Logan County Death Records

Logan County death records are held by the Arkansas Department of Health for all deaths registered since February 1914, with historical mortality records available through the state archives. Logan County is unique in Arkansas because it has two county seats - Paris and Booneville - serving separate judicial districts, which can affect where certain records are filed. This guide explains how to find and request death records for Logan County, Arkansas.

Getting Logan County Death Certificates

All certified death certificates for Logan County are issued by the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records Section, at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone: (501) 661-2336. The state system holds all deaths registered in Logan County since February 1914, regardless of whether the death occurred in the Paris district or the Booneville district.

You can order in person at the Little Rock office with same-day service before 4:00 PM on weekdays. Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Online orders through VitalChek take three to five business days. Mail orders take four to six weeks. Both Paris and Booneville are a couple of hours from Little Rock, so online ordering is practical for most Logan County residents.

The fee is $10 for the first certified copy. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $8.

Logan County Historical Death Records

Logan County was formed in 1871 in the Arkansas River Valley. The county has a distinctive history tied to coal mining, which was one of the only coal-producing areas in Arkansas. Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas, is located in Logan County. These features shaped both settlement patterns and the records that survive.

For deaths before the 1914 state registration system, the Arkansas State Archives is the primary resource. Historical Logan County records including probate files and estate inventories may contain death documentation from the late 19th century. The coal mining history also means that industrial accident records and union records from this era can sometimes include mortality information.

The image below is from the Arkansas State Archives and shows the historical death records documentation available for Logan County.

The dual courthouse structure in Logan County is unusual in Arkansas. Records from the Paris district cover the northern part of the county, and records from the Booneville district cover the southern part. If you are not sure which district a death falls in, check both. Both districts' records are held in the state system for certified certificates, but local court filings may be at one courthouse or the other.

Online Genealogy Tools for Logan County

FamilySearch has digitized and indexed many Arkansas death records including those for Logan County. The service is free. You can search by name and location. Early 20th-century records are generally well covered, and some records from before formal state registration may also be available through church and community collections that have been digitized. FamilySearch is a good first stop before moving on to paid services or in-person research.

Find A Grave has cemetery listings for Logan County, including burial sites throughout the Paris and Booneville areas and rural communities across the Arkansas River Valley. The image below from Find A Grave shows cemetery data for Logan County.

Volunteer contributors to Find A Grave have photographed headstones and recorded names and dates. For the coal mining communities of Logan County, cemetery records can be especially valuable because industrial accidents were not always well documented in official vital records.

Access Rules for Logan County Death Certificates

Arkansas law under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18 restricts access to death certificates less than 50 years old. For recent Logan County deaths, only eligible people can request a certified copy. Eligible requesters include immediate family members of the deceased, legal representatives of the estate, people with a documented financial or property interest in the estate, and academic researchers with proper credentials.

Records 50 years old or older are public. Anyone can request them by paying the standard fee. For genealogy research in Logan County, this means a significant number of historical records are freely available to any researcher.

The CDC Where to Write page for Arkansas has current contact details and eligibility information for the state vital records office. The Arkansas Secretary of State can also help with state records access questions.

Court Records and Probate in Logan County

Because Logan County has two county seats, probate and circuit court records may be filed in either Paris or Booneville depending on the judicial district where the deceased lived. Search Arkansas court records through the Arkansas courts case search portal to identify which courthouse holds the relevant records. The Arkansas Courts website has contact information for both Logan County circuit court offices.

Probate filings often contain death documentation and family details. When an official death certificate is missing or hard to locate, probate records can fill the gap. For older Logan County records from the 1800s, both courthouses and the state archives are worth checking.

The National Archives holds federal records that may be relevant to Logan County residents with military service. Mine workers from the coal mining era may also have records in labor and federal safety archives. Legacy.com aggregates recent obituaries from Logan County newspapers. The National Vital Statistics System provides national context for death registration.

Nearby Arkansas Counties

Logan County is in the Arkansas River Valley and borders several counties that have their own death records resources.