Stone County Death Index Records
Stone County sits in the north-central Arkansas Ozarks near Mountain View, and searching its Death Index gives you access to records from a county formed from rugged, stone-lined hill country near what is now home to Blanchard Springs Caverns and the Ozark Folk Center. Death certificates for Stone County are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock, not at any local office in Mountain View. The county clerk and circuit clerk in Mountain View hold probate, marriage, and court records that serve as important secondary sources when death certificates are restricted or unavailable. This page covers how to request certificates, what local offices keep, and how to use historical records for Stone County genealogy research.
Stone County Death Index Overview
Stone County Death Certificate Requests
Death certificates for Stone County residents 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. Arrive before 3:00 PM if you need same-day processing. The local health unit in Mountain View can answer questions and point you in the right direction if you are unsure what the state office requires.
The first certified copy costs $10.00. Each additional copy of the same record, requested at the same time, is $8.00. The search fee is not refunded even when no record is found. Photo ID is required. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305, records less than 50 years old are restricted to immediate family members and legal representatives. Deaths from before the mid-1970s are available to any member of the public who provides enough information to locate the record. Go in with a full name, approximate death year, and county of death to give the search the best chance of success.
Online orders are handled through VitalChek, which is authorized by the state for Arkansas vital records. VitalChek charges a processing fee and an identity verification fee in addition to the base certificate cost. Mail requests go to the Little Rock office with a completed request form, a copy of photo ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
Arkansas Code § 20-18-601 sets the legal requirements for death registration that apply to Stone County, including the 10-day filing deadline and the role of attending physicians.
Stone County Clerk Probate and Marriage Records
The Stone County Clerk is located at the courthouse in Mountain View, AR 72560. Probate records maintained by this office are one of the most useful secondary sources for death research. When a Stone County resident died and left property, an estate was often opened in county court. Those files typically contain the date of death, names of heirs, and sometimes the original will or letters of administration. If a death certificate is restricted under the 50-year access rule, the probate file may provide the documentation you need to confirm basic facts about the deceased.
Marriage records on file with the County Clerk go back to approximately 1873, when Stone County was created. The county's name reflects the landscape rather than any person; the stone-lined creeks and rocky terrain of the Ozarks gave it its identity. That long run of marriage data supports family timeline research and helps researchers narrow down the years when a death likely occurred. The clerk's office can assist with in-person searches and can tell you which records are on microfilm versus original books.
Note: Stone County has never held birth or death certificates locally. All vital records have gone to Little Rock since February 1, 1914, when state registration began.
Stone County Circuit Clerk Court Records
The Stone County Circuit Clerk is also located in Mountain View. This office serves as the ex-officio county recorder and maintains civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate court records. Estate cases that went through the circuit court are especially useful for death research. When a deceased person owned property in Stone County, their estate often generated a court case with files naming the deceased, the date of death, the heirs, and the person appointed to administer the estate. Those documents are generally available to the public and can be requested in person or by mail.
Arkansas court records are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act § 25-19-101. Exceptions exist for juvenile, adoption, and certain protected matters. The Arkansas CourtConnect portal lets you search court case indexes statewide, including Stone County. If you find a probate case by name on CourtConnect, you can then contact the circuit clerk in Mountain View to request the physical file. Document copies from the county courthouse cost $0.25 per page under state FOIA rules.
Deed records and property transfers are also filed with the circuit clerk and can show when land or a home passed to heirs after a death. Older property records require in-person visits or written requests to the Mountain View office.
Historical Stone County Death Records
Stone County was created on April 21, 1873, carved out of the rugged hill country that makes up north-central Arkansas. The county's isolation well into the twentieth century meant that record-keeping was inconsistent in early years. State death registration began February 1, 1914, but compliance in remote Ozark communities was uneven through the 1920s. Some deaths from that first decade may not appear in the state index at all, especially for people who lived in hollows or ridge-top settlements far from Mountain View.
FamilySearch holds Arkansas collections covering Stone County marriage and probate records from before state death registration. Those are free to search online. Church records from the Mountain View area and surrounding Ozark communities provide another layer of historical documentation. Many rural congregations in this part of Arkansas kept burial registers from the late 1800s onward, and some of those records have been transcribed and deposited with the Arkansas Genealogical Society. Cemetery surveys for Stone County have also been compiled by local volunteers and historical groups.
The Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index covers 1935 through 1961 and is free to search by name and county. Finding a certificate number there before ordering from the state saves time. The Arkansas State Archives holds the full Death Index for 1914 through 1949 and the In Remembrance Database for deaths dating to 1819.
The CDC's state-level data on Arkansas death registration helps contextualize how Stone County records fit into the broader state vital records system.
Death Registration Law in Stone County
Arkansas began requiring death registration on February 1, 1914. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, a death must be registered within 10 days of occurrence. The attending physician or medical examiner completes their section within 3 business days. Electronic registration is now standard, but Stone County records from before the 1980s exist as paper originals or microfilm copies in Little Rock.
The 50-year public access rule under § 20-18-305 applies statewide. Stone County deaths before the mid-1970s are available to any requester. More recent deaths require proof of family relationship or legal interest. The State Registrar's authority to manage vital records comes from § 20-18-203.
Cities in Stone County
No cities in Stone County meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page. Mountain View is the county seat and the largest community. For death records connected to any Stone County location, use the resources on this page.
Nearby Counties
Deaths near Stone County borders may have been recorded in a neighboring county. Check these pages for court contacts and resources.