Researching in Polk County, start with what is on-line. If you make a trip to the county to do research you will find a good selection of local history in the Genealogy Room of the Polk County Library, (maintained by Genealogical Society volunteers).
You will find a good selection of printed family history books, surname files, subject files, and resources for Polk and the surrounding counties. The Society has amassed a nice collection of microfilm as well. The library has several computers on the Net, and the Society has their own computer, (with ancestry.com) and a microfilm reader/printer.
The courthouse is only a couple blocks from the library. Most of the old records formerly housed in the basement of the courthouse have been moved to the old hospital annex on Pine Street. It will be necessary for you to ask in advance to see these, as an employee from the clerkâs office will have to accompany you.
You also find a good selection of records, especially subject and surname files, at the Family & Local History Library located in the Old Norman High School at Norman. Which is about 36 miles east of Mena on Highway 8. Polk County has both a County Clerk and a Circuit Clerk, while in Montgomery County the two are combined.
Here are some special places you might want to look:
The Looking Glass (renamed The Ouachita Mountaineer). This magazine was printed for 14 years by Gene and Nancy Owen of Hatfield, Arkansas and is an excellent source for local and family history. In 1989 the magazine was sold to Mike Cate who continued to publish locally for a short time, then moved to Waldron, Arkansas and published from there for a few years, then moved to Murfreesboro and continued until 1996, at which time the magazine was discontinued. Local libraries have complete sets and although they are not indexed, they are a valuable resource. Once the magazine left Polk County most of the articles were about people and places outside the county; therefore, the first 16 years of publication are the more important for those researching Polk County ancestors. Bound copies are in the Polk County library. (I have constructed a finding aide for seven years--ask the librarian to look up something, as it is not made public.)
The Mountain Signal, which was published monthly from 1989-1992. It began publication again in August 1989 and was published until July 2001, monthly the first three years, then monthly except December/January the second three years. The magazine includes Polk and Montgomery Counties and seldom includes information outside those two counties .
(Click link above for finding aide and order blank. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.
Back issues are available for the last three years.)
You would do well to follow the railroad & timber industry if you are looking in Polk County around the years of 1896-1960. Many people were connected in some way to the timber cutting, hauling, and sawmills. Download the county map on this site, and study the townships, and find a good map of Polk County (you can order old maps from the Arkansas Highway Dept.) and one of Arkansas. You need to understand the lay of the land and how people migrated to find your ancestors. For instance, many timber related business moved in the mid to late 1900s to Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and California, following the harvest of timber. In the early days many families went to Oklahoma and Texas to pick cotton or other crops--especially during the Depression.
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