamilySearch indexes rather than courthouse documents for most of that era. The Crawford County Historical Society and Museum may hold family papers and local history materials that predate the surviving courthouse records.
Van Buren is directly across the Arkansas River from Fort Smith, and the two cities formed the gateway to Indian Territory during the nineteenth century. The federal court at Fort Smith (Judge Isaac Parker's court) had jurisdiction over Indian Territory, and researchers tracing families in the Van Buren area may find relevant documentation in those federal court records at the National Archives at Fort Worth.
The Van Buren City Clerk at City Hall holds city records including ordinances and historical documents.
The Van Buren City Clerk maintains city records. Crawford County genealogy records are at the courthouse at 300 Main Street.
Crawford County Historical Society and Library
The Crawford County Historical Society maintains a museum at the Drennen-Scott Historic Site in Van Buren with historical archives, photographs, publications, and research materials relevant to Crawford County families. The Society can assist with research into families in the Van Buren area and may hold compiled genealogies and family papers not available at the courthouse.
The Van Buren Public Library holds a local history collection and genealogy resources. 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 Crawford County. Federal records are at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620.
Nearby Cities
Cities near Van Buren with genealogy pages include Fort Smith and Russellville. Fort Smith is directly across the Arkansas River in Sebastian County. Crawford County records at Van Buren hold pre-1851 records for the Fort Smith area, as Crawford County was one of the parent counties for Sebastian County. Russellville is further east in Pope County.