Search Bradley County Obituary Records
Bradley County obituary records and death notices are held across the courthouse in Warren, the county library, and through local genealogy resources. The county clerk maintains an unusually detailed archive that goes well beyond standard marriage and probate records. If you are searching for a death record from south-central Arkansas, or tracing a family from the timber and farming communities around Warren, this page covers the offices, collections, and databases that hold Bradley County obituary information and how to access each one.
Bradley County Clerk Records
The Bradley County Clerk is located at the Bradley County Courthouse in Warren, AR 71671. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. The clerk maintains one of the broader record collections among Arkansas county clerks, covering marriage records, probate records, wills and last will and testament records, county court records, voter registration from the early 1900s, pension records that were discontinued in the 1930s, tax books, a marks and brands book from 1861 to 1927, ministerial records, and corporations.
For obituary research, the probate records and wills are the most directly useful. An estate case was opened whenever a Bradley County resident died with property. Those files name the deceased, note the date of death, list heirs, and often include wills that name family members who might not appear in a newspaper obituary. The voter registration records dating from the early 1900s can also help establish when someone was alive in the county, which is useful for narrowing a death date range.
County court records at the clerk's office include payment records for jurors and road workers as well as petitions. These can place individuals in the county at specific times, which is useful when vital records are missing. The marks and brands book from 1861 to 1927 is an unusual resource that can help confirm a family's presence in Bradley County across multiple generations.
Circuit Clerk and Court Records
The Bradley County Circuit Clerk maintains deeds, mortgages and deeds of trust, plat books, jury books, and circuit court records covering criminal, civil, chancery, and juvenile cases. Chancery court records from before the mid-1900s often contain estate and guardianship proceedings that name deceased individuals with more detail than most newspaper obituaries. For a death that triggered a property dispute or guardianship case, the chancery record is often the best surviving source.
The screenshot below shows the Bradley County Circuit Clerk office, which holds court records including estate and chancery filings relevant to death research.
The circuit clerk office in Warren handles record requests by phone and in person. For online access to current and recent case filings, use CourtConnect, the Arkansas judiciary's public search portal.
ARGenWeb and Online Resources
The ARGenWeb project covers Bradley County with links to volunteer-indexed records, local resources, and contact information for researchers. Volunteer contributors have compiled transcribed records and obituary indexes that cover portions of the county's historical death notices at no cost.
The screenshot below shows the ARGenWeb Bradley County page, a free volunteer genealogy resource with links to local records.
The ARGenWeb Bradley County page links to transcribed records, cemetery indexes, and locally compiled obituary collections built by volunteers over many years of community preservation work.
FamilySearch holds Arkansas court and probate records for Bradley County in its free collections. The Arkansas Death Index 1914 to 1950 lists roughly 594,000 entries by name with date of death, county, and certificate number. You can use that index to locate the certificate number and then order the actual document from the Arkansas Department of Health. FamilySearch also covers Arkansas probate records from multiple periods at no charge.
Bradley County Genealogical Society
The Bradley County Genealogical Society can be reached by mail at P.O. Box 837, Warren, AR 71671 or by email at pqbowman@sbcglobal.net. Local genealogical societies hold materials that are not indexed anywhere online, and volunteers often have specific knowledge of county records that a database search would miss. If you have exhausted the online resources and still cannot locate a Bradley County obituary, contacting the society is a practical next step.
The Bradley County Library Warren Branch of the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The library holds local newspaper clippings, obituary files, and reference materials that support genealogy research in the county. Local newspaper obituary columns were the primary death notice system for most of the 1900s, and the library's collection of those papers is a key resource for Bradley County research.
Arkansas State Archives and Statewide Resources
The Arkansas State Archives maintains the "In Remembrance" database covering Arkansas deaths from 1819 to 1920. This free online index pulls from newspaper obituaries, cemetery records, mortality census schedules, and county records. For Bradley County ancestors who died before 1914, this is one of the best starting points available. The database is searchable by name and shows which source type holds the record.
The Archives also holds statewide newspaper holdings from approximately 3,000 Arkansas titles. The Arkansas Digital Archives has digitized a portion of those papers. Historical Warren and Bradley County papers may be included. The CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock holds county records on microfilm for all 75 Arkansas counties and may have newspaper runs from Bradley County not available online.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society publishes the Arkansas Family Historian quarterly and maintains a statewide volunteer network. Members have access to research guides and indexes specific to Arkansas counties. For a researcher who is new to Arkansas genealogy, the society provides a useful orientation to the state's records landscape.
Note: Under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18, death certificates become public records after 50 years. Older certificates can be accessed by the general public through the Department of Health.
Death Certificates and Vital Records
Arkansas death certificates are filed at the state level with the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office. Records go back to February 1, 1914. The fee is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $8.00 for each additional copy. Walk-in service at the Little Rock office provides same-day issuance Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Online orders go through VitalChek with additional fees. Mail requests take four to six weeks.
Immediate family members, legal representatives, and those with a direct and tangible interest in the record can access certificates for deaths within the 50-year restriction window. For research purposes, the Department of Health provides a free online death index for deaths occurring between 1935 and 1961. That search can confirm whether a certificate exists before you pay for a copy.
Cities in Bradley County
Warren is the county seat and main community in Bradley County. Other towns in the county include Banks, Hermitage, and Warren. None of these communities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Records for all Bradley County communities are held at the Warren courthouse, the Bradley County Library, and through the genealogical society. The county-level resources on this page cover research for the entire county area.
Nearby Counties
South-central Arkansas families often had connections across county lines. The following counties border Bradley County and maintain their own records:
Checking neighboring counties can help when Bradley County records are incomplete or when family members lived across county lines at the time of death.