Garland County Genealogy Records

Garland County genealogy records begin with land records from 1873, when the county was created from Saline County. Marriage records start in 1874 and probate records in 1877. The county seat is Hot Springs, known for its national park and thermal waters, and the courthouse holds records for family history research spanning 150 years of settlement in this central Arkansas county.

Garland County Courthouse Genealogy Records

The Garland County Courthouse is at 501 Ouachita Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901. The County Clerk is in Room 207, phone (501) 622-3630, and holds marriage records from 1874 and probate records from 1877. Land records begin in 1873 when the county was created. The Circuit Court Clerk is in Room 104, phone (501) 622-3670, and holds court records from 1874, chancery court records from 1893 to 1951, and real estate deeds and judgments. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.

Garland County was created on April 5, 1873, from Saline County. Families who were in this area before 1873 will appear in Saline County records at Benton. Saline County records begin in 1836, so the trail back through the parent county can go relatively far. Many Hot Springs area families in the 1870s and 1880s came to the area for the therapeutic springs, which attracted visitors and settlers from across the country. This means Garland County genealogy research sometimes reveals origins in states quite distant from Arkansas.

The garlandrecords.us website provides online access to some Garland County court records, real estate records, and related filings. This can be a useful starting point for online research before visiting the courthouse in person. The site is maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk's office and is free to access.

Garland County Genealogy on FamilySearch

The FamilySearch Garland County wiki lists available records and links to digitized collections. Marriage records from 1874 are in the statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch. County court records from 1874 to 1879, chancery court records from 1893 to 1951, and probate records from 1877 to 1927 are all indexed through FamilySearch. Census records for the county run from 1880 through 1940. Church records are also available through FamilySearch for some congregations in the Hot Springs area.

The 1880 census is the first complete federal census for Garland County, taken seven years after the county was formed. It captures the founding generation of settlers along with many newcomers who had come to Hot Springs for health reasons. The Hot Springs area attracted people from across the country and internationally, and the 1880 birthplace entries in the census reflect this diversity. Researchers tracing Garland County ancestors from this period sometimes find origins in states not typical for Arkansas settlement, including northern states and even European countries.

The Garland County Historical Society, which the FamilySearch wiki references, has historical archives, photographs, and publications related to the county. The society's research assistance can be helpful for tracing families with deep roots in the Hot Springs area. Their archives sometimes include private family papers and photographs donated by local families that are not available through any official record system.

ARGenWeb and Genealogy Trails Resources

The ARGenWeb Garland County page provides free genealogical resources compiled by volunteers. Cemetery transcriptions, family history submissions, and historical documents are available on the site.

The Genealogy Trails Garland County page is one of the more comprehensive free resources for this county and includes biographies, birth and death records, cemetery records, census records, church records, marriage records, military records, newspaper clippings, obituaries, school records, and wills and probate transcriptions. The breadth of materials on this site makes it worth checking early in any Garland County research project.


The ARGenWeb Garland County page provides cemetery records, family history submissions, and genealogical resources for researchers tracing Hot Springs area families.

Obituary transcriptions from Hot Springs newspapers are among the most useful records on these volunteer sites. Hot Springs was a resort and spa destination that attracted people from many states, and obituaries from the area often named the deceased person's home state, providing a key piece of information for tracing families back before they arrived in Arkansas. If your ancestor died in Hot Springs or elsewhere in Garland County, a newspaper obituary search is high on the priority list.

Vital Records and State Archives

The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records for Garland County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the courthouse in Hot Springs is the primary official source. Birth certificates cost $12 and death certificates are $10 per copy from the state.

The Arkansas State Archives at 1100 North Street, Little Rock, (501) 682-6900, holds Confederate pension files, military records, and microfilmed county materials for Garland County. The Archives is free 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. The BLM land records database holds federal land patents for Garland County from 1873 onward.

Cities in Garland County

The qualifying city in Garland County for this site is Hot Springs, the county seat and one of the most distinctive cities in Arkansas. Hot Springs has its own page with city-specific genealogy resources and courthouse information.

Nearby Counties

Garland County borders Saline County, Hot Spring County, Clark County, Montgomery County, and Perry County. Saline County, as the parent county, holds pre-1873 records for Garland County families.