Search Jackson County Obituary Records
Jackson County obituary records and death notices are accessible through the county clerk in Newport, several online genealogy databases, and the Arkansas State Archives. The county has deep records going back to the 1840s, though a courthouse fire in 1926 caused some losses. This page covers what survived, where it is held, and how to access it. If you are searching for a Jackson County death notice from the 1800s through today, this guide will point you to the right sources.
Jackson County Clerk Office
The Jackson County Clerk is at 208 Main Street, Newport, AR 72112. The phone is (870) 523-7420. The Clerk maintains marriage records from 1843 and probate records from 1845. These are the primary records for genealogy and obituary research at the county level.
Probate records from 1845 forward are a key source for death information in Jackson County. Every time someone died with property in the county, an estate case was opened. Those files name the deceased, note the death date, list surviving heirs, and often describe what property was held. This level of detail can replace a published obituary for earlier periods when newspapers did not run regular death columns.
Marriage records from 1843 also help confirm family relationships mentioned in obituaries. When an obituary lists surviving relatives by maiden name or by marriage, checking the marriage records can confirm those connections and open up additional lines of research.
Note: Records are kept in fire-proof vaults at the courthouse. This is a direct result of the 1926 courthouse fire that caused major record loss across multiple offices.
The 1926 Courthouse Fire and Surviving Records
A courthouse fire in 1926 destroyed a significant portion of Jackson County's older records. This is a critical fact for any researcher working on pre-1926 deaths. Many of the records that would normally exist from the 1800s and early 1900s were lost. Some records were salvaged, and those that survived are held at the courthouse in fire-proof vaults.
FamilySearch has been particularly valuable for recovering what remains of pre-fire records. Their collection of Jackson County Court Records 1830 to 1878, Probate Files 1835 to 1890, and Wills 1845 to 1928 represents some of what survived the fire or was copied before the loss. These collections are free to search at FamilySearch. For pre-1926 research, checking the FamilySearch digitized records is often the best starting point given the courthouse losses.
The Circuit Clerk at the same address holds divorce, court, and land records from 1845 for what survived. Online case search is available through Arkansas CourtConnect for more recent records. For older records, the digitized collections at FamilySearch and the Arkansas State Archives are more reliable starting points.
ARGenWeb and Volunteer Resources
The ARGenWeb project maintains a county page for Jackson County at argenweb.net/jackson/. Volunteers have contributed transcribed records, cemetery listings, and family history materials. For a county with fire losses, the volunteer-transcribed materials can be especially valuable. Researchers who had access to records before the 1926 fire, or who worked from salvaged materials in the decades after, may have indexed things that no longer exist in original form at the courthouse.
The screenshot below shows the ARGenWeb Jackson County page, a free genealogy resource with volunteer-compiled records and historical materials.
The ARGenWeb page for Jackson County links to transcribed obituaries, cemetery records, and county history materials contributed by local and regional researchers.
The Jackson County Historical Society is in Newport and can be a contact for materials not found in online databases. Historical society collections often include obituary clippings, family files, and donated papers that are not indexed digitally. The Jackson County Library at 2024 McClellan Drive, Newport, AR 72112, phone (870) 523-0014, may also have local newspaper microfilm for periods not covered by online sources.
State Death Records and Archives
Death certificates for Jackson County are filed with the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office. Records start from February 1, 1914. The first certified copy costs $10.00. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $8.00. Walk-in service is Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the state office in Little Rock. Mail requests take 4 to 6 weeks.
Under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18, death certificates are restricted for 50 years. Older records are public. Immediate family members can request recent certificates with valid photo ID and documentation of the relationship.
The Arkansas State Archives "In Remembrance" database covers deaths from 1819 to 1920 and draws from church records, cemetery records, mortality censuses, and newspaper obituaries. Jackson County records from this period may appear there, which is especially useful given the 1926 fire losses. The Arkansas Digital Archives holds digitized newspapers that may include death columns from Newport-area papers in the 1800s and early 1900s. The CALS Butler Center in Little Rock also holds newspaper microfilm and the Arkansas Gazette Obituaries Index 1819 to 1879.
Probate and Estate Records
Beyond the fire losses, Jackson County probate records are a solid source for death research. FamilySearch has digitized Probate Files from 1835 to 1890 and Wills from 1845 to 1928. These are free to browse and can turn up estate details that never made it into a newspaper. The Arkansas Probate Records collection on FamilySearch covers 1817 to 1979 for the state as a whole, which fills in later years as well.
For more recent estate filings, the AOC CourtConnect system has case summaries searchable by name. Estate records opened in the last few decades can be searched there without visiting the courthouse. The information in those filings often includes the date of death, place of death, and a list of heirs, making them useful supplements to published obituaries even when a death notice is available.
- FamilySearch - Free Arkansas probate records 1817-1979 and Jackson County-specific collections
- ARGenWeb Jackson County - Volunteer transcribed records
- Arkansas Digital Archives - Digitized newspapers and historical indexes
- Arkansas State Archives - "In Remembrance" death database 1819-1920
- Arkansas CourtConnect - Free online court case search
Cities in Jackson County
Newport is the county seat of Jackson County and the main population center. It does not meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Other communities in Jackson County include Tuckerman, Diaz, Swifton, Grubbs, and Jacksonport. Jacksonport was the original county seat before Newport and has its own historical significance. Records for smaller towns in the county are generally handled through county offices in Newport.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Jackson County and may hold related records:
Northeast Arkansas families regularly crossed county lines. Searching neighboring counties is especially important for Jackson County given the fire losses in 1926.