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December 15, 1818 | ||
Help Wanted | ||
Arkansas Trails has several counties and projects up for adoption. If you would be interested in adopting a county or project look at the Arkansas Trails County Page. If you find one that you would like to adopt e-mail the State Administrator State Administrator.[ Being a County or State Administrator is fun and rewarding. If you have an interest in the history of Arkansas and the genealogy of it's residents please consider it. If you think "there is no way I can do this" there are many people ready, willing and able to help you. It's not near as difficult as you might think. ] | History |
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Permanent settlement by Americans occurred soon after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1809, William Blakely established a blacksmith shop on the west bank of the Ouachita River at a site called Blakelytown (later named Arkadelphia). Across the river to the east, John Hemphill began operating a salt factory, one of the state's earliest manufacturing concerns. By 1812, Jacob Barkman, often called the "Father of Clark County," opened traffic on the Ouachita River to New Orleans, Louisiana, first by pirogue and keelboat and, in 1830, by steamboat. Barkman's home served as the site of the first county court, the first post office, a stagecoach stop, a racetrack, and an ill-fated textile mill. Blakelytown's first general store opened in 1817, operated by J. S. T. Callaway. Jonathan O. Callaway is credited with having built the town's first hotel in 1843, and shortly thereafter, the Spence Hotel was constructed and became a well-known stopping place in the region. Moses Collins arrived in the county in 1830 and built a sawmill and a gristmill on Terre Noir Creek. A brickyard was established the same year. Among the county's noted settlers was Meriwether Lewis Randolph, grandson of Thomas Jefferson. Randolph, Arkansas's last territorial secretary, and his wife, a grandniece of Rachel Jackson (Andrew Jackson's wife), moved to southern Clark County in 1836. After his death in 1837, Randolph was buried on the grounds of his plantation near Gurdon. Clark County experienced only a few occasional skirmishes in the war. Although the county saw no major battles, the Union army briefly occupied Arkadelphia as General Frederick Steele's forces marched through the county on the way to Camden (Ouachita County) in March 1864. Harris Flanagin, an attorney and legislator who moved to the county in 1838, served as the state's Confederate governor during much of the Civil War. | Links |
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Free Records Search at Familysearch Org | ||
Clark County Cemetery Listings on Arkansas Gravestones Project | ||
Clark County Cemetery Listings on Interment Net | ||
Clark County Cemetery Listing at Find A Grave | ||
Arkansas Dept of Health | ||
Arkansas Dept of Health Division of Vital Records, Slot 44 4815 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 661-2174 Fax: (501) 663-2832 |
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Arkansas State Archives | ||
Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR 72201 501.682.6900 [email protected] |
The History Commission, the official state archives, is a facility in which those interested in Arkansas history may engage in research. The staff does not undertake research requests from the public. The Research Room is open from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Saturday. It is closed on state holidays. If you are traveling long distances, please call to confirm hours/days of operation at 501.682.6900. | |
Arkansas Genealogical Society
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Court Clerk's Office Clark County Courthouse Square 401 Clay St. Arkadelphia, AR 71923 Phone (870)246-4281 Fax (870)246-1419 | County Clerk Courthouse Square 401 Clay St Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71923 Phone: (870) 246-4491 Fax: (870) 246-6505 | Clark County Historical Association P.O. Box 516 Arkadelphia, AR 71923 870-245-5332 | E-Mail Lists and Message Boards |
Arkansas Mail List on Rootsweb | ||
Clark County Mail List on Rootsweb | ||
Clark County Message Board on Rootswweb | ||
Clark County Message Boart on Rootsweb | Adjacent Counties |
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Hot Spring County |
Dallas County |
Ouachita County |
Nevada County |