Jonesboro Obituary Database
Jonesboro obituary records are well-documented for a Northeast Arkansas city, thanks to the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library and the local genealogical society's dedicated work building the Jonesboro Sun obituary index. If you are searching for a death notice tied to Jonesboro or Craighead County, you have local library resources, a volunteer-built newspaper index, and statewide databases that together cover more than a century of records. This page points you to each of those sources and explains what you will find in each one.
Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library
The Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library maintains a genealogy and obituaries collection that covers Jonesboro and the surrounding region. The library holds Ancestry Library (in-library access only), American Ancestors, and Fold3 for military records. Census records, FBI Archives, African American and Native American Archives, and HeritageQuest for census and family histories are also available.
Newspapers.com at the library provides the Jonesboro Collection, which includes the Jonesboro Sun from microfilm, and the Southeast Collection. These newspaper databases are only accessible from library computers. Jonesboro newspapers on microfilm go back to the 1890s, giving you over a century of local obituary columns if you are willing to look through them. Census, marriage, court, and tax records are on microfilm as well.
Sanborn Maps for Arkansas are available through the library. Library staff can help you find materials but note that they do not conduct research for patrons. If you need someone to search for a specific record, the library can refer you to local genealogists who provide fee-based research services.
Jonesboro Sun Obituary Index
The Genealogy Society of Craighead County Arkansas (GSCCA) maintains a specialized Obituary Index for the Jonesboro Sun. This volunteer-built index is a focused resource specifically for Jonesboro and Craighead County obituary research. It covers a substantial span of the newspaper's publication history and is one of the most targeted local tools available for this area.
The Jonesboro Sun has been the primary newspaper of record for Craighead County for well over a century. Death notices and full obituaries appeared regularly in its pages, and the GSCCA index makes those records searchable without having to go through microfilm reel by reel. If your ancestor died in Jonesboro or the surrounding area, starting with this index can save significant research time.
For contact information on the GSCCA and the current status of the obituary index, reach out through the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, which can connect you with the society. Local genealogical societies often know about private collections and unpublished indexes that are not available through any online database.
Note: The Jonesboro newspapers on microfilm at the public library go back to the 1890s, which means you can cross-check the GSCCA obituary index against the original microfilm if you need to verify the source text or find surrounding context in the same issue.
State Death Records for Jonesboro
Death certificates for Jonesboro residents are held by the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office. The state has records from February 1914 forward. The online index covers deaths from 1935 to 1961. Deaths outside that window need a written request with a completed application form and government-issued photo ID.
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. A $10.00 non-refundable search fee applies when no record is found. Phone orders go to 866-209-9482 and online ordering is through VitalChek at www.vitalchek.com.
Under Arkansas Code Ann. § 20-18-304, death certificates are restricted for 50 years from the date of death. After that period, they are public records. Recent deaths are accessible only to immediate family, legal representatives, and those with direct tangible interest per Arkansas Code Ann. § 20-18-305.
Online Obituary Search Tools
Free statewide databases cover Jonesboro death records well. FamilySearch holds the Arkansas Death Index 1914 to 1950 with roughly 594,000 deaths indexed. Digitized death certificates from 1914 to 1969 are also available free through FamilySearch. The Arkansas Deaths and Burials collection covers 1882 to 1963 and includes Craighead County records.
The Arkansas State Archives "In Remembrance" Database covers deaths from 1819 to 1920 and draws from church records, mortality censuses, and newspaper obituaries. The Arkansas Digital Archives has digitized historical newspapers and links to the In Remembrance database.
For probate and estate records, CourtConnect lets you search by name for Craighead County probate filings. When someone died with property in Jonesboro, an estate case was usually opened. Those case files name the deceased, date of death, and list surviving heirs. Older probate files not yet in CourtConnect may be on microfilm at the county courthouse or the Arkansas State Archives.
Craighead County Records
Jonesboro is the county seat of Craighead County. The county courthouse handles probate records, estate filings, and older vital records for Jonesboro residents. The circuit clerk maintains court filings including estate cases that are closely tied to obituary research. Many of these records are now searchable through CourtConnect.
The county clerk holds marriage records, which can help establish family connections when an obituary lists a spouse or children but does not give full relationship details. Land records at the courthouse can also help trace property ownership at the time of a death, which often leads to estate filings in the probate court.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas has county and city entries for Craighead County and Jonesboro that provide useful historical context for placing older obituary records in time and place.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying Arkansas cities with obituary pages on this site include:
The Craighead County page covers courthouse contacts, the circuit clerk, and county-level resources for the Jonesboro area in more detail.