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 Damascus (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 Damascus. 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 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.
Damascus is primarily located in Van Buren County. A portion of Damascus extends into Faulkner 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 Damascus. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Damascus:
- Van Buren County (The home county of Damascus)
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Gravesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gravesville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravesville
- Bee Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bee Branch is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Branch
- Morganton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Morganton is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
- Formosa
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Formosa is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Formosa
- Green Tree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Green Tree is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
- Choctaw
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
- Clinton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Eglantine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Eglantine is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglantine
- Chalk ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chalk is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk
- Scotland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield Bay
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Crabtree
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Crabtree is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabtree
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Quitman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Pearson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Pearson is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Higden
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Miller ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Miller is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Shiloh ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Greers Ferry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Edgemont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yuba
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Yuba is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
- Heber Springs
(23 miles [37 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 <1>
- Tumbling Shoals
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Prim
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wilburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wilburn is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilburn
- Conway County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Austin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Center Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Springfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Middleton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Middleton is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Solgohachia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Solgohachia is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solgohachia
- Menifee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Plumerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hattieville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hattieville is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville
- Old Hickory
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Old Hickory is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Hickory
- Morrilton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jerusalem
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Faulkner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Twin Groves
(3 miles [4.8 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
- Guy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Guy is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
- Greenbrier
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Enders
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Enders is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enders
- Centerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Centerville is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Wooster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Holland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
- Enola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Enola is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
- Mount Vernon
(18 miles [29 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
- Conway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Hamlet
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hamlet is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
- Beryl
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Beryl is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beryl
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Toad Suck
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Toad Suck is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toad Suck
- Dixie ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dixie is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Bigelow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fourche
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fourche is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fourche
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Houston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pope County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Appleton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Appleton is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Economy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Economy is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
- Atkins
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Stone County
- Fox
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Fox is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Rose Bud
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Romance
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- El Paso
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Floyd
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Floyd is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
- Center Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Center Hill is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Hill
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Damascus, see our County-by-County Page for Damascus.
Cemeteries Near Damascus ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Damascus.
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 Damascus - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Damascus covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Spires Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Lloyd Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Center Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Blackwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Martinville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Holland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Republican Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Copperas Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mode Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mode Cemetery is located
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #55094 <3>
- Bee Branch Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- King Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hardin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (232 more) ...
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cedar Creek Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Holly Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Damascus had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Damascus had a population of 384 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Damascus, with the one closest to Damascus listed first.
- Pinnacle Springs ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pinnacle Springs is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinnacle Springs
- Martinville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Martinville is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinville
- Guy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Guy is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
- Bee Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bee Branch is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Branch
- Morganton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Morganton is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
- Greenbrier
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Springfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Enders
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Enders is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enders
- Wooster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Quitman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Choctaw
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
- Linder
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Linder is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linder
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Lick Mountain
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lick Mountain is located in Conway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Mountain
- Barney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Barney is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barney
- Claude
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Claude is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claude
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Damascus. See our List of 1890's Communities around Damascus.
Newspapers Published in Damascus ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Damascus.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Damascus, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Damascus.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Damascus:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Van Buren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cleburne County
- Conway County
- Faulkner County
- Perry County
- Pope County
- Stone County
- White 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' (or 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- Damascus) 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 Damascus, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |