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 Blakely (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 Blakely. 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 southeast 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 south.
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 south 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.
Blakely is located in Garland 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 Garland County: Hot Spring, Montgomery, Perry, Saline & Yell.
Below are the counties that are near Blakely. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blakely:
- Garland County (The home county of Blakely)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Jessieville
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Blue Springs
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Blue Springs is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Springs
- Hot Springs Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fountain Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fountain Lake is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 576 people
- Mountain Pine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hot Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Piney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Piney is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney
- Gladstone ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Gladstone is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Avant
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Avant is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avant
- Rockwell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rockwell is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwell
- Royal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Price
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Price is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Conway County
- Pontoon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pontoon is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoon
- Hot Spring County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Magnet Cove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Magnet Cove is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet Cove
- Estimated population in 2014: 5 people
- Butterfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Butterfield is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
- Rockport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rockport is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- Bismarck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Social Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Social Hill is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Social Hill
- Malvern
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bonnerdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Saginaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Saginaw is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
- Perla
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Perla is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perla
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- Etta ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Etta is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etta
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Fannie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Fannie is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannie
- Fir ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Fir is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fir
- Joplin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Joplin is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joplin
- Story
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Washita
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Washita is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washita
- Alamo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alamo is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
- Mazarn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mazarn is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazarn
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Deberrie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Deberrie is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deberrie
- Casa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Casa is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Adona
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Adona is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adona
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Perryville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Perry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pulaski County
- Ferndale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Ferndale is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferndale
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Rubicon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rubicon is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubicon
- Paron
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Paron is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paron
- Kentucky
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Kentucky is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky
- Fairplay ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fairplay is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplay
- Avilla
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Avilla is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilla
- Congo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Congo is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congo
- Haskell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Benton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Salem is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Traskwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Traskwood is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Traskwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
- Yell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Birta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Birta is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birta
- Ola
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Plainview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Aly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Aly is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aly
- Rover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Petit Jean
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Petit Jean is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petit Jean
- Cotton Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cotton Town is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
- Wing
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wing is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
- Centerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Centerville is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Briggsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Briggsville is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briggsville
- Chula
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Chula is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chula
- Danville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blakely, see our County-by-County Page for Blakely.
Cemeteries Near Blakely ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blakely.
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 Blakely - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blakely covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Cosby Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Newkirk Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mountain Valley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Talley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Robbins Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Scott Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- McGill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ozark Lithia Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ozark Lithia Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ozark Lithia Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the southeast of Mountain Valley.
- The Ozark Lithia Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ozark Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #55564 <3>
- Antioch Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rock Springs Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Medlock Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- Beth Jacob Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hughes Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Godwin Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 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.<4>
While we didn't find Blakely in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blakely.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blakely, with the one closest to Blakely listed first.
- Jessieville
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Mountain Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mountain Valley is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Valley
- Blocher
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Blocher is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocher
- Hollis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Hollis is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Hot Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Gladstone ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Gladstone is located in Garland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Reform
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Reform is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
- Ava
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ava is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ava
- Owensville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Owensville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owensville
- Nimrod
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Nimrod is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimrod
- Cove Creek ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cove Creek is located in Hot Spring County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Creek
- Aplin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Aplin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Bland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bland is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bland
- Onyx
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Onyx is located in Yell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onyx
- Pearcy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blakely. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blakely.
Newspapers Published in Blakely ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blakely.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blakely, 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 Blakely.
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 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 Blakely:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Garland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Conway County
- Hot Spring County
- Montgomery County
- Perry County
- Pulaski County
- Saline County
- Yell County
- 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Blakely) 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 Blakely, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |