Search Arkansas County Death Index Records
Arkansas County holds a unique place in state history as the oldest county in Arkansas, and searching its Death Index connects you to records from DeWitt, Stuttgart, and every small community across both its northern and southern districts. Death certificates are held at the state level in Little Rock, not at the county clerk's office in DeWitt, but local probate records and historical archives provide strong secondary sources for family research. This page covers where to request certificates, what the county clerk and circuit clerk maintain, and how to use historical collections to trace a death in Arkansas County.
Arkansas County Death Index Overview
Arkansas County Death Record Requests
Death certificates for Arkansas County residents are not held at the county level. They are maintained exclusively by the Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Call (501) 661-2174 or toll-free (800) 637-9314. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and you need to arrive by 3:00 PM for same-day service. The county health unit can assist with referrals if you are not sure which agency handles your request.
The first certified copy of a death certificate costs $10.00. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $8.00. If you cannot find a record and the state office conducts a search that turns up nothing, the $10.00 search fee is still charged and not refunded. Photo ID is required for all requests. For records less than 50 years old, access is limited to immediate family and legal representatives under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305.
Online orders use VitalChek, the official state-authorized platform for Arkansas vital records. VitalChek charges $5.00 for processing plus $1.85 for identity verification on top of the certificate cost. Mail requests go directly to the Little Rock office with a completed application, copy of your ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
VitalChek is the authorized online ordering service for Arkansas death certificates, including records for deaths that occurred anywhere in Arkansas County from 1914 forward.
Arkansas County Clerk and Probate Records
The Arkansas County Clerk office is at 101 Court Square, DeWitt, AR 72042-2050. Phone: (870) 946-1791. Fax: (870) 946-4399. Email: accoclerkmelissa@centurytel.net. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The Clerk's primary role in death research is through probate records. When an Arkansas County resident died and left property or debts, a probate case was frequently opened. Those estate files contain dates of death, lists of heirs, and sometimes letters testamentary that confirm the basic facts you need.
Marriage records on file with the County Clerk go back to 1848. That long run of marriage data is valuable for family research. If you are building a timeline around a death, identifying a spouse or marriage date can help you narrow the search period and confirm which certificate you need. The Clerk is also the first point of contact if you need a referral to the correct state agency for death certificates, since many people assume county offices hold those records.
Note: Birth and death certificates have never been maintained at the county level in Arkansas County. All such records have gone to Little Rock since registration began on February 1, 1914.
Arkansas County Circuit Clerk Court Records
The Arkansas County Circuit Clerk is also located at 101 Court Square, DeWitt, AR 72042. Phone: (870) 946-4219. This office serves as the ex-officio county recorder and maintains civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile court records. It also handles probate matters related to estates, which creates records with genealogical value when a deceased person left an estate that went through the courts.
Real estate records are searchable online through arcountyrecords.com and cover documents from 1997 to the present. Deeds, mortgages, and liens filed with the Circuit Clerk can confirm property ownership changes that often follow a death. When someone died and their land or home was transferred to heirs, that transaction appears in the deed records. For older transfers, you would need to visit the office in person or contact the Clerk directly for research assistance.
Court records in Arkansas are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, with exceptions for juvenile cases, child custody and abuse proceedings, adoptions, mental health matters, and protected witness files. Online court records for the state are searchable through the Arkansas CourtConnect portal, which includes probate case indexes that can point you toward estate filings for Arkansas County residents.
Historical Arkansas County Death Records
Arkansas County is the oldest county in the state, established December 13, 1813. It is the parent county of virtually all Arkansas counties formed before those carved from Missouri territory were assigned. That age means historical records in Arkansas County run deeper than most. FamilySearch collections for Arkansas County include marriage records from 1838, probate records from 1809, and land records with some deeds dating to 1804. Those collections are free to search online and are a strong starting point for genealogy before state death registration began.
The Arkansas Post was the original seat of government for the territory, and records from that era are housed in various archives and historical collections. Specific historical records worth searching include Mount Zion Methodist Church records from 1891 to 1932, which include a register of deaths and burials. Essex Funeral Home records from DeWitt, covering 1915 to 1943, are another source, and indexed copies may be available through genealogical societies.
At the state level, the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds the Death Index for 1914 through 1949 and the In Remembrance Database for deaths from 1819 to 1920. The Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index for 1935 through 1961 is free and searchable by name and county. Use it to find certificate numbers for Arkansas County deaths in that range before ordering from the Department of Health.
The Arkansas County Clerk's office in DeWitt maintains probate and marriage records that serve as secondary sources when death certificate access is restricted or records predate 1914.
Death Registration Law in Arkansas County
Arkansas began requiring death registration on February 1, 1914. Compliance in rural counties like Arkansas County was inconsistent through the 1920s, so some deaths from the first decade of registration may not appear in the index. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, deaths must be registered within 10 days. The attending physician completes their portion within 3 business days. Electronic registration is now standard, but older records exist only in paper or microfilm form.
The 50-year access rule under § 20-18-305 means Arkansas County deaths before the mid-1970s are publicly accessible. Anyone can request a copy of those records by mail. Relatives can request more recent records in person or online. The State Registrar's authority, including the birth-death record matching system, comes from § 20-18-203.
Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-101, public records must be provided within 3 business days of a written request, and document copies are available at $0.25 per page. The Arkansas Genealogical Society and FamilySearch Arkansas Vital Records both offer guidance on navigating these access rules for county-level research.
Cities in Arkansas County
No cities in Arkansas County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page. Stuttgart and DeWitt are the largest communities. For death records tied to those cities, use the resources listed on this county page.
Nearby Counties
Deaths near the Arkansas County border may have been recorded in a neighboring county. Check these nearby pages for local court contacts and search resources.