Prairie County Genealogy Records
Prairie County genealogy records begin in 1847, when this central Arkansas county was formed from Arkansas County and Pulaski County. Prairie County operates two district courthouses — Des Arc in the Southern District and De Valls Bluff in the Northern District — and identifying which district your ancestor lived in is required before searching county records.
Prairie County at a Glance
Prairie County Courthouse Genealogy Records
Prairie County has two clerk offices. The Southern District office (Des Arc) is at 200 Court House Square, Des Arc, AR 72040, phone (870) 256-4431. The Northern District office (De Valls Bluff) is at 181 Prairie Street, De Valls Bluff, AR 72041, phone (870) 998-2314. Each district maintains its own marriage records, probate records, and court files, all beginning in 1847. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.
Prairie County was created on November 25, 1846, from parts of Arkansas County and Pulaski County. The county lies in central Arkansas along the White River, and its two river towns — Des Arc and De Valls Bluff — were both important river ports in the 19th century. The two-district structure reflects the county's split between these two communities and their tributary areas. Families in the southern townships around Des Arc filed records in the Des Arc courthouse, while those in the northern townships around De Valls Bluff used the courthouse there.
For research before 1846, the two parent counties provide the earlier record base. Arkansas County records at De Witt and Stuttgart go back to 1814 and cover the southern portion of the Prairie County area. Pulaski County records at Little Rock go back to 1820 and cover the northern portion. The township where your ancestor lived before Prairie County was formed determines which parent county courthouse to search.
Note: Prairie County has two district courthouses — Southern District at Des Arc and Northern District at De Valls Bluff. Records for each district are maintained separately. Pre-1846 records are in Arkansas County and Pulaski County courthouses.
Prairie County Genealogy on FamilySearch
The FamilySearch Prairie County wiki lists available records and links to digitized collections. Marriage records from 1847 are in the statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch. Probate records are indexed for the county, and census records run from 1850 through 1940.
The 1850 census is the first complete federal census for Prairie County, naming every household member with ages, birthplaces, and occupations. It was taken four years after the county was organized and documents the founding settlers in both the Des Arc and De Valls Bluff areas. The White River was a major transportation corridor, and the 1850 census reflects a mix of farming families and those involved in river commerce.
FamilySearch has indexed Slave Schedules for both Arkansas County and Pulaski County from before Prairie County's formation. For African American genealogy in Prairie County, the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules for Prairie County itself, combined with the 1870 census and the Freedmen's Bureau records for central Arkansas, form the standard research trail from the slavery period into the post-war years. The Freedmen's Bureau records for this area are at the National Archives at Fort Worth.
ARGenWeb Prairie County Resources
The ARGenWeb Prairie County page provides free genealogical resources compiled by volunteers. Cemetery surveys, family history submissions, and historical documents for this central Arkansas county are available on the site.
Prairie County cemeteries are spread across both the northern and southern districts along the White River. The ARGenWeb transcriptions cover sites in both the Des Arc area and the De Valls Bluff area, giving researchers a tool to identify which district a family was centered in before committing to a courthouse research trip.
The ARGenWeb Prairie County page provides cemetery records, family history submissions, and genealogical resources for researchers tracing central Arkansas families in the Des Arc and De Valls Bluff areas.
Family histories on the ARGenWeb site for Prairie County sometimes trace families across both districts, since relatives often lived on different sides of the county boundary. The Des Arc-De Valls Bluff split reflects a real geographic divide in the county, and the submitted genealogies can help identify which side of that divide a family was on.
Vital Records and State Archives
The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records for Prairie County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the appropriate district courthouse — Des Arc for the Southern District or De Valls Bluff for the Northern District — is the primary 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 Prairie County. Federal records are at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620.
Nearby Counties
Prairie County borders Arkansas County, Pulaski County, Lonoke County, White County, Woodruff County, and Monroe County. Arkansas County and Pulaski County are the parent counties. Lonoke County, which was itself formed from Pulaski and Prairie counties in 1873, is also relevant for families near that boundary.