St. Francis County Genealogy Records
St. Francis County genealogy records begin in 1830, when this east Arkansas delta county was formed from Phillips County. The county seat is Forrest City, and the courthouse holds marriage registers, probate files, and land records for family history research along Crowley's Ridge in this part of the Mississippi delta.
St. Francis County at a Glance
St. Francis County Courthouse Genealogy Records
The St. Francis County Clerk's office mailing address is PO Box 1054, Forrest City, AR 72336, phone (870) 261-1725. The Clerk holds marriage records from 1830 and probate records from 1830. St. Francis County was created on October 13, 1827, from Phillips County, with courthouse records beginning in 1830. The Circuit Court Clerk at the courthouse holds divorce filings, court records, and land records. Birth and death records at the county level begin in 1914.
St. Francis County sits on and around Crowley's Ridge, a unique geological feature that rises above the otherwise flat Mississippi delta. The Ridge gave early settlers higher ground in an otherwise swampy lowland environment, and the first settlements in the county clustered on the Ridge. The county's 1830 record start captures these early settlers just a few years after the county was organized from Phillips County. The early courthouse records document the first generation of families in Forrest City and the surrounding townships.
St. Francis County contributed territory to Lee County when it was formed in 1873 and to Cross County when that county was created in 1862. Families near those county boundaries after those formation dates may have their records in the newer counties. For pre-1827 research, Phillips County records at Helena go back to 1820 and cover the entire St. Francis County area before it was organized. Phillips County is the first stop for families in this area before 1827.
Note: St. Francis County was formed in 1827 from Phillips County. Pre-1827 records are in the Phillips County courthouse at Helena. St. Francis County also contributed to Lee County (1873) and Cross County (1862).
St. Francis County Genealogy on FamilySearch
The FamilySearch St. Francis County wiki lists available records and links to digitized collections. Marriage records from 1830 are in the statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch. Probate records are indexed for the county, and census records run from 1830 through 1940.
The 1830 census is the earliest federal census for St. Francis County and captures households from the county's early years. The 1850 census names every household member and is the key antebellum document, with birthplace data tracing St. Francis County settlers back to Tennessee, Alabama, and the Carolinas. For African American genealogy, the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules for St. Francis County list enslaved people under the names of their enslavers, and these combined with the 1870 census and the Freedmen's Bureau records form the standard research chain.
St. Francis County had a substantial enslaved population given its delta cotton economy. The Freedmen's Bureau records for east Arkansas cover the Forrest City area and are held at the National Archives at Fort Worth. These records from 1865 to 1869 include labor contracts, marriage registers, and other documents that name formerly enslaved individuals and document family connections in the post-war period.
ARGenWeb St. Francis County Resources
The ARGenWeb St. Francis County page provides free genealogical resources compiled by volunteers. Cemetery surveys, family history submissions, and historical documents for this east Arkansas delta county are available through the ARGenWeb network.
St. Francis County cemeteries include sites on Crowley's Ridge dating back to the 1830s and delta community cemeteries that document African American families from the post-Civil War period. Some burial sites are on private land along the Ridge and require local knowledge to locate.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds microfilmed St. Francis County records, Confederate pension files, and military records for researchers tracing east Arkansas delta families.
Family histories for St. Francis County trace families through the Phillips County parent connection and across the broader east Arkansas delta region. Because the county contributed territory to both Lee and Cross counties, some submitted genealogies track family lines across these multiple county jurisdictions.
Vital Records and State Archives
The Arkansas Department of Health holds birth and death records for St. Francis County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the county courthouse in Forrest City 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 St. Francis County. Freedmen's Bureau records for east Arkansas are at the National Archives at Fort Worth, 501 W Felix Street, Fort Worth, TX 76115, phone (817) 831-5620.
Nearby Counties
St. Francis County borders Phillips County, Lee County, Cross County, Crittenden County, and Woodruff County. Phillips County is the parent county and holds pre-1827 records for St. Francis County families. Lee County and Cross County were both formed partly from St. Francis County and hold later records for families in those areas.