Desha County Obituaries and Death Records
Desha County obituary records reach back to the mid-1800s, covering communities like McGehee, Dumas, and Arkansas City along the lower Arkansas River. Finding a death notice or burial record in Desha County typically means checking the county clerk in Arkansas City, the ARGenWeb volunteer database, and state-level archives. The county has a rich genealogy record, including a unique WWII-era source tied to the Rohwer Relocation Center. This page lays out each resource and how to use it.
Desha County Clerk Office
The Desha County Clerk is located at the Desha County Courthouse, Robert Moore Avenue, P.O. Box 188, Arkansas City, AR 71630. The main phone number is 870-877-2323. The office maintains marriage records from 1865 and probate records that go back to the county's formation. These records are central to genealogy and obituary research in the county.
Marriage records from 1865 give a baseline for family research in Desha County. When a death occurred and property was involved, probate records were opened. Those files often include the full name of the deceased, the date of death, a list of heirs, and sometimes a cause of death or burial location noted in affidavits. Probate filings are public record once the restriction period ends and are among the most detailed sources available for older deaths in the county.
For certified copies of probate documents, the standard fee is $5.00 per document. Uncertified page copies run $0.25 per page. The office is generally open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
ARGenWeb and Desha County Volunteer Resources
The ARGenWeb project at http://www.argenweb.net/desha/ maintains a free county page for Desha County. This volunteer database includes transcribed records, cemetery indexes, and contributed obituaries. Local volunteers with knowledge of the county have added materials over the years that do not appear in commercial genealogy databases.
The screenshot below shows the ARGenWeb Desha County page, a free genealogy resource for the county maintained by local volunteers.
The ARGenWeb page links to cemetery listings, family histories, and obituary indexes contributed by researchers. It is one of the first databases to check when starting Desha County obituary research.
The USGenWeb Archives Project also maintains a Desha County section with contributed records and an indexed newspaper collection. A Desha County Newspapers index is available through this project and can be useful for locating death notices from local papers that are not otherwise digitized.
Desha County Clerk Portal
The Desha County Clerk's office also has a web presence for accessing some county records. The screenshot below shows the county clerk portal, which provides information on record access and office procedures for Desha County.
For in-person research, the clerk's office in Arkansas City is the primary contact point for obtaining copies of probate files, marriage records, and other county documents that support obituary research.
Rohwer Relocation Center Records
One distinctive source for Desha County death records comes from the Rohwer Relocation Center, a WWII-era Japanese American internment camp that operated in the county from 1942 to 1945. Death records from the Rohwer site document individuals who died while confined there. These records are indexed through the Arkansas State Archives and through the USGenWeb Archives Project.
The Rohwer Cemetery still exists in Desha County and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. For researchers with ancestors connected to the internment camps at Rohwer or Jerome, death records from this period are held at multiple federal and state archives. The cemetery transcriptions and burial records for the site are also available through the ARGenWeb Desha County page.
Note: Rohwer internment records can also be searched through the National Archives at archives.gov, which holds many federal records from WWII relocation centers.
FamilySearch Probate Records
FamilySearch holds probate records for Desha County covering 1852 to 1885. These are free to search at FamilySearch.org. The collection includes wills, administration bonds, letters testamentary, and guardianship records. For deaths that occurred after 1885, the circuit clerk's office and local probate court would have the filings, and some of those are searchable through CourtConnect.
FamilySearch also holds the Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950, which covers about 594,000 entries statewide. Searching this index for Desha County deaths can point you to a death certificate number, which you then use to request the full certificate from the Arkansas Department of Health. The index shows name, date of death, county, age, gender, race, and certificate number.
For deaths before 1914, the State Archives "In Remembrance" database covering 1819-1920 is the best statewide starting point. It draws from church records, newspaper obituaries, cemetery records, and county documents.
Funeral Homes in Desha County
Local funeral homes in Desha County serve the communities of McGehee, Dumas, and Arkansas City. Funeral home records can be valuable for obituary research because they often include more detail than a published notice. Name, age, cause of death, next of kin, and burial location are typically recorded in funeral home logs.
If you are looking for a recent obituary from Desha County, the funeral homes in McGehee and Dumas often post current and archived notices on their websites. For older records not available online, contacting funeral homes directly or checking with the Arkansas State Archives may turn up historical funeral home registers that have been donated or deposited with the archives.
The Arkansas State Archives holds funeral home records for several counties across the state. The Gross Mortuary records from 1874-1922, for example, have been preserved there. Similar collections may exist for Desha County funeral homes from the early 1900s.
Arkansas State Vital Records
Official death certificates for Desha County are filed with the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office. Records go back to February 1, 1914. Under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18, death certificates are restricted for 50 years after the date of death. After that period they become public records accessible to anyone.
The fee is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $8.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. A $10.00 non-refundable search fee applies even if no record is found. Mail orders take 4-6 weeks; walk-in requests at the state office are handled same day. Online ordering is available through VitalChek at www.vitalchek.com.
The Arkansas Department of Health online death certificate search covers deaths from 1935 to 1961. For deaths before 1935 or after 1961, you need to submit a form directly to the state office or visit in person.
Cities in Desha County
The main communities in Desha County are McGehee, Dumas, and Arkansas City, which is the county seat. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All fall under the Desha County Clerk and Circuit Clerk for records purposes. McGehee and Dumas both have local funeral homes that serve the area, and records for both towns are maintained at the Arkansas City courthouse.
Nearby Counties
Desha County sits in the lower Delta region of Arkansas. Neighboring counties that may hold related records include:
Delta families frequently crossed county lines, so checking nearby counties can fill gaps when Desha County records are incomplete or when an ancestor moved between communities.