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April 17, 1873 | ||
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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Howard County is Arkansas's 74th county, formed on April 17, 1873, and named for James Howard, a state senator. One of the first settlers was John Tollett, a Methodist minister from Bledsoe County, Tennessee, who first moved to the area in 1819. After scouting out the area two years earlier, Tollett decided to settle there and made arrangements to make the move to Arkansas. He purchased a boat and outfitted it, leaving port in 1819 with several families aboard, including a great number of slaves. In 1825, John Johnson erected the area's first sawmill, on Mine Creek. The first post office was established in 1842. The Howard County Race Riot of 1883, which occurred on July 30, 1883, is considered one of the worst race riots in the state's history. No one knows exactly how the riot started, though its apparent genesis was in a dispute over the surveying of property lines in Mine Creek Township in extreme western Hempstead County. Hempstead County was fifty percent African American, while Howard County was seventy-five percent white. Two African-American men, brothers Prince Marshall and James Marshall, argued with two white men, Thomas Wyatt and a man called "Montgomery." The argument escalated into a physical fight, with the black men experiencing the worst of it. A few days later, Wyatt's body was found mutilated with several bullet holes in it, which spurred white lawmen from Hempstead and Howard counties to form large posses of armed men and scour the countryside for his killers. A number of African Americans responded by forming their own posse. By the riot's end, five people were dead, and forty-four black men had been arrested. Three men were hanged, and thirty-two were imprisoned. All but four men were paroled by 1890. | Links |
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Free Records Search at Familysearch Org | ||
Howard County Cemetery Listings on Arkansas Gravestone Project | ||
Howard County Cemetery Listings on Interment Net | ||
Howard 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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Circuit Clerk 421 North Main St. Nashville, AR 71852 Phone (870)845-7506 Fax (870)845-7505 | County Clerk 421 North Main St. Nashville, AR 71852 Phone (870)845-7502 Fax (870)845-7505 | E-Mail Lists and Message Boards |
Arkansas Mail List on Rootsweb | ||
Howard County Mailing List on Rootsweb | ||
Howard County Message Board on Rootsweb | ||
Howard County Message Board on Genforum | Adjacent Counties |
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Polk County | Pike County | Hempstead County | Little River County | Sevier County |