Logan County Genealogy Records
Logan County genealogy records begin in 1871, when this Arkansas River Valley county was formed from Pope, Franklin, Johnson, and Yell counties. Logan County operates two separate district courthouses — one in Paris for the Western District and one in Booneville for the Eastern District — and researchers need to know which district their ancestor lived in to find the right records.
Logan County at a Glance
Logan County Courthouse Genealogy Records
Logan County has two county seats and two separate clerk offices. The Western District Clerk is at 25 W. Walnut Street, Paris, AR 72855, phone (479) 963-2618. The Eastern District Clerk is at 123 N. Broadway, Booneville, AR 72927, phone (479) 675-2951. Each district holds its own marriage records, probate records, and court records. Records in both districts begin in 1871. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.
Logan County was created on March 22, 1871, from parts of Pope County, Franklin County, Johnson County, and Yell County. The two-district structure has been a feature of Logan County since its early years, and it means that families in Paris and the western townships are documented in one set of books while families in Booneville and the eastern townships appear in a separate set. For genealogical research, the first step is identifying the township where your ancestor lived in Logan County so you can go to the correct district courthouse.
The four parent counties each hold earlier records for their portions of the Logan County area. Pope County records at Russellville go back to 1829. Franklin County records (at both Charleston and Ozark) go back to 1844. Johnson County records at Clarksville go back to 1834. Yell County records at Dardanelle and Danville go back to 1840. If your ancestor was in this part of the Arkansas River Valley before 1871, one of these four counties holds the relevant early documentation.
Note: Logan County has two separate district courthouses. The Western District is at Paris and the Eastern District is at Booneville. Records for each district are maintained separately, so identifying your ancestor's township is necessary before researching.
Logan County Genealogy on FamilySearch
The FamilySearch Logan County wiki lists available records and links to digitized collections. Marriage records from 1871 are in the statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch. Probate records are indexed for the county, and census records run from 1880 through 1940.
The 1880 census is the first complete federal census for Logan County and lists every household member with ages, birthplaces, and occupations. It was taken nine years after the county was formed and captures families who had already been established in both districts for nearly a decade. For older families in the county, the 1880 census birthplace entries often point back to Tennessee, Kentucky, or Alabama, which helps researchers trace the pre-Arkansas origins of Logan County settlers.
FamilySearch has indexed Civil War pension files and military records that are particularly valuable for Logan County research. The county's Arkansas River Valley location put it in a contested zone during the Civil War, and men from both districts served in Confederate units as well as Union forces. Pension applications contain sworn family history statements with marriage dates, children's names, and details about earlier residences, which are useful supplements to courthouse records from the 1860s and 1870s.
ARGenWeb Logan County Resources
The ARGenWeb Logan County page provides free genealogical resources compiled by volunteers. Cemetery surveys, family history submissions, and historical documents for this Arkansas River Valley county are available on the site.
Logan County cemeteries are distributed across both the western and eastern districts and include church burial grounds from the early settlement period. The ARGenWeb transcriptions document graves in both the Paris area and the Booneville area, giving researchers a way to identify family clusters that can then be tracked into courthouse records.
The ARGenWeb Logan County page provides cemetery records, family history submissions, and genealogical resources for researchers tracing Arkansas River Valley families in both the Paris and Booneville districts.
Family histories on the ARGenWeb site for Logan County sometimes document families across both districts, since relatives often lived on different sides of the county. For researchers unsure which district to search, the ARGenWeb family submissions can help identify where a family was centered.
Vital Records and State Archives
The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records for Logan County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the appropriate district courthouse — Paris for the Western District or Booneville for the Eastern District — is the primary official source. Birth certificates cost $12 and death certificates are $10 per copy from the state.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds Confederate pension files, military records, and microfilmed county materials for Logan County. Federal records including pension files and military service records are at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620. The BLM land records database holds federal land patents for Logan County from the 1870s onward.
Nearby Counties
Logan County borders Pope County, Franklin County, Johnson County, Yell County, Scott County, and Sebastian County. The four parent counties — Pope, Franklin, Johnson, and Yell — all hold pre-1871 records for families who lived in the Logan County area before it was organized.