Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Hempstead County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Other records
- Hempstead County Microfilm collection · MFILM-COUNTY-292023-09-06
- Hempstead County relics described · SMCSA-01141887
- B.P. Haynes, Hempstead County, Arkansas · SMCSA-00641840-1918
- Hempstead County (Ark.) Democratic primary ballot · SMC-041-0431904
- Hempstead County (Ark.) Democratic primary ballot · SMC-041-0441898 May 7
- Hempstead County (Ark.) public meeting proceedings · SMC-OV-0281860 December 15
- Hempstead County boundaries changed 1849-1851 · SMCSA-00071849-1851
- F.C. Hawkins, publisher, Hempstead County News · SMCSA-00661980
- Petition for public road, Hempstead County · SMCSA-01261880
- Hempstead County (Ark.) Democratic primary official vote · SMC-OV-1151922 August 8
- "Far From Home and Kindred - The History of Confederate Companies Raised in Hempstead County" · SMC-147-52004
County government
- Hempstead County election returns · SMCSA-00461874 October 13
Newspapers and directories
Census records
Tax records
Marriages, births and deaths
- Hempstead County loose marriage records · MSSA-00171820-1970; Majority of material found within 1850 - 1949
Court records
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected Arkansas State Archives collection descriptions. Collection titles and dates identify catalog holdings, not necessarily digitized records. Consult the finding aid for contents, restrictions and ordering options.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Find Hempstead County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the circuit clerk and the county clerk.
- The circuit clerk
Deeds and other land records (the circuit clerk is also the county recorder), and civil and criminal cases.
- The county clerk
Marriage licenses and, in most counties, probate records (wills and estates).
- The Arkansas State Archives
In Little Rock: county records on microfilm, Confederate pension records and newspapers.
- Arkansas State Archivesfree
The state archives in Little Rock: county records on microfilm, Confederate service and pension records, maps and newspapers.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Arkansas, Hempstead" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Arkansas County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Arkansas County
Later formed partly from Hempstead County: Columbia County, Howard County, Lafayette County, Little River County, Nevada County, Pike County, Sevier County, Union County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1819, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Arkansas began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1914. Many counties lost records to courthouse fires, so check the parent county and the federal land records (the BLM's General Land Office site) for early settlers.