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 Atlanta (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 Atlanta. 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.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Atlanta is located in Columbia County.
To see how the shape of Arkansas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Columbia County: Lafayette, Nevada, Ouachita, Union, Claiborne (LA) & Webster (LA).
Below are the counties/parishes that are near Atlanta. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Atlanta:
- Columbia County (The home county of Atlanta)
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Emerson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Emerson is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Village is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village
- Calhoun
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Horsehead
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Magnolia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Philadelphia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Philadelphia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Western
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Western is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Milner ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Milner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milner
- McNeil
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Waldo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- College Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- College Hill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Hill
- Taylor
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Buckner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Buckner is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- McKamie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- McKamie is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKamie
- Stamps
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Nevada County
- Willisville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Willisville is located in Nevada County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willisville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
- Ouachita County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Stephens
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Pace City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pace City is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pace City
- Liberty
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Louann
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Louann is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louann
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Lufra ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Lufra is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lufra
- Joyce City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Joyce City is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joyce City
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Dodge City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dodge City is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Mount Holly
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Scotland
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Scotland is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Dumas City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dumas City is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas City
- Junction City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Junction City is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 520 people
- Blanchard Springs ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Blanchard Springs is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard Springs
- El Dorado
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandy Land
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Land is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Land
- Smackover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Norphlet
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Norphlet is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norphlet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 772 people
- Claiborne Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Gordon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Haynesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dykesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Summerfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Summerfield is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Junction City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Junction City is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 557 people
- Wards Mill ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wards Mill is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wards Mill
- Blackburn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Homer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Homer is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,789 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer <1>
- Arizona
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
- Lisbon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weldon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Weldon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Holly Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Union Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Lillie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Ridge ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Ridge is located in Union Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Ridge
- Spearsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bernice
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah is located in Union Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Webster Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Shongaloo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Springhill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cullen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sarepta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cotton Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Atlanta, see our County-by-County Page for Atlanta.
Cemeteries Near Atlanta ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Atlanta.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Atlanta - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Atlanta covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- McClendon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Babbs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Elliott Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Chalybeate Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Baker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ware's Chapel UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware's Chapel UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ware's Chapel UMC Cemetery is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<2> to the southeast of Emerson.
- The Ware's Chapel UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ware's Chapel Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1978068 <3>
- St. Marks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Forest Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Traylor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (284 more) ...
- Shiloh Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Teague Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Riddle Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Atlanta had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
- Spotville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Spotville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spotville
- Ware
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ware is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Brister
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Brister is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brister
- Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Village is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village
- Gordon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Shuler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Shuler is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuler
- Calhoun
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Haynesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Three Creeks
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Three Creeks is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Creeks
- Millerton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Millerton is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Horsehead
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Mount Holly
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Magnolia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Laughlin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Laughlin is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Atlanta. See our List of 1890's Communities around Atlanta.
Newspapers Published in Atlanta ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Atlanta.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Atlanta, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Atlanta.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Atlanta:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lafayette County
- Nevada County
- Ouachita County
- Union County
- Claiborne Parish
- Union Parish
- Webster Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Arkansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Atlanta) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Atlanta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |