Find Death Index Records in Crittenden County
Crittenden County sits on the Mississippi River with Memphis, Tennessee just across the water to the east, and its Death Index records are held at the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock rather than at the courthouse in Marion. If you are searching for a death record tied to Crittenden County, this page covers how to request certified copies from the state, what the County Clerk and Circuit Clerk in Marion maintain, how to use online ordering through VitalChek, and where historical indexes and genealogy collections document deaths back to 1914 and beyond.
Crittenden County Death Index Overview
Crittenden County Death Certificate Requests
Certified death certificates for Crittenden County are issued 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 use the toll-free number (800) 637-9314. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Arrive by 3:00 PM for same-day processing. No certified copies are available directly from the Crittenden County Courthouse in Marion. Every request routes through Little Rock regardless of the method you choose.
The fee is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $8.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. The $10.00 search fee is non-refundable even when a record is not found. Photo ID is required for all requests. Access to death records less than 50 years old is limited to a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, beneficiary, or legal representative under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305. Records 50 years old or older are open to the public.
Phone orders are available at (866) 209-9482. Payment for phone orders can be made by credit or debit card. Online ordering goes through VitalChek, the authorized state platform. VitalChek adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification on top of the certificate fee. Mail orders go to the Little Rock address with a completed application, photo ID copy, and a check or money order payable to "Arkansas Department of Health." The office also accepts cash, credit, and debit at the walk-in counter. Checks or money orders are required for mail requests.
U.S. death certification law standards, including those governing Arkansas, shape how Crittenden County deaths are documented and how certificates are issued through the state Department of Health.
Crittenden County Clerk Records in Marion
The Crittenden County Clerk is at 100 Court Square, Marion, AR 72364. Phone: (870) 739-4434. Fax: (870) 739-3072. Email: crittcoclerk@gmail.com. The County Clerk handles all County Court records and serves as the administrative hub for county government. The Clerk does not hold death certificates, but marriage records on file go back to 1837, making the Crittenden County marriage collection one of the longer county-level archives in Arkansas. Those records are useful for building a family timeline when researching a death, particularly for identifying a spouse or confirming a relationship.
The Circuit Clerk serves as ex-officio county recorder in Crittenden County and maintains land records, probate filings, civil court records, and divorce decrees. Court records in Crittenden County go back to 1826. When someone died in Crittenden County and left property, an estate case was frequently opened in the Circuit Clerk's office. Those files can contain dates of death, lists of heirs, property inventories, and letters testamentary that are useful when a death certificate itself is restricted or unavailable.
Note: Marriage certificates cost $10.00 per copy from the Vital Records Office and are separate from county clerk records. Payment at the county level is accepted in cash, credit or debit card, or check and money order.
Historical Crittenden County Death Index Sources
Crittenden County has a well-documented historical record due to its early establishment in 1825 and proximity to Memphis, which made it a crossing point for migration and commerce. Birth records at the state level begin in 1914. Marriage records in county archives go back to 1837. Death records at the state level begin in 1914. Several databases index that historical run of death records. The Arkansas Digital Heritage Death Records Index is free and covers 1935 to 1961. It returns certificate numbers for Crittenden County deaths that you can use to order the full document.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds the statewide Death Index for 1914 through 1949 and the In Remembrance Database for 1819 to 1920. Both are accessible in person in Little Rock or through written inquiry. Ancestry.com offers Arkansas Death Certificates from 1914 to 1969 and a separate Death Index as paid online collections. MyHeritage holds Arkansas Deaths and a Death Index for 1935 to 1961. FamilySearch Arkansas Vital Records is free and provides indexed images along with a county wiki that lists known Crittenden County record collections and their date ranges.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society maintains research guides and may have contacts with local groups in Crittenden County who have documented cemetery records, funeral home registers, and newspaper obituaries that reach back before 1914. The coroner's office in Crittenden County also maintains death records of those who died within its jurisdiction, which can be a parallel source when a hospital or physician did not complete the standard death certificate.
Death Registration Law and Crittenden County Access Rules
Arkansas required death registration beginning February 1, 1914. Crittenden County, as one of the original Arkansas counties established in 1825 and named for Robert Crittenden, has historical records that stretch well before state registration began. For those earlier deaths, the county clerk's marriage records, probate filings, and court documents are the best available sources. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, deaths must now be registered within 10 days. The attending physician completes the medical certification within three business days.
The State Registrar manages all vital records statewide under § 20-18-203. The 50-year public access rule under § 20-18-305 means Crittenden County deaths before the mid-1970s are now accessible to anyone without requiring proof of family relationship. Under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act § 25-19-101, public records must be provided within three business days of a written request, and copies cost $0.25 per page.
Crittenden County Circuit Clerk and Assessor
The Crittenden County Assessor is also at 100 Court Square, Marion, AR 72364. Phone: (870) 739-4112. Fax: (870) 739-8468. Property tax and assessment records are useful in death research when you need to track real estate owned by the deceased. A change in property assessment records after a death can confirm the year or approximate period when ownership transferred to surviving heirs or an estate was settled. Those transfers are documented both in the assessor's records and in deed filings at the Circuit Clerk's office.
The Arkansas CourtConnect portal provides online access to case indexes statewide. Searching by the name of the deceased surfaces probate cases, estate disputes, and civil matters filed in Crittenden County. The portal covers current and historical filings in the Arkansas court system. Not all document images are available online, but the index entries confirm a record exists before you make the trip to Marion or submit a written records request.
More detail on Crittenden County court records and contact information is available at crittendencountyar.org. The county government site lists office hours, contact numbers, and department links for the clerk, assessor, and other offices involved in records research.
Cities in Crittenden County
No cities in Crittenden County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page. West Memphis is the largest city in the county. Marion, the county seat, and Earle are other notable communities. For death records tied to any of those communities, use the county-level resources on this page.
Nearby Counties
Deaths close to the Crittenden County border may have been registered in an adjacent county. Review these nearby county pages for local Death Index resources and courthouse contacts.