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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Smith Ferry (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Smith Ferry. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Smith Ferry ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Smith Ferry: Smith Fry. (or less commonly used: Smith Frry.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties/Parishes ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/parishes instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Smith Ferry is located in Ashley County.

To see how the shape of Arkansas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ashley County: Bradley, Chicot, Drew, Union, Morehouse (LA) & Union (LA).

Below are the counties/parishes that are near Smith Ferry. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smith Ferry:

  • Ashley County     (The home county of Smith Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.
    • Wilmot
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
      • Wilmot is located in Ashley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
    • Parkdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkdale
      • Parkdale is located in Ashley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkdale <2>
    • Portland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Montrose
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Ashley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
    • Hamburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • North Crossett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Crossett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Crossett
      • North Crossett is located in Ashley County
    • Crossett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crossett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossett
      • Crossett is located in Ashley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,701 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crossett <2>
    • Meridian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
      • Meridian is located in Ashley County
    • Fountain Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Hill
      • Fountain Hill is located in Ashley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • West Crossett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Crossett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Crossett
      • West Crossett is located in Ashley County
  • Bradley County
    • Long View Ferry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View Ferry
      • Long View Ferry is located in Bradley County
  • Chicot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.
    • Eudora
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lake Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Chicot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Village <2>
  • Drew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.
    • Jerome
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Drew County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Lacey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Lacey is located in Drew County
    • Collins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
      • Collins is located in Drew County
  • East Carroll Parish (LA)
    • Lake Providence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Morehouse Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.
    • Jones
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
      • Jones is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jones <2>
    • Bonita
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonita
      • Bonita is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonita <2>
    • Mer Rouge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mer Rouge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mer Rouge
      • Mer Rouge is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 534 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mer Rouge <2>
    • Bastrop
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bastrop
      • Bastrop is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,688 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bastrop <2>
  • West Carroll Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.
    • Fiske
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiske
      • Fiske is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
    • Kilbourne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourne
      • Kilbourne is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kilbourne <2>
    • Oak Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,518 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Grove <2>
    • Forest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest <2>
    • Pioneer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
      • Pioneer is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pioneer <2>
    • Darnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darnell
      • Darnell is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
  • Washington County (MS)
    • Byrne City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byrne City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byrne City
      • Byrne City is located in Washington County (MS)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smith Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Smith Ferry.

Newspapers Published in Smith Ferry ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smith Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smith Ferry, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smith Ferry.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Smith Ferry:

Cemeteries Near Smith Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smith Ferry.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smith Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.

  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Wilmot Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilmot Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmot Cemetery
  • Parkdale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Harris Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery
  • Wonner Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wonner Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wonner Grove Cemetery
  • Grant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #54082 <4>
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #53031 <4>
  • Millers Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Millers Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Millers Chapel Cemetery
  • Green Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Grove Cemetery
  • St. Marion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marion Cemetery
  • Hogue Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hogue Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hogue Cemetery
  • Beech Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beech Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beech Creek Cemetery
  • Continue List   (121 more) ...
    • Poley Bridge Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poley Bridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poley Bridge Cemetery
    • Holly Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holly Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holly Grove Cemetery
    • Portland Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Portland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Portland Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

While we didn't find Smith Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smith Ferry.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Smith Ferry, with the one closest to Smith Ferry listed first.

  • Parkdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkdale
    • Parkdale is located in Ashley County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkdale <2>
  • Sunshine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunshine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
    • Sunshine is located in Ashley County
  • Jones
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
    • Jones is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jones <2>
  • Portland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Bonita
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonita
    • Bonita is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonita <2>
  • Snyder
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snyder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
    • Snyder is located in Ashley County
  • Hamburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Elon ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
    • Elon is located in Ashley County
  • Kilbourne
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourne
    • Kilbourne is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kilbourne <2>
  • Causey ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Causey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Causey
    • Causey is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
  • Brodnax ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brodnax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodnax
    • Brodnax is located in Morehouse Parish (LA)
  • Oak Grove
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Oak Grove is located in West Carroll Parish (LA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,518 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Grove <2>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Berea
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
      • Berea is located in Ashley County
    • Trafalgar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trafalgar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trafalgar
      • Trafalgar is located in Ashley County
    • Grand Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
      • Grand Lake is located in Chicot County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smith Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smith Ferry.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smith Ferry. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Smith Ferry) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smith Ferry. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0851, Longitude: -91.5821       In this case, the coordinates for Smith Ferry have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Smith Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024