Search Miller County Death Index
Miller County sits in the far southwest corner of Arkansas, and its county seat, Texarkana, straddles the Arkansas-Texas state line. That border location creates questions about jurisdiction. Arkansas death certificates for Miller County residents go to the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock, not to Texarkana TX or any Texas agency. This page covers how to request those certificates, what the Miller County Clerk and Circuit Clerk offices hold, which historical collections cover county deaths before and after 1914, and how the state line affects where records are held. Whether the death occurred in Texarkana AR or another part of Miller County, the Arkansas side follows Arkansas law and Arkansas record-keeping systems.
Miller County Death Index Overview
Miller County Death Certificate Requests
Death certificates for Miller County, including deaths in Texarkana AR, are held by the Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone: (501) 661-2174. Toll-free: (800) 637-9314. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with same-day service requiring arrival by 3:00 PM. The Miller County Health Unit in Texarkana can answer questions about requesting records and may assist with referrals, but it does not issue certified death certificates. All certified copies come from Little Rock.
It is important to distinguish between Texarkana AR and Texarkana TX. A death that occurred on the Texas side of the line is a Texas record. Those certificates are held by Texas Vital Statistics in Austin, not by Arkansas. If you are not certain which side a death occurred on, the address or the attending hospital's location usually clarifies the jurisdiction. Miller County AR records cover deaths within the Arkansas portion of Texarkana and all other communities within the county's Arkansas boundaries.
The fee for a Miller County death certificate is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $8.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. A $10.00 search fee applies even if no record is found and is not refunded. Photo ID is required. Records less than 50 years old are restricted to immediate family and authorized parties under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305. Deaths more than 50 years old are publicly accessible without a relationship requirement. Online orders go through VitalChek, which adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification. Mail requests go to the Little Rock address with a completed application, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
The Arkansas Genealogical Society provides research guidance and county-specific resources that help researchers navigate Miller County death records, including cross-border cases involving Texarkana TX.
Miller County Clerk and Probate Records
The Miller County Clerk is located at the courthouse in Texarkana, AR. This office handles marriage licenses, probate filings, and county administrative records. Probate files are a strong secondary source for death research. When a Miller County resident died and left an estate, a probate case was typically opened. Those estate records include the date of death, names and relationships of heirs, asset inventories, and court orders. That information can confirm or fill in details that a death certificate alone may not provide, especially for deaths where records were delayed or partially incomplete.
Marriage records in Miller County go back to approximately 1874, when the county was re-established after an earlier boundary dispute with Texas. The first Miller County, created in 1820, was dissolved when a survey placed much of its territory in Texas. The current county dates from 1874. That means marriage records before 1874 for the same geographic area may not exist at the county level in Arkansas. For earlier records, the State Archives or historical collections may have relevant data from the original Miller County period.
The Clerk does not hold death or birth certificates. Those records go to the state in Little Rock. Staff can direct you to the correct agency if you come to Texarkana looking for a death certificate, but they cannot provide certified copies themselves.
Note: Because Texarkana straddles the state line, some family records and estate filings may appear in both Arkansas and Texas court records, depending on where property was located. Check both states' probate records if the estate involved cross-border assets.
Miller County Circuit Clerk Court Records
The Miller County Circuit Clerk handles civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate court records for the Arkansas portion of the county. The Circuit Clerk is also the ex-officio county recorder and maintains land records, deeds, and mortgages. Real estate transfers that follow a death often appear in deed records when heirs sell or transfer property. For Texarkana AR residents with property on both sides of the state line, those transfers may show up in both Arkansas and Texas records, so checking both is practical if you are doing a thorough search.
The statewide Arkansas CourtConnect portal covers Miller County probate and civil case indexes. Search by name to find case numbers for estate filings, then contact the Miller County Circuit Clerk for copies of specific documents. CourtConnect handles active and recent cases; older files that predate electronic filing require a direct request to the Texarkana AR courthouse. Court records are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, with standard exceptions for juvenile, adoption, and sealed matters. Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-101, records must be made available within 3 business days, and copies cost $0.25 per page.
Historical Miller County Death Records
Miller County's history is complicated by its boundary dispute with Texas. The original Miller County, created March 25, 1820, was one of the first counties in Arkansas Territory. A survey dispute eventually placed much of the original county's territory within Texas, and the current Miller County was re-established in 1874 from portions of Lafayette, Hempstead, and Little River counties. Records from the original 1820 to 1874 period for the same geographic area may appear in various archives depending on which state claimed the territory at the time they were created.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds the statewide Death Index for 1914 through 1949, including Miller County deaths in that range. The Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index covers 1935 through 1961 and is free and searchable online. It provides certificate numbers useful for ordering from the Department of Health. For Miller County deaths between 1914 and 1934 that are not in the digital index, the State Archives can assist with manual searches from paper records and microfilm. The Arkansas State Archives holds the broader 1914 to 1949 index and can be queried directly for records not found through digital tools.
FamilySearch has collections for Miller County including land and court records. Local genealogical resources in Texarkana span both states, and the Texarkana Public Library maintains collections covering both the Arkansas and Texas sides. Some funeral home records from the Texarkana area have been indexed and are available through the library or local genealogical societies. Church records and cemetery surveys are a useful supplement for deaths before 1914, and several Texarkana-area cemeteries have been indexed by volunteer researchers.
VitalChek is the state-authorized online service for ordering Miller County death certificates, including records for deaths that occurred in Texarkana AR from February 1, 1914 forward.
Death Registration Laws and Access Rules
Arkansas required death registration starting February 1, 1914. All deaths in Miller County from that date forward, including deaths in Texarkana AR, are part of the Arkansas vital records system. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, deaths must be registered within 10 days, with the attending physician completing their section within 3 business days. Early compliance in 1914 was uneven across the state. Some Miller County deaths from the first decade of registration may be missing from the index, particularly from rural areas outside of Texarkana.
The State Registrar's authority over all Arkansas death records is established in § 20-18-203. That authority applies to all deaths on the Arkansas side of the state line, regardless of whether the person lived or worked in both states. The 50-year access rule under § 20-18-305 means Miller County deaths before the mid-1970s are open to public access. More recent records require proof of relationship or legal standing to access.
Cities in Miller County
Texarkana is the county seat of Miller County and meets the population threshold for a dedicated records page. The Texarkana page covers death record resources specific to the city, including courthouse contacts, local health unit details, and guidance on distinguishing Arkansas records from Texas records.
Nearby Counties
Deaths near Miller County borders may have been recorded in a neighboring county. Check these nearby pages for court contacts and local search resources.