RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Arkansas >> Montgomery County >> Black Springs >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Black Springs (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 Black Springs. 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 Black Springs ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Black Springs: Black Spgs. (or less commonly used: Black Spngs. or Black Sprngs.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Black Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Black Springs.

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 ...

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 hospitals and 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.

Black Springs is located in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County: Clark, Garland, Howard, Pike, Polk, Scott & Yell.

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

  • Montgomery County     (The home county of Black Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Norman
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Ophir
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Ophir is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Manfred
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Manfred is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
    • Caddo Gap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Ida
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Cox Spring
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Cox Spring is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Spring
    • Hickory Station ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hickory Station is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Station
    • Oden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Oden is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oden <1>
    • Pencil Bluff
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Whitetown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Whitetown is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
    • Sims
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Sims is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
    • Alamo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Alamo is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
    • Joplin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Joplin is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joplin
  • Calhoun County
    • Unco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Unco is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unco
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Amity
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Amity is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • Alpine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alpine is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
  • Garland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Meyers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Meyers is located in Garland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyers
    • Pearcy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Avant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Avant is located in Garland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avant
    • Royal
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Gladstone ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Gladstone is located in Garland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
  • Hot Spring County
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Athens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mineola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Mineola is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
    • Umpire
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Umpire is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
    • Euclid
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Euclid is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euclid
    • Galena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Galena is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
    • Corinth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Corinth is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
    • Dierks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Lodi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Lodi is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
    • Salem
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Salem is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Langley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Daisy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Daisy is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Kirby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Caney Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Caney Valley is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney Valley
    • Star of the West ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Star of the West is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star of the West
    • Newhope
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Newhope is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhope
    • Grandfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Grandfield is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfield
    • Mount Moriah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Mount Moriah is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Moriah
    • Nathan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Nathan is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathan
    • Pike City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Pike City is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Big Fork
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Big Fork is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
    • Board Camp
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Board Camp is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
    • Dallas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Dallas is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Harvey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Harvey is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Little Texas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Little Texas is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Texas
    • Parks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Parks is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
    • Nebraska ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Nebraska is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebraska
    • Y City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Y City is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Y City
    • Boles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Yell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Springs, with the one closest to Black Springs listed first.
    • Chula
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Chula is located in Yell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chula
    • Aly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Aly is located in Yell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aly
    • Gravelly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Gravelly is located in Yell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelly

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

Cemeteries Near Black Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Black Springs.

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 Black Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Waco School Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Black Springs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Irby Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Montgomery Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mt. Gilead Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Middleton - Crooks Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Ferguson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Scott Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Rowton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Owley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Scott Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (223 more) ...
    • Tweedle - Vaught Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Robbins Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Liberty Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Black Springs had a population of 250 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Black Springs had a population of 94 people.

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

  • Manfred
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Manfred is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
  • Ophir
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ophir is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
  • Caddo Gap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hopper
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hopper is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopper
  • Mount Ida
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Plata
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Plata is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plata
  • Lodi
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Lodi is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
  • Hickory Station ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hickory Station is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Station
  • Oden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Oden is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oden
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oden <1>
  • Langley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Sims
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Sims is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
  • Rock Creek ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Creek is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lucky ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lucky is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
    • Big Fork
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Big Fork is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
    • Kirby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Black Springs ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Black Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Black Springs, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Black Springs.

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 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 Black Springs:

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 Black Springs, 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 from Point A (ie- Black Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.