The first available federal census
for the state of Arkansas is dated 1830. They are available for each decennial
year thereafter, except for the destroyed census of 1890, and they all
are indexed in one form or another. The Arkansas
Genealogical Society has sponsored a statewide program to reconstruct
the 1890 census from tax records and other sources, making Arkansas the
only state to have such a complete census substitute for that year.
Censuses taken before Arkansas became a state were mostly lost or destroyed.
The 1810 and 1820 federal territorial censuses are said to be lost, but
the 1820 has been reconstructed using tax returns and other sources. Sheriff's
censuses do exist for some areas, though they are fragmented and in inconsistent
formats.
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