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 Baxter (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 Baxter. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Baxter is located in Drew 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 Drew County: Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Cleveland, Desha & Lincoln.
Below are the counties that are near Baxter. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Baxter:
- Drew County (The home county of Baxter)
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Collins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Collins is located in Drew County
- Jerome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- 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
- Selma
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Selma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Selma is located in Drew County
- Tillar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tillar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillar
- Tillar is located in Drew County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
- Winchester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Winchester is located in Drew County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
- Monticello
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Rose Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rose Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Rose Hill is located in Drew County
- Lacey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
- Lacey is located in Drew County
- Barkada
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barkada. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkada
- Barkada is located in Drew County
- Wilmar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
- Wilmar is located in Drew County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
- Ashley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Montrose
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Montrose is located in Ashley County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
- Portland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Fountain Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Hill
- Fountain Hill is located in Ashley County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
- Hamburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parkdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- 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 <3>
- Bradley County
- Long View Ferry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- 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 Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Dermott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lake Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- 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 <3>
- Desha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- McGehee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Reed
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
- Reed is located in Desha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- McArthur
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McArthur
- McArthur is located in Desha County
- Arkansas City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arkansas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Hopedale ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
- Hopedale is located in Desha County
- Rohwer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pickens
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickens
- Pickens is located in Desha County
- Kelso
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
- Kelso is located in Desha County
- Dumas
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Mitchellville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
- Mitchellville is located in Desha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Pea Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
- Pea Ridge is located in Desha County
- Watson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Napoleon ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Napoleon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
- Napoleon is located in Desha County
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Warrenton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Warrenton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
- Warrenton is located in Lincoln County
- Tyro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
- Tyro is located in Lincoln County
- Bolivar County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Eutaw
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eutaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
- Eutaw is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Mound Landing
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mound Landing. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Landing
- Mound Landing is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Lamont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
- Lamont is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Scott
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
- Scott is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Lake Vista
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Vista
- Lake Vista is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Benoit
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benoit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benoit
- Benoit is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benoit <3>
- Grapeland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grapeland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapeland
- Grapeland is located in Bolivar County (MS)
- Washington County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Greenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Metcalfe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metcalfe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalfe
- Metcalfe is located in Washington County (MS)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Baxter, see our County-by-County Page for Baxter.
Cemeteries Near Baxter ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Baxter.
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 Baxter covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Davis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Solomon Allen Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Solomon Allen Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Solomon Allen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- McDermott Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDermott Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDermott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Coleman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coleman Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coleman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Youngs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Youngs Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Youngs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bowden Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowden Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Collins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collins Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Duncan Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncan Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duncan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Roper Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roper Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- New Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (191 more) ...
- Centerpoint Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerpoint Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerpoint Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Townsend Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Townsend Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Townsend Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Austin Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Austin Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Austin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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 Baxter had a population of 250 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Baxter, with the one closest to Baxter listed first.
- Dermott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Collins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Collins is located in Drew County
- Hudspeth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudspeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudspeth
- Hudspeth is located in Chicot County
- Halley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halley
- Halley is located in Desha County
- McGehee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Selma
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Selma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Selma is located in Drew County
- Tillar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tillar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillar
- Tillar is located in Drew County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
- Trafalgar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Winchester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Winchester is located in Drew County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
- Berea
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Snyder
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Arkansas City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arkansas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Paradise ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Paradise is located in Drew County
- Lake Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- 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 <3>
- Florence
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Florence is located in Drew County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Baxter. See our List of 1890's Communities around Baxter.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Baxter ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Baxter.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Baxter. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Baxter and those printed in the larger area surrounding Baxter.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5> of Baxter.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Baxter:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Drew County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ashley County
- Bradley County
- Chicot County
- Desha County
- Lincoln County
- Bolivar County
- Washington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Arkansas
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Baxter. 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> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<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 Baxter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<5> | 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 from Point A (ie- Baxter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Baxter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5293, Longitude: -91.4971 In this case, the coordinates for Baxter have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |