Find a Grave Arkansas by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
Your complete, practical guide to tracing Arkansas ancestors through cemetery and burial records — from Ozark Mountain homesteader graveyards to Delta plantation cemeteries and Civil War battlefield sites at Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove.
Arkansas may be one of the least-searched states for genealogy, but its burial records are extraordinarily rich — stretching from the oldest European settlement west of the Mississippi (French colonial Arkansas Post, 1686) to Ozark Mountain homesteader cemeteries in the highland ridges, Delta plantation burial grounds along the Mississippi River lowlands, and significant Civil War battlefield gravesites at Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove. With 75 counties and records reaching back to the 1820s, this guide gives you every verified tool and exact step to find any Arkansas grave quickly.
🔎 How to Search Arkansas Graves by Name — Micro Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — Arkansas and enter the person’s full name in the search bar.
- Understand Arkansas’s three regions before filtering: the Ozarks (northwest highlands), the Delta (eastern lowlands along the Mississippi), and the Ouachita Mountains (southwest). Each has very different settlement history and record patterns.
- Use the county filter to narrow results — Arkansas has 75 counties and common surnames like Johnson, Williams, or Smith return hundreds of statewide results.
- Click any result to open the full burial record: cemetery name and address, plot number, burial date, and headstone photo if available.
- No results on first name try? Search the surname only and scan results. Also try maiden names for married women — many older Arkansas headstones list the maiden name prominently.
- Visit findagrave.com — Arkansas Cemeteries. No account required to search.
- Use wildcards for Ozark name variants:
?replaces one letter (e.g.,Burl?sonfor Burleson/Burlison),*replaces multiple (e.g.,Ark*). Many Arkansas Scots-Irish surnames have multiple spelling variants in the records. - Click “More Search Options” to narrow by birth/death year range and specific Arkansas county.
- Click any memorial to see the headstone photo (if available), plot details, and cross-linked family members.
- No headstone photo? Scroll to the bottom of the memorial page and click “Request Photo” — a local Arkansas volunteer will photograph the grave, usually within days at no cost.
- Visit ark-ives.com — the official Arkansas State Archives website.
- Search the free online Arkansas Death Certificate Database 1914–1950 — one of the most accessible state death record collections in the South, searchable by full name, county, and year.
- Also search the Arkansas Cemetery Records collection — county-level cemetery surveys transcribed from original registers across all 75 counties.
- For Civil War ancestors: use the Arkansas Confederate Pension Records database — these pension files often include burial location and name of the cemetery.
- In-person research: One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 682-6900. Open Mon–Sat 8AM–4:30PM (closed state holidays).
- Arkansas State Archives is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library — free in-person access to restricted FamilySearch digital collections not available online at home.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search by name in Arkansas. GPS-tagged headstone photos show exact grave coordinates.
- Results display the headstone photo alongside the precise GPS location on a map — invaluable for large Arkansas cemeteries like Mount Holly in Little Rock or Fayetteville National Cemetery.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting an Arkansas cemetery — it navigates you turn-by-turn to any indexed grave within the grounds.
- If a grave hasn’t been photographed yet, the app lets you flag it for nearby Arkansas volunteers with a single tap.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org.
- Search “Arkansas Deaths, 1914–1950” — free indexed database of early Arkansas death records searchable by name, county, and year.
- Also search “Arkansas County Death Records, 1935–1971” for a more extended period of state death registration coverage.
- For county-level records: go to Search → Catalog, type an Arkansas county name plus “cemetery” to find microfilmed cemetery records for that county. Many Arkansas county cemeteries are microfilmed back to the 1820s.
- Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock is an official FamilySearch affiliate — visit in person for free access to restricted collections.
Arkansas-Specific Tip: Many Arkansas families migrated from Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas in the 1820s–1840s. If you hit a dead end in Arkansas records, search the same name in the state of origin — the family often had the same neighbors in both states. Cross-referencing “Removed to Arkansas” notations in Tennessee and Kentucky church records often breaks through genealogical brick walls.
📊 All Arkansas Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid Compared
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Arkansas cemetery burial records; name search by county | Free | First stop for any Arkansas burial search | |
Arkansas memorials; wildcard search; photo request volunteers | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; in-cemetery navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location inside large cemeteries | |
Arkansas Deaths 1914–1950; county microfilm; church records | Free | Historical death records; pre-1914 county records | |
Free death certs 1914–1950; cemetery surveys; Civil War pensions | Free | Official records; Civil War; Confederate pension burials | |
County-organized transcriptions from official cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy records from original registers | |
Veterans buried in Fayetteville National Cemetery and others | Free | Arkansas veteran and military burial searches | |
Certified death certificates from 1914 onward | $10 first copy | Legal/official proof of death for estates and benefits |
🗺️ Search Arkansas Burial Records by County
Arkansas has 75 counties. Click any county below to browse its indexed cemeteries directly on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working. Knowing your ancestor’s region (Ozarks northwest, Delta east, or Ouachitas southwest) focuses your search:
For all 75 Arkansas counties: Browse Find a Grave Arkansas or use Interment.net Arkansas for county-organized transcriptions.
