Conway County Genealogy Records

Conway County genealogy records are among the oldest in Arkansas, with land records starting in 1825 when this county was formed from Pulaski County. The county seat is Morrilton — note that the city of Conway is in Faulkner County, not this one — and the courthouse holds probate files from 1837, court records from 1842, and marriage records from 1858 for family history research.

Conway County Courthouse Genealogy Records

The Conway County Courthouse is at 117 South Moose Street, Morrilton, AR 72110, phone (501) 354-9621. The County Clerk's mailing address is PO Box 286, Morrilton, AR 72110, phone (501) 354-9617. Land records at the courthouse begin in 1825, probate records from 1837, court records from 1842, and marriage records from 1858. The Circuit Court Clerk holds divorce filings from the same period. Birth and death records begin in 1914.

Conway County is one of the older counties in the state, formed on October 20, 1825, from Pulaski County. The county sits along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state and was settled early by families moving westward along the river valley. German, Irish, and Scotch-Irish immigrants joined families from the older southern states in settling Conway County during the territorial and early statehood periods. The marriage records that start in 1858 are supplemented by the earlier probate and land records, which can document family relationships even when formal marriage registers were not being kept.

The gap between the county's formation in 1825 and the start of marriage records in 1858 is significant. For that period, researchers should check land deeds and probate files, which often reference spouses, heirs, and family relationships. Census records from 1830 and 1840, which are the earliest available for Conway County, are also essential tools for reconstructing family groups in the early settlement period. A family that appears in the 1830 census may not appear in any courthouse record until their first land purchase or probate filing.

Conway County Genealogy on FamilySearch

The FamilySearch Conway County wiki guides you to available records and online collections. Marriage records from 1858 are in the statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch. Court records from 1842 to 1961 are indexed for the county. Probate records are also indexed, and census records run from 1830 through 1940.

The 1830 census is the earliest federal census available for Conway County and names heads of household from the first generation of settlers in this part of Arkansas Territory. These early census enumerations are especially valuable for Conway County because they predate the marriage records by nearly three decades. A family appearing in the 1830 or 1840 census but with no courthouse records until 1858 or later can still be traced through census relationships and land records.

FamilySearch has digitized many of the Conway County court and chancery records from the 19th century, making them searchable online without a trip to the courthouse. These court records include civil cases, estate settlements, and guardianship proceedings that often name family members not mentioned elsewhere. Comparing the court records against probate files and census records is a useful method for reconstructing extended family networks in Conway County from the antebellum period through the late 19th century.

ARGenWeb Conway County Resources

The ARGenWeb Conway County page provides free genealogical resources for this central Arkansas county. Volunteer-compiled cemetery records, family history submissions, and transcribed documents are available on the site.

Conway County has many historical cemeteries, some dating to the early settlement period in the 1820s and 1830s. The ARGenWeb transcriptions include church cemeteries, family plots, and community graveyards across the county. Some of the oldest stones document families from the territorial period, and the volunteer transcribers have preserved readings of markers that are now difficult to read in the original.


The ARGenWeb Conway County page provides cemetery records, family histories, and other genealogical resources for researchers tracing families in this central Arkansas county.

Family history submissions on the ARGenWeb site for Conway County sometimes trace families back to the 1820s and 1830s when the county was first organized. If your surname has a long history in Conway County, there is a good chance that another researcher has compiled notes covering part of your family line. The family histories on ARGenWeb are free to access and often draw on courthouse records, census data, and private family documents that you would need to locate separately on your own.

Vital Records and State Archives

The Arkansas Department of Health maintains birth and death records for Conway County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the county courthouse in Morrilton is the official source. The state charges $12 for birth certificates and $10 for death certificates per copy.

The Arkansas State Archives at 1100 North Street, Little Rock, (501) 682-6900, holds Confederate pension files, military records, and microfilmed county materials for Conway County. The State Archives is free to visit and open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., plus the first and third Saturday of each month. Given the early date of Conway County records, the State Archives microfilm holdings are particularly useful for accessing 19th century courthouse materials without traveling to Morrilton.

Land Records and Federal Resources

The Bureau of Land Management database holds federal land patents for Conway County from the 1820s onward. These patents are among the earliest official documents naming Conway County settlers and can establish when your ancestor first purchased land in the county. Many Conway County patents date to the 1820s and 1830s when federal land sales in the territory were active.

Federal records for Conway County are held at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620. Military pension files, Freedmen's Bureau records from 1865 to 1872, and federal census records for Arkansas are all available there. The Freedmen's Bureau collection covers central Arkansas and includes labor contracts and registers of freedpeople that can help trace African American families in Conway County after emancipation.

Nearby Counties

Conway County borders Perry County, Faulkner County, Van Buren County, Pope County, and Yell County. Families in the Arkansas River valley often had connections across these county lines, and checking nearby courthouse records is frequently necessary for a complete family history.