The Arkansas Family Historian (AFH)

The Arkansas Family Historian (AFH) is the official publication of the Arkansas Genealogical Society (AGS).

The Arkansas Genealogical Society was founded in Fayetteville (Washington County) on May 4–5, 1962. Its founding followed the publication of the first issue of The Arkansas Family Historian in March of that year. Professor Walter J. Lemke of the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville served as the publication’s first editor, while George R. Turrentine of Russellville (Pope County) served as the organization’s first president. On May 19, 1963, Lemke, Turrentine, and the organization’s early officers held the society’s first annual meeting, hosted by the Faulkner County Historical Society, at Hendrix College in Conway (Faulkner County). By the time of this meeting, the AGS had published the first four issues of the AFH and membership had more than doubled. The AGS attributed this growth to the sponsorship of the Washington County Historical Society and its many volunteers and supporters who were “interested in preserving the genealogical records of Arkansas families.”

The first issue of the AFH featured an introduction to the publication and to the AGS, a list of the society’s first members, two separate lists of genealogical publications across the country, two separate lists of queries, guidance on genealogical research, a few family histories, tombstone inscriptions for a family cemetery near Bradley (Lafayette County), notes, news, comments, and an advertisement for Washington County Historical Society publications.

Lemke served as the publication’s editor for its first two years (1962–1964). In addition to his roles in organizing the Washington County Historical Society and the Arkansas Genealogical Society, Lemke established the journalism department at UA, founded the Arkansas High School Press Association, and co-founded the Arkansas Newspaper Women’s Association (later renamed Arkansas Press Women, or APW). Following Lemke, the AFH’s editors have included: Dolores Murphy (1964–1972), Elaine Cia (1973–1984), Margaret Hubbard (1985–2004), Susan Boyle (2006–2012), and Russell Pierce Baker (2013–2024). (For a time in the mid-2000s, an editorial committee oversaw the production of the quarterly.) Baker—a notable Arkansas archivist, lecturer, historian, teacher, and author—worked in the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock (Pulaski County) for four decades and served on the AGS Board of Directors for over five. He is best known for authoring Arkansas Post Offices from Memdag to Norsk: A Historical Directory, 1832–1990 and Arkansas Township Atlas, 1819–1930: A History of the Minor Civil Divisions in Each County. Regan Richardson—an editor, citizen historian, and genealogist’s research assistant residing in Eveleth, Minnesota—took over as editor beginning with the Spring 2025 issue.

The AFH publishes content related to Arkansas family history and genealogy and has included military and church records, obituaries and death notices, family genealogy sheets, biographies, autobiographies, wartime letters, book reviews, family queries, ancestry certificates, annual contest winners for the publication’s family history writing contest, and topical matters—all related to genealogy with ties to Arkansas counties, with an emphasis on information prior to 1951.

Under the direction of Richardson, the AFH plans to feature twenty-five-year and fifty-year “look backs,” which will include seasonal, reprinted articles from twenty-five and fifty years ago, as well as content related to national observances and notable historical events related to the publication’s scope.

For additional information:
Arkansas Genealogical Society. https://argensoc.org/ (accessed May 23, 2025).

Baker, Russell Pierce. “Additional Reflections on Sixty Years of the History of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, Part 2.” Arkansas Family Historian 60 (Fall 2022): 4–6.

———. “A Short History of the Arkansas Genealogical Society: 50 Years and Counting…” Arkansas Family Historian 50, no. 2 (Summer 2012): 83–88. Online at https://argensoc.org/wp-content/uploads/afh/AFH502Jun2012.pdf (accessed May 23, 2025).

Mysti L. Gates
University of Arkansas Rich Mountain