Death Records

About ARDI

There are a set of books referred to as the "Arkansas Death Indexes 1914-1950". A set of these books can be found in most libraries and/or genealogy societies here in Arkansas & they are also posted online at Ancestry.com if you happen to have an account there. The books give the person's name, county they died in and the date. If someone died during this time frame & their name is not found, then you cannot obtain a death certificate for them. Arkansas started keeping birth / death statistics in 1914. Unfortunately, it was not enforced until the latter half of the 1940s. It all depended on whether a doctor, the family, or a mortuary bothered to register the death with the state and since many occurred at home without a doctor in attendance, many went unregistered.

If someone you know died during this period & they are not listed in the books, you will not find an Arkansas death certificate for them. On the other hand, if they do appear in one of these 4 volumes, then you know you can send to the state of Arkansas and obtain one for your family member. [Janice Holzer]