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 Cottondale (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 Cottondale. 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.
Cottondale is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Arkansas, Cleveland, Grant, Lincoln, Lonoke & Pulaski.
Below are the counties that are near Cottondale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cottondale:
- Jefferson County (The home county of Cottondale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Noble Lake
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Noble Lake is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble Lake
- Madding
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Madding is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madding
- Moscow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Moscow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Richardson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Richardson is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
- Rob Roy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rob Roy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rob Roy
- Cornerstone
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cornerstone is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerstone
- Tamo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tamo is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamo
- Pine Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Altheimer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Pinebergen
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pinebergen is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebergen
- Wabbaseka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wabbaseka is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabbaseka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
- Pastoria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pastoria is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pastoria
- Arkansas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Humphrey
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bayou Meto
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bayou Meto is located in Arkansas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Meto
- Gillett
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stuttgart
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- De Witt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Almyra
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Rison
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Toledo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Toledo is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
- Staves
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Staves is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staves
- Pansy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Pansy is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- White Oak Bluff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- White Oak Bluff is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak Bluff
- Annover ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Annover is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annover
- Rye
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rye is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
- Desha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Mitchellville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mitchellville is located in Desha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Dumas
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Center Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Center Grove is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Grove
- Grapevine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Grapevine is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapevine
- Ebb
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ebb is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebb
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Sarassa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Sarassa is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarassa
- Yorktown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Yorktown is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
- Grady
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Crigler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Crigler is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crigler
- Star City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Meroney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Meroney is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meroney
- Varner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Varner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varner
- Palmyra
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Palmyra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Gould
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gould is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Population from the 2020 Census: 719 people
- Cornerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cornerville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
- South Bend ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- South Bend is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
- Tyro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tyro is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
- Lonoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Coy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Coy is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Allport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Allport is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- England
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Humnoke
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Seaton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Seaton is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
- Keo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pulaski County
- Hensley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cottondale, see our County-by-County Page for Cottondale.
Cemeteries Near Cottondale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cottondale.
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 Cottondale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cottondale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Cottondale Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Patterson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Mulberry Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Hunters Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Atkins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Watt Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- St. Ruth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jefferson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Whites Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (216 more) ...
- Blackman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. James Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fairfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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 Cottondale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Cottondale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cottondale, with the one closest to Cottondale listed first.
- Noble Lake
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Noble Lake is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble Lake
- Fairfield
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Madding
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Madding is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madding
- Linwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Linwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- New Gascony
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- New Gascony is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Gascony
- Lake Dick
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lake Dick is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Dick
- Wilkins
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilkins is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkins
- Rob Roy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rob Roy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rob Roy
- Tamo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tamo is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamo
- Richardson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Richardson is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
- Cornerstone
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cornerstone is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerstone
- Pine Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Swan Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Swan Lake is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Lake
- Lake Farm
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Lake Farm is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Farm
- Altheimer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cottondale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cottondale.
Newspapers Published in Cottondale ...
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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cottondale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cottondale, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cottondale.
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 Cottondale:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Jefferson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Arkansas County
- Cleveland County
- Desha County
- Grant County
- Lincoln County
- Lonoke County
- Pulaski 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Cottondale) 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 Cottondale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |