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February 28, 1838 | ||
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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The county was formed on February 28, 1838, and named for Joel R. Poinsett, a statesman, scientist, and botanist, U.S. Secretary of War. When Governor James S. Conway signed the act creating Poinsett County, William Harris was named the first county judge. The first terms of the county court and other county business was conducted at his home until a permanent seat could be selected. A site for the new county seat was selected about four miles north of Judge Harris's home. It was named Bolivar after General Simon Bolivar, a South American revolutionary hero. Joel R. Poinsett, whose name the county bears, had interested himself in Simon Bolivar. Two buildings were built–a courthouse and jail. The first term of court was held in the new courthouse in September 1839. In 1856, the county seat was moved to a new city named Harrisburg, named after Benjamin Harris, who was the son of the first county judge and who gave the land on which the new courthouse was built; there had been much agitation for moving the seat of the county government to the center of the county, and a hotly contested election resulted in the decision to move the seat south to Harrisburg. The first permanent white settlers in Poinsett County were Charles and Rebekah Shaver. In the fall of 1824, they left Missouri and crossed into Arkansas at a place called Chalk Bluff in what is now Clay County. The Shaver family is said to have followed an old Indian trail down Crowley's Ridge with two wagons, although a federal mail post road had been built by 1815, linking east Arkansas to St. Genevieve and St. Louis. They found a trapper living in a small cabin on Sugar Creek (now called Bay Village). Shaver bought the trapper's place and settled his wife, two sons, daughter, son-in-law, and several slaves there. | Links |
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Free Records Search at Familysearch Org | ||
Poinsett County Cemetery Listings on Arkansas Gravestone Project | ||
Poinsett 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 401 Market St. Harrisburg, AR 72432 Phone (870)578-4420 Fax (870)578-4427 | County and Probate Clerk 401 Market St. Harrisburg, AR 72432 Phone (870)578-4410 Fax (870)578-2441 | Marked Tree Historical Society P.O. Box 72 Marked Tree, AR 72365 870-358-4998 [email protected] | E-Mail Lists and Message Boards |
Arkansas Mail List on Rootsweb | ||
Poinsett County Mailing List on Rootsweb | ||
Poinsett County Message Board on Rootsweb | ||
Poinsett County Message Board on Genforum | Adjacent Counties |
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Craighead County | Mississippi County | Crittenden County | Cross County | Jackson County |