Lonoke County Obituary and Death Record Search
Lonoke County obituary records are accessible through the county clerk and circuit clerk in Lonoke, as well as through several genealogy databases, local funeral homes, and volunteer-run transcription projects. Records in this county go back to 1873, which gives researchers a solid foundation for genealogy work. This page covers the main county-level sources, the free online databases, and the local organizations that can assist when the standard record systems do not have what you need.
Lonoke County Clerk Office
The Lonoke County Clerk is at 301 N. Center Street, Lonoke, AR 72086, phone (501) 676-2316. The clerk maintains marriage and probate records from 1873. Probate records are the most direct source for obituary research at the county level. Every time a Lonoke County resident died with property or a family to provide for, an estate case was opened. Those files name the deceased, state the date of death, list all heirs by name and relationship, and describe the assets and liabilities of the estate.
Marriage records from 1873 are available at this office as well. These records help confirm family ties when you are trying to identify the right person among multiple residents with the same name. Knowing a person's spouse or parent helps narrow the search quickly.
To request records, contact the clerk by phone during business hours. Mail requests are accepted. Bring a government-issued ID if you visit in person. Fees for certified copies are set by the county and vary by record type. The original county mailing address is also 3rd and N Center Street, P.O. Box 431, Lonoke, AR 72086-0431, phone 501-676-2368, if you need to mail a request.
Circuit Clerk and Court Records
The Lonoke County Circuit Clerk is at 107 W. 2nd Street, Lonoke, AR 72086, phone (501) 676-2420. The circuit clerk handles civil cases, probate disputes, family court matters, and other proceedings that can generate records useful to obituary researchers. Estate disputes, guardianship cases, and civil suits tied to a person's death all pass through the circuit court and become part of the public record.
Online access to Lonoke County court records is available through Arkansas CourtConnect. This free state judiciary portal lets you search by name and get case summaries without visiting the courthouse. For full case files or older records not available online, contact the circuit clerk directly.
FamilySearch holds Lonoke County Probate Records from 1861 to 1949 as part of its Arkansas collections. These records are free to search and include wills, estate inventories, administration bonds, and other documents from nearly a century of county deaths. This is one of the strongest free primary source collections for Lonoke County genealogy research.
Note: Arkansas Code Section 25-19-105 governs public access to government records in Arkansas. Probate and court records in Lonoke County are accessible to the public after applicable restriction periods end.
Online Obituary Databases for Lonoke County
GenealogyTrails hosts a free collection of Death Notices and Obituaries of Lonoke County. These transcribed records cover various decades and are searchable by name. The collection was built by volunteers who pulled notices from local newspapers and other published sources. It is a good first stop because a confirmed name and date can orient the rest of your search.
The screenshot below shows the ARGenWeb Lonoke County page, a long-running volunteer genealogy resource with links to transcribed records, cemetery listings, and county-specific research guides.
The ARGenWeb Lonoke County page links to free transcribed obituaries, cemetery data, and other genealogy materials assembled by county volunteers over many years.
Arkansas Gravestones maintains Lonoke County Cemetery and Burial Records searchable by surname. Cemetery records often provide the death date and burial location even when no published obituary exists. The database is free and covers many of the county's burial grounds, both large and small.
Local Funeral Homes in Lonoke County
Several funeral homes serve Lonoke County and maintain records of local deaths. Boyd Funeral Home is in Lonoke. Colonial Southern Services operates in both Carlisle and Lonoke. Moore's Cabot Funeral Home and Thomas Funeral Service are in Cabot. Wilson-Robison Funeral Home is in England.
Funeral home records are a strong secondary source for obituary research. When a person was prepared for burial in Lonoke County, the funeral home created a file with the full name, date of death, age, cause of death, and next of kin. Many funeral homes post obituaries on their websites and keep them accessible for years after the service. For recent deaths, contacting the funeral home that handled the service is often the fastest path to a published obituary.
For older records, contact each funeral home directly to ask whether historical files are available. Some businesses retain records going back many decades. If a specific funeral home no longer operates, their records may have been donated to the Lonoke County Library at 128 N. Center Street, Lonoke, AR 72086, phone (501) 676-3721, or to the Lonoke County Historical Society.
Note: The Arkansas State Archives holds historical collections for many counties, including funeral home logs from earlier decades donated by families or businesses.
Lonoke County Historical Society
The Lonoke County Historical Society is at P.O. Box 14, Lonoke, AR 72086. Historical societies hold materials that are not digitized and not available through state or national archives. Clippings, donated family histories, local publications, and photograph collections all pass through organizations like this. If you have searched the county offices and the online databases and still cannot find what you need, the historical society is the next step.
Society members who have researched Lonoke County families for years may know of a specific index, local publication, or donated collection that mentions your ancestor. That kind of local expertise is hard to replicate with any database search. Contact them with a specific surname and approximate time period to get the most useful response.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society also serves researchers statewide. Membership connects you with a network of volunteers who know Lonoke County records and can point you to sources you might not find on your own. The society's library and published indexes may include Lonoke County obituary records not available through any free database.
Death Certificates and Vital Records
Official Arkansas death certificates are filed with the state, not at the county level. The Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office in Little Rock handles all requests. Certificates go back to 1914. Pre-1914 deaths were not consistently recorded at the state level, so county-level sources are the main option for older research.
Death certificates are restricted for 50 years under state law. After that period, they become accessible to the general public. Close family members can request copies for recent deaths by providing proper identification and paying the applicable fee. The vital records office accepts mail requests, and some requests can be submitted online.
For deaths before 1914, church records, cemetery listings, newspaper death columns, and probate filings are the primary sources. The Lonoke County Library may hold microfilm of local papers with obituary columns going back to the late 1800s. The Arkansas Digital Archives has digitized some historical Arkansas newspapers and is worth checking for early Lonoke County death notices.
Cities in Lonoke County
Lonoke is the county seat. Other communities in the county include Cabot, Carlisle, England, and Ward. Cabot is a qualifying city with its own page on this site. Records for Cabot residents are handled through the Lonoke County offices, and the circuit clerk in Lonoke maintains the filings for the entire county regardless of which community the resident called home.
Neighboring Counties
Lonoke County is in central Arkansas. Families here often had ties to the Little Rock area and surrounding counties. If Lonoke County records are incomplete, check these neighboring counties:
Cross-county research is especially productive for Lonoke County families because of the county's proximity to Pulaski County and the Little Rock metro area. Families frequently moved between these counties, and estate records in one county may reference property or relatives in another.