🪦 Notable Arkansas Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
- Established 1843 — Arkansas’s most historic and significant cemetery
- 7 Arkansas governors, U.S. senators, and Civil War generals buried here
- Beautiful Victorian-era monuments, mausoleums, and family plots
- National Register of Historic Places — preserved 19th-century landscape
- Address: 1200 S. Broadway, Little Rock, AR 72202 · (501) 376-0439
- Established 1867 — Civil War and veteran burials in Northwest Arkansas
- Over 6,000 burials from the Civil War through the present day
- Significant USCT (United States Colored Troops) sections
- Address: 700 Government Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72701
- Phone: (479) 443-4301 · Searchable via VA Gravesite Locator
- One of Little Rock’s oldest cemeteries — antebellum burials from the 1840s
- Separate Confederate section with soldiers from the Arkansas Campaign
- Many prominent Little Rock families and early Arkansas settlers
- Well-maintained; records held by the Cemetery Association
- Address: 1400 S. Broadway, Little Rock, AR 72202
- Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862) — decisive Union victory in the Trans-Mississippi
- Federal soldiers and Confederate soldiers buried at or near the battlefield
- NPS maintains detailed burial records at nps.gov/peri
- Address: 15930 Hwy 62, Garfield, AR 72732 · (479) 451-8122
- Free entry to park and cemetery; visitor center open daily
📜 Official Arkansas Death Certificates — How to Get Them
Arkansas death certificates are issued by the Arkansas Division of Vital Records. They include cause of death, attending physician, parents’ names and birthplaces, and informant details not found on headstones. Arkansas has one of the most affordable death certificate fees in the nation at just $10.
50-Year Confidentiality: Arkansas death certificates are restricted for 50 years from the date of death. After 50 years, they are public record accessible to anyone. Records older than 50 years are also freely searchable at the Arkansas State Archives and through FamilySearch.
- Visit any Arkansas county health unit during business hours. All county health units can issue death certificates for any Arkansas death regardless of which county you’re in.
- Bring valid government-issued photo ID. If the record is under 50 years old, also bring proof of qualifying relationship.
- Pay $10 for the first certified copy; $10 for each additional copy of the same record. Cash, check, or money order accepted.
- Download the application from healthy.arkansas.gov/vital-records.
- Make a check or money order payable to “Arkansas Vital Records” for $10 per copy. Do not send cash.
- Mail to: Arkansas Division of Vital Records, 4815 W. Markham St., Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888 (24/7). VitalChek adds a convenience fee to the standard $10 state fee.
- Rush processing available for an additional fee. Standard mail delivery takes 7–14 business days.
📚 Arkansas State Archives — Free Research Resources
The Arkansas State Archives at ark-ives.com is the official repository for historical Arkansas records. It provides some of the most accessible free online genealogy databases of any Southern state.
- ✦Free online Arkansas Death Certificate Database 1914–1950 — searchable by name and county
- ✦Arkansas Confederate Pension Records — include burial location for thousands of Civil War veterans
- ✦County court records, probate files, and land grants from the 1820s onward
- ✦Cemetery surveys and transcriptions organized by county — many Ozark counties well-covered
- ✦FamilySearch Affiliate Library status — free in-person access to restricted digital collections
🎖️ Arkansas Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans in Fayetteville National Cemetery (Washington County), Fort Smith National Cemetery (Sebastian County), and Little Rock National Cemetery (Pulaski County).
- Fort Smith National Cemetery: 6,000+ Civil War and veteran burials. Address: 522 Garland Ave, Fort Smith, AR 72901. Phone: (479) 783-5345.
- Little Rock National Cemetery: Established 1866. Address: 2523 Confederate Blvd, Little Rock, AR 72206. Includes significant USCT (United States Colored Troops) sections.
- Arkansas Civil War Records: Search the Arkansas State Archives at ark-ives.com for Confederate pension files with burial locations. For Union soldiers, search Fold3 (free at Archives terminals).
- Pea Ridge Battlefield: The National Park Service at nps.gov/peri maintains a detailed database of soldiers killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge (1862) — including burial location where known.
🌿 Insider Tips — Arkansas-Specific Genealogy Tricks
Know Your Arkansas Region
Arkansas has three distinct regions with very different genealogy records: the Ozarks (northwest highlands — Scots-Irish, Baptist records, 1820s); the Delta (east — plantation records, African American history, 1830s); the Ouachita Mountains (southwest — later settlement, 1840s). Research patterns differ significantly between them.
Pre-1914? Go to the Baptist Church
Arkansas did not require statewide death registration until 1914. For deaths before that date, Baptist and Methodist church burial registers are your primary resource. Contact current congregations or search the Arkansas State Archives microfilm collection of historic church records.
Confederate Pension Files Are Gold
Arkansas Confederate pension files at the Arkansas State Archives often include: date and place of burial, cemetery name, names of surviving family members, and detailed service history. These are free online at ark-ives.com and are one of Arkansas’s most underutilized genealogy resources.
Ozark Family Cemeteries Are Everywhere
The Ozark Mountains are dotted with thousands of small private family cemeteries on former homestead land. Many are not in any database. The Arkansas Genealogical Society at argensoc.org maintains an ongoing project to locate and document these private family burial grounds — contact them directly for unmapped graves.
$10 Death Certs Include Parents’ Names
Arkansas death certificates from 1914 include the deceased’s parents’ names and birthplaces. For $10, you can often determine your ancestor’s entire family origin. A death certificate is the single most cost-effective record purchase you can make in Arkansas genealogy research.
Delta African American Records
African American records in the Arkansas Delta were often maintained separately before the Civil Rights era. Start with FamilySearch Freedmen’s Bureau Records for post-Civil War deaths. The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock holds significant African American community records not available elsewhere.
Hot Springs Had Unique Migration Patterns
Hot Springs National Park (Garland County) attracted retirees and health-seekers from across the country in the late 1800s–1900s. Graves here may belong to people who died while visiting — the cemetery office maintains “visitor death” records that differ from local family burial records.
Request Photo in Pulaski/Washington First
Find a Grave’s Arkansas volunteer network is most active in Pulaski County (Little Rock) and Washington County (Fayetteville). Photo requests in these counties are often fulfilled within 24 hours. For rural Ozark and Delta counties, allow 2–3 weeks and consider contacting the local county historical society directly.