Jefferson County Obituary Records
Jefferson County obituary records are some of the most accessible and well-indexed in Arkansas, anchored by the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library's obituary index with over 269,000 entries from 1866 to the present. Whether you are searching for a recent death notice in Pine Bluff or tracing a family line from the 1800s, this page covers the offices, archives, and online databases that hold Jefferson County obituary and death records.
Pine Bluff Library Obituary Index
The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library maintains the most extensive local obituary index in the county. The index has over 269,000 entries and covers deaths from 1866 to the present day. That is a remarkable depth for a county library collection. The library is at 600 South Main Street, Pine Bluff, AR 71601. Phone numbers are (870) 534-4802 and (870) 380-3600, with fax at (870) 534-8707.
The index covers multiple newspapers: the Pine Bluff Commercial, Pine Bluff Graphic, Pine Bluff News, Pine Bluff Eagle, White Hall Journal, Negro Spokesman, Jefferson Republican, and Weekly Echo. For African American genealogy research in particular, the Negro Spokesman coverage makes this index especially valuable. Many African American deaths in Jefferson County that are hard to find elsewhere appear in this index.
To order obituary photocopies, send $7.50 by check or money order to the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library. An online request form is also available through the library website. The library has newspapers on microfilm dating back to the 1820s, a genealogy book index, a microfilm reader and printer for viewing obituaries, and staff assistance. This is the primary local resource for Jefferson County obituary research by a wide margin.
Note: Ancestry Library Edition is available at the library for in-library use only. If you need Ancestry access and do not have a subscription, visiting the library is the way to get it for free.
Jefferson County Clerk Records
The Jefferson County Clerk is at 101 W. Barraque Street, Suite 101, Pine Bluff, AR 71601. Phone is (870) 541-5322, fax is (870) 541-5324, and email is JeffersonClerk@arkansasclerks.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Records available include marriage records from 1830, probate records from 1845, and wills from 1839. These are among the oldest county records in Arkansas for this record type. Adoption records, guardianship records, county court records, voter registration, and DBA records are also held here.
For mail requests, include the names of both parties (for marriage records) or the deceased's name (for probate records), along with approximate dates. A self-addressed stamped envelope and payment must be included. Allow 5 to 7 business days for mail requests to be processed. Absentee ballot and voter registration forms are available for download from the county website.
Funeral Home Records in Jefferson County
Jefferson County has an unusually rich set of funeral home records available through the Pine Bluff library. McFadden Funeral Home records from 1891 to 1954 are indexed at the library. Hale-South Funeral Home records from 1954 to 1984 are also available. Additional records from Brown Funeral Home, Fuller Hale South Funeral Services, and Henson-Holcomb Mortuary can be found through the library's genealogy collection.
These funeral home records typically include the full name of the deceased, date of death, cause of death, age, next of kin, and burial location. For the period before newspaper obituary columns were common, and especially for African American families in Jefferson County, funeral home records are often the most detailed source available. The McFadden records alone cover over 60 years of deaths in the county starting in 1891.
The Circuit Clerk is at 101 W. Barraque Street, Pine Bluff, AR 71601, phone (870) 541-5360. Court records from 1830, divorce records, and land records are held here. Probate records at the circuit level include administration bonds from 1850 to 1906 and guardian bonds from 1850 to 1859. Online access is through Arkansas CourtConnect.
Library Genealogy Resources
The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library genealogy collection is one of the strongest in the state. Resources available with a library card include the African American Heritage digital database for African American family history, Arkansas Death Certificates searchable and orderable for 1935 to 1961, the Arkansas Historical Quarterly Cumulative Index covering 1942 to 2000, and "In Remembrance" early Arkansas death records location index.
Federal Land Records for Eastern Public Land States from 1820 to 1908 are available, along with Census Records through 1930, Military Records in various collections, City Directories for multiple years, and a Maps Collection with historical maps. Chronicling America historic newspapers and the HeritageQuest Online database round out the digital resources. Fold3, which covers military records, is also available at the library.
For African American research in Jefferson County specifically, the combination of the library obituary index, the African American Heritage database, the Negro Spokesman newspaper coverage, and the McFadden and Hale-South funeral home records makes Pine Bluff one of the strongest research centers in the state for this type of research.
State Death Records and Vital Statistics
Official death certificates for Jefferson County are filed with the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office. Records start from February 1, 1914. A first certified copy costs $10.00. Each additional copy at the same time is $8.00. Walk-in service is Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Little Rock. Mail orders take 4 to 6 weeks. Online ordering is through VitalChek with additional fees.
Under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18, death certificates are restricted for 50 years. After that period, they are public records. Family members can access recent certificates with proper photo ID. The Arkansas State Archives holds death certificate indexes from 1914 to 1948 and 1967 to 1971. The "In Remembrance" database covers deaths from 1819 to 1920 and may include Jefferson County records from church publications and early newspapers.
Ancestry holds digitized Arkansas Death Certificates from 1914 to 1969. These are also available free at Arkansas State Archives research rooms. FamilySearch has Arkansas Probate Records 1817 to 1979 and the Arkansas Death Index 1914 to 1950 at no cost. The Arkansas Digital Archives has digitized newspapers that may include Pine Bluff paper death columns from the 1800s.
Cities in Jefferson County
Pine Bluff is the county seat and main city in Jefferson County. It has a dedicated city page on this site with more detail on Pine Bluff-specific resources. Other communities in Jefferson County include White Hall, Altheimer, Humphrey, Redfield, and Wabbaseka. Records for these smaller towns are generally handled through the county offices and the Pine Bluff library.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Jefferson County and may hold related records for families with ties across county lines:
Families in the Arkansas River Valley and Delta region frequently had ties across county lines. Checking neighboring counties is a natural step when Jefferson County records do not cover a particular period or individual.