Arkansas State Archives Named One of 75 Best State Genealogy Websites

On November 10, the Arkansas State Archives was named to Family Tree Magazine’s list of 75 Best State Websites for Genealogy in 2016. Each year, the magazine honors the best websites across the country specializing in genealogical research. This is the second time the State Archives has been honored with this designation. In 2011, it was named by Family Tree Magazine as one of the top 101 best genealogical websites in the U.S.

Criteria for chosen sites includes providing a user-friendly website with a priority on digitized material.

Diane Haddad, editor of Family Tree Magazine says, “We wanted each state to be represented with at least one website, so we had to be more selective for states with many online resources. We hope that readers will see the types of online resources available at the state level and go looking for more sites beyond what’s on this list.”

Dr. Lisa Speer, state historian and director of the Arkansas State Archives, commented on the selection, “We are excited that Family Tree Magazine selected us to represent Arkansas archival repositories.   The State Archives just brought up a new website in June of this year. We really focused on making the site more user friendly, with a high priority on featuring our digital collections and services for researchers. I am grateful to have this work recognized.”

The list of all 75 websites will appear in the December 2016 issue of Family Tree Magazine and can be viewed online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/75-best-state-genealogy-websites.

The Arkansas State Archives is an agency under the Department of Arkansas Heritage and is responsible for collecting and maintaining the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world.  The State Archives has two branch locations; the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives is located in Powhatan and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is located in Washington. Other agencies under the Department of Arkansas Heritage include the Arkansas Arts Council, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Historic Ark