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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 Durham (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 Durham. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Durham is located in Washington County.

To see how the shape of Arkansas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washington County: Benton, Crawford, Madison & Adair (OK).

Below are the counties that are near Durham. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Durham:

  • Washington County     (The home county of Durham)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Bethel Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Heights
      • Bethel Heights is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,970 people
    • War Eagle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Silver Springs ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs
      • Silver Springs is located in Benton County
    • Lowell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,876 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowell <1>
    • Cave Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Springs
      • Cave Springs is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,737 people
    • Prairie Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Rogers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Puckett ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Puckett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puckett
      • Puckett is located in Benton County
    • Logan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Logan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
      • Logan is located in Benton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Logan
      • From Durham to Logan
    • Highfill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highfill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfill
      • Highfill is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 916 people
    • Trident
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trident. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trident
      • Trident is located in Benton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trident
      • From Durham to Trident
    • Lost Bridge Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Mundell ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mundell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mundell
      • Mundell is located in Carroll County
    • Dryfork
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Winona Springs ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Bidville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bidville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bidville
      • Bidville is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bidville
      • From Durham to Bidville
    • Winfrey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Locke
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Chester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Chester is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chester <1>
    • Anna ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Anna is located in Crawford County
    • Mountainburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lee Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Creek
      • Lee Creek is located in Crawford County
    • Stop ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stop
      • Stop is located in Crawford County
    • Mulberry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,694 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulberry <1>
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Cass
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain Top
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cravens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cravens. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cravens
      • Cravens is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cravens
      • From Durham to Cravens
    • Watalula
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Felkner Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felkner Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felkner Town
      • Felkner Town is located in Franklin County
    • White Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Oak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
      • White Oak is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to White Oak
      • From Durham to White Oak
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Linville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
      • Linville is located in Johnson County
    • Batson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Batson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batson
      • Batson is located in Johnson County
    • Oark
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oark
      • Oark is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oark <1>
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Durham, with the one closest to Durham listed first.
    • Thompson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thompson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
      • Thompson is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Thompson
      • From Durham to Thompson
    • Wesley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
      • Wesley is located in Madison County
    • Crosses
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crosses. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosses
      • Crosses is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crosses
      • From Durham to Crosses
    • Georgetown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Delaney
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Combs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Whitener
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Hindsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Brashears
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Paul
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Witter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Witter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witter
      • Witter is located in Madison County
    • Huntsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Dutton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dutton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutton
      • Dutton is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dutton
      • From Durham to Dutton

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

Cemeteries Near Durham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Durham.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Shumate Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shumate Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shumate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lewis Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Family Cemetery came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2479715 <5>
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Richardson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richardson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richardson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stokenbury Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stokenbury Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stokenbury Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pinnacle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Liberty Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Liberty Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reese Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reese Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Walnut Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walnut Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walnut Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (301 more) ...
    • Boone Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boone Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Burkhead Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burkhead Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burkhead Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Parker Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Durham had a population of 50 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Thompson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thompson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Thompson is located in Madison County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Thompson
    • From Durham to Thompson
  • Elkins
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Sulphur City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur City
    • Sulphur City is located in Washington County
  • Arnett
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
    • Arnett is located in Washington County
  • Hazel Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Crosses
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crosses. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosses
    • Crosses is located in Madison County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Crosses
    • From Durham to Crosses
  • Wesley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Wesley is located in Madison County
  • Harris
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
    • Harris is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Harris
    • From Durham to Harris
  • Delaney
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Drakes Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drakes Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drakes Creek
    • Drakes Creek is located in Madison County
  • Brentwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunset
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
    • Sunset is located in Washington County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Patrick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patrick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
      • Patrick is located in Madison County
    • Baldwin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baldwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
      • Baldwin is located in Washington County
    • Wyman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wyman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
      • Wyman is located in Washington County

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

Newspapers Published in Durham ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Durham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Durham, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Durham.

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 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 Durham:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Durham. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Washington County: www.co.washington.ar.us/

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

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>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Durham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Durham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.9494, Longitude: -93.9804    
<7>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 Durham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 12 Jul 2025