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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 Gurdon (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 Gurdon. 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.

Gurdon is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Dallas, Hot Spring, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita & Pike.

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

  • Clark County     (The home county of Gurdon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Beirne
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Beirne is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beirne
    • Curtis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Curtis is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
    • Whelen Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Gum Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Gum Springs is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Okolona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Vaden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Griffithtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Arkadelphia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Caddo Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Caddo Valley is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Joan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Alpine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Alpine is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Amity
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Amity is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Sparkman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Dalark
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Manning
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Hempstead County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Blevins
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Perrytown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Perrytown is located in Hempstead County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrytown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Centerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • McCaskill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • McCaskill is located in Hempstead County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCaskill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
    • Oakhaven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakhaven is located in Hempstead County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakhaven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
    • Shover Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hot Spring County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Friendship
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Friendship is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
    • Midway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Donaldson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Donaldson is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
    • Bismarck
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Etta ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Etta is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etta
    • Saginaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Boughton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bluff City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Prescott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Zama ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Zama is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zama
    • Laneburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Cale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Cale is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
    • Emmet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Emmet is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 455 people
    • Rosston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Willisville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Willisville is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willisville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
    • Bodcaw
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Ouachita County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gurdon, with the one closest to Gurdon listed first.
    • Reader
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Chidester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Chidester is located in Ouachita County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chidester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 256 people
    • Wyloe ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Wyloe is located in Ouachita County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyloe
    • Bragg City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bragg City is located in Ouachita County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg City
    • Lufra ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Lufra is located in Ouachita County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lufra
    • Vanduzer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Camden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pike County
  • White County

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

Cemeteries Near Gurdon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gurdon.

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

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

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

  • Brown Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Rose Hedge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Greenville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Rawles Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Springhill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bethel Springs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Curtis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Copeland Ridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Lewis Randolph Grave
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (191 more) ...
    • Sloan Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rome Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Old Rome Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gurdon had a population of 802 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gurdon had a population of 2,066 people.

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

  • Smithton ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithton is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithton
  • Beirne
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Beirne is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beirne
  • Whelen Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Curtis
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Curtis is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
  • Dobyville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Dobyville is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobyville
  • Hebron ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Hebron is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
  • Gum Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Gum Springs is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
  • Boughton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Okolona
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lackland ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Lackland is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackland
  • Sayre
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Sayre is located in Ouachita County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayre
  • Vaden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Bluff City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Hollywood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Hollywood is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Barham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Barham is located in Ouachita County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barham

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gurdon ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gurdon.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gurdon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gurdon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gurdon.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> of Gurdon.

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 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 Gurdon:

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>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 Gurdon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gurdon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.