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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 Austin (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 Austin. 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 ...

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

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

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Austin is located in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County: Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Searcy & Stone.

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

  • Van Buren County     (The home county of Austin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin, with the one closest to Austin listed first.
    • Rex
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rex is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rex
    • Scotland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Alread
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Alread is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alread
    • Copeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Copeland is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
    • Crabtree
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Crabtree is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabtree
    • Formosa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Formosa is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Formosa
    • Choctaw
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
    • Clinton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Dennard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bee Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Bee Branch is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Branch
    • Green Tree
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Green Tree is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
    • Rumley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Rumley is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumley
    • Damascus
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Conway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin, with the one closest to Austin listed first.
    • Jerusalem
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Cleveland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Old Hickory
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Old Hickory is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Hickory
    • Austin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hattieville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Hattieville is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville
    • Center Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Middleton is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
    • Solgohachia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Solgohachia is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solgohachia
    • Springfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Morrilton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Plumerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Winrock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Winrock is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winrock
    • Menifee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Faulkner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin, with the one closest to Austin listed first.
    • Twin Groves
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Twin Groves is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Groves
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Guy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Guy is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
    • Wooster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenbrier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Johnson County
    • Hagarville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Hagarville is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagarville
  • Newton County
    • Mount Judea
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Judea is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Judea
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin, with the one closest to Austin listed first.
    • Appleton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Appleton is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Hector
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Tilly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Tilly is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilly
    • Caglesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Caglesville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caglesville
    • Laurel ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Laurel is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Oak Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Scottsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Scottsville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsville
    • Moreland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Moreland is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Economy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Economy is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
    • Dover
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Atkins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Center Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Center Valley is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Valley
    • Taral
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Taral is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taral
  • Searcy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin, with the one closest to Austin listed first.
    • Witt's Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Witt's Springs is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt's Springs
    • Watts
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Watts is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
    • Leslie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Blanco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Blanco is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
    • Marshall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Baker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Baker is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
  • Yell County
    • Dardanelle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Austin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Austin.

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 Austin - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Rocky Valley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Lowder Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Liberty Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Cato Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Wiley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • McKay Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Burke Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Hughes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hughes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (285 more) ...
    • Reid Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Old Liberty Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sulphur Springs Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Liberty Springs ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Liberty Springs is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Springs
  • Latham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Latham is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
  • Northwood ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Northwood is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood
  • Appleton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Appleton is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Jerusalem
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cleveland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Edge ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Edge is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edge
  • Scotland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Alread
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Alread is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alread
  • Hector
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Claude
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Claude is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claude
  • Smyrna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Smyrna is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Caglesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Caglesville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caglesville
    • Copeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Copeland is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
    • Laurel ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Laurel is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel

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

Newspapers Published in Austin ...

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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Austin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Austin, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Austin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Austin:

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>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 Austin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Austin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.