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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Bloomington. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Bloomington to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bloomington, please Contact Us.

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 Bloomington (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 Bloomington. 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 and hospitals 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Bloomington is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Bloomington. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bloomington:

  • Van Buren County     (The home county of Bloomington)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Green Tree
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Green Tree is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
    • Eglantine
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Eglantine is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglantine
    • Morganton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Morganton is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
    • Choctaw
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
    • Bee Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Bee Branch is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Branch
    • Chalk ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Chalk is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk
    • Clinton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairfield Bay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Shirley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Gravesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Gravesville is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravesville
    • Formosa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Formosa is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Formosa
    • Damascus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Cleburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Higden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Greers Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Edgemont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Shiloh ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Shiloh is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Miller ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Miller is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
    • Quitman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pearson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Pearson is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
    • Heber Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Heber Springs is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heber Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,906 people
      • Former name for Heber Springs:
      • Sugar Loaf
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heber Springs <2>
    • Prim
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Yuba
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Yuba is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
    • Tumbling Shoals
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Drasco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Drasco is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drasco
  • Conway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Austin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Center Ridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Middleton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Middleton is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
    • Cleveland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Springfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Solgohachia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Solgohachia is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solgohachia
    • Jerusalem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Menifee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Old Hickory
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Old Hickory is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Hickory
    • Hattieville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hattieville is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville
    • Plumerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Faulkner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Guy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Guy is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
    • Twin Groves
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Twin Groves is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Groves
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Enders
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Enders is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enders
    • Centerville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Centerville is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Greenbrier
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Wooster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Enola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Enola is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
    • Mount Vernon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Vernon is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Holland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Holland is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Tilly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Tilly is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilly
    • Appleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Appleton is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Searcy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Leslie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Watts
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Watts is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
    • Baker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Baker is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Marshall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Stone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Fox
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Fox is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
    • Timbo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Alco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Alco is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
    • Onia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Onia is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onia
    • Mountain View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fifty-Six
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • White County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bloomington, with the one closest to Bloomington listed first.
    • Rose Bud
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Romance
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pangburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Bloomington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bloomington.

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

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

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

  • Hunter - Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Quattlebaum Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bee Branch Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hardin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Eglantine Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pee Dee Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Higden McLehaney Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higden McLehaney Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Higden McLehaney Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the southwest of Higden.
    • The Higden McLehaney Cemetery has also been known as:
    • McLehaney Higden Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2163555 <4>
  • Blackwell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Flat Rock Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Flat Rock Cemetery is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> to the west of Heber Springs.
    • The Flat Rock Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Flat Rock Baptist Church Cemetery
    • Flat Rock Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1983588 <4>
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (232 more) ...
    • Settlement Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bradley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lloyd Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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.

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

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

  • Morganton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Morganton is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
  • Eglantine
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Eglantine is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglantine
  • Choctaw
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
  • Bee Branch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Bee Branch is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Branch
  • Chalk ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Chalk is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk
  • Clinton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Settlement ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Settlement is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settlement
  • Damascus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Shiloh ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Shiloh is located in Cleburne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
  • Claude
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Claude is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claude
  • Quitman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Pinnacle Springs ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Pinnacle Springs is located in Faulkner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinnacle Springs
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Guy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Guy is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
    • Scotland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Martinville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Martinville is located in Faulkner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinville

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

Newspapers Published in Bloomington ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bloomington.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bloomington, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bloomington.

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 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 Bloomington:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Bloomington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bloomington) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.