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Search Arkansas Obituaries
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Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in Arkansas
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's obituary pages. For an older death, the Arkansas State Archives' death records index and digitized newspapers on Chronicling America are good next steps.
What to have ready
- The person's full name, including a maiden name or nickname
- The approximate date of death and the town or county where they died
- Their age or birth year
- Names of close relatives
Knowing the county narrows things the most. Many Arkansas obituaries ran only in the local weekly or the nearest daily.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | The funeral home's website; obituary pages of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Times Record (Fort Smith) and Sentinel-Record (Hot Springs); Legacy.com |
| 1990s to recent decades | Newspaper databases at your public library or through the Arkansas State Library; the newspaper's own archive |
| Older or historic | The Arkansas State Archives, including its Arkansas Death Records Index; historic Arkansas papers on Chronicling America; microfilm at your public library |
| Official death record | Arkansas has kept statewide death records since February 1, 1914. See how to order an Arkansas death certificate. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
- Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- Times Record (Fort Smith)
- The Sentinel-Record (Hot Springs)
Recent listings are open to read. Older articles may need a subscription.
Libraries and archives
- Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock is the state's official archives. It has contributed digitized newspapers to Chronicling America. Its Arkansas Death Records Index, 1812–2006, is arranged by surname and points to obituaries, church publications, cemetery records and county records. To see the original items, plan a visit.
- Arkansas State Library is a good place to ask which newspaper databases you can use with an Arkansas library card.
- Your county library is often the best source for local papers on microfilm.
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries usually appear online within days, often before the service.
- Digitized coverage varies a lot from one Arkansas town to the next, so check which years your paper covers before searching.
- The archives do not list a turnaround time for research requests online. Ask when you contact them.
Tips
- Search the State Archives' death index before you go to microfilm. For an obituary entry, the date shown is the date it was published, not always the date of death.
- For deaths before 1914, there's usually no state death certificate, so obituaries, church records and cemetery records matter more.
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Note: Coverage years, fees and web addresses are set by the libraries, archives and newspapers listed and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not affiliated with them.