View source for Grant County, Arkansas

This page written and copyright 2008 by Will Johnson.  I am a professional genealogist.  If you'd like to hire me you can email me at [mailto:wjhonson@aol.com wjhonson@aol.com].

==Introduction==
Prior to 1819 there was no place called [[Arkansas]].  In the below narrative, when I say "Arkansas" for any time before 1819, I mean that area which was in 1819 created as the Arkansas Territory.

Prior to 1800, Arkansas was owned by Spain. From 1800 to 1803, Arkansas was owned by France.  In 1803, by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase Louisiana Purchase], Arkansas and much more, was bought by the United States.

In 1804, the part of Arkansas that would become Grant County was called [[New Madrid]], in the Louisiana District of Indiana Territory.  In 1805 the Louisiana District of Indiana Territory became the Louisiana Territory.  In 1812, part of the Louisiana Territory was renamed the [[Missouri]] Territory.  In 1813, Arkansas County was created in the Missouri Territory.  In 1815, Arkansas County was divided into two parts, the upper part called Lawrence County and the lower part, including present-day Grant County, retaining the name Arkansas County.  The dividing line was the Arkansas River.  In 1818, Clark County was created and included all of present-day Grant County.  In 1819, the northern boundary of Arkansas was fixed, separating Arkansas Territory from Missouri.  The area that would become Grant County was then part of Clark County, Arkansas.

In 1824, the boundary between Pulaski County and Clark County was more firmly established.  Present-day Grant county would have then been partly in both counties.  In 1829 Hot Spring County was created and now present-day Grant county would have been partly in Hot Spring and partly in Pulaski Counties.  In 1835 Saline County was created and also would then have incorporated part of present-day Grant County.  Also that same year, Jefferson County was expanded at the expense of Pulaski and Arkansas County, and would include part of the land that makes up present-day Grant County.  In 1842, Saline County was expanded at the expense of Hot Spring County.

Grant County was formed in 1869 out of part of Hot Spring, Saline, and Jefferson Counties.

For early mentions of people and places in Arkansas, see the ''Arkansas Gazette'' [http://www.arkansasties.com/Gazette/NewsIndex.htm here].

==Settlement Pattern==
The Louisiana Purchase and subsequent treaties with Indians to move away, gave to the Federal government all of the land in the state of Arkansas.  Before the Federal government is willing to grant land to settlers, they need to do surveys.  All the existing surveys are available to view in the BLM database [http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/SurveySearch/Default.asp?Tab1=1&f1=AR&f2=&f4=&f6=&f3=&f5=&f7= here].

==Marriages==
At Arkansas there is a database called [http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7845&enc=1 ''Arkansas Marriages, 1779-1992''].  This is not to be confused with another database they own called ''Arkansas Marriages, 1850-1900''.  Or yet a third database called ''Arkansas Marriages, before 1850''.

==Resources==
*[http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=localitydetails&subject=194542&subject_disp=Arkansas%2C+Grant&columns=*,0,0 "Grant", part of "Arkansas"] as a Place name search in the Family History Library (LDS) Catalog
*''Arkansas Newspaper Abstracts 1819-1845'', by James Logan Morgan, c1981. Reprinted by Arkansas Research of Conway, 1992. Four volumes combined of 98, 73, 73, and 78 pages, includes a separate index for each volume.
*[http://www.myarkansasgenealogy.com/ar_maps/ar_cf.htm County Formation Map for Arkansas] at the MyArkansasGenealogy website

==External links==
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjhonson/ARcounties/Grant.htm Resources at the Grant County, Arkansas Genealogical Society]
*[http://www.arkansashighways.com/Maps/Counties/1936/HistoricalMapst.htm Historical County Maps]

[[Category:Grant County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:US Counties]]
[[Category:US county sources]]