Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Bluff Springs. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Bluff Springs to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bluff Springs, 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 Bluff 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 Bluff 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 Bluff 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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Bluff Springs: Bluff Spgs. (or less commonly used: Bluff Spngs. or Bluff Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bluff Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bluff 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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Bluff Springs is historic, it would have been located within present day Howard 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 Howard County: Hempstead, Little River, Pike, Polk & Sevier.
Below are the counties that are near Bluff Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bluff Springs:
- Howard County (The home county of Bluff Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Umpire
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Umpire is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
- Mineola
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mineola is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
- Galena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Galena is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
- Athens
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Euclid
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Euclid is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euclid
- Dierks
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Center Point
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Center Point is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
- Corinth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Corinth is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
- Blue Bayou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Blue Bayou is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Bayou
- Nashville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mineral Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Calhoun County
- Unco
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Unco is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unco
- Hempstead County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Tokio
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tokio is located in Hempstead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tokio
- Doyle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Doyle is located in Hempstead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Cox Spring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cox Spring is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Spring
- Black Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Black Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Manfred
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Manfred is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
- Norman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Caddo Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ophir
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ophir is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
- Oden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Whitetown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Whitetown is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
- Hickory Station ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hickory Station is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Station
- Mount Ida
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pencil Bluff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Grandfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Grandfield is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfield
- Newhope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Newhope is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhope
- Langley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Star of the West ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Star of the West is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star of the West
- Daisy
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Daisy is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Nathan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Nathan is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathan
- Lodi
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Lodi is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Kirby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Highland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Highland is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Mount Moriah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Moriah is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Moriah
- Salem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Salem is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Murfreesboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Big Fork
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Big Fork is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
- Grannis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Grannis is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grannis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Wickes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Board Camp
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Board Camp is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
- Hatton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hatton is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
- Vandervoort
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vandervoort is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandervoort
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Dallas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dallas is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
- Bog Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bog Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bog Springs
- Cove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hatfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mena
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Potter Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Potter Junction is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Junction
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Gate ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Gate is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate
- Y City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Y City is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Y City
- Sevier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Gillham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gillham is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
- Lockesburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lockesburg is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- De Queen
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Process City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Process City is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Process City
- Norwoodville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Norwoodville is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwoodville
- Horatio
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- McCurtain County (OK)
- Watson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bluff Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Bluff Springs.
Cemeteries Near Bluff Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bluff 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 Bluff Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bluff Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mineola Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Galena Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Section Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Saline Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Athens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (217 more) ...
- Center Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- White Oak Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- White Oak Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.
While we didn't find Bluff Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bluff Springs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bluff Springs, with the one closest to Bluff Springs listed first.
- Umpire
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Umpire is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
- Galena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Galena is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
- New Moon ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Moon is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Moon
- Pates ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pates is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pates
- Euclid
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Euclid is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euclid
- Hartley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hartley is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
- Duckett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Duckett is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duckett
- Antimony ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Antimony is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antimony
- Newhope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Newhope is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhope
- Lebanon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Lebanon is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Langley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Muddy Fork
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Muddy Fork is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddy Fork
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Star of the West ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Star of the West is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star of the West
- Big Fork
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Big Fork is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
- Board Camp
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Board Camp is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bluff Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bluff Springs.
Newspapers Published in Bluff 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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bluff Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bluff Springs, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bluff Springs.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Bluff Springs:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Howard County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Hempstead County
- Montgomery County
- Pike County
- Polk County
- Scott County
- Sevier County
- McCurtain County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Arkansas
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 Bluff Springs, 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> | 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bluff Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |