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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 Joplin (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 Joplin. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Joplin is located in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County: Clark, Garland, Howard, Pike, Polk, Scott & Yell.

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

  • Montgomery County     (The home county of Joplin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Fir ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fir. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fir
      • Fir is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fir
      • From Joplin to Fir
    • Alamo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alamo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alamo
      • From Joplin to Alamo
    • Mazarn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mazarn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazarn
      • Mazarn is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mazarn
      • From Joplin to Mazarn
    • Washita
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fannie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mount Ida
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Ida have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ida
      • Mount Ida is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,005 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Ida <3>
    • Story
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ophir
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ophir. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
      • Ophir is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ophir
      • From Joplin to Ophir
    • Hickory Station ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Station
      • Hickory Station is located in Montgomery County
    • Caddo Gap
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Manfred
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manfred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
      • Manfred is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manfred
      • From Joplin to Manfred
    • Norman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norman
      • Norman is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 363 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norman <3>
    • Black Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Springs
      • Black Springs is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Amity
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amity have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Amity is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • Alpine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Clark County
  • Garland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Meyers
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Royal
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
      • Royal is located in Garland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Royal <3>
    • Pearcy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain Pine
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Pine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Pine
      • Mountain Pine is located in Garland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 789 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Pine <3>
    • Gladstone ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gladstone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
      • Gladstone is located in Garland County
    • Piney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney
      • Piney is located in Garland County
    • Rockwell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lake Hamilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hamilton
      • Lake Hamilton is located in Garland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Hamilton <3>
    • Hot Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Blue Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Jessieville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hot Springs Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Fountain Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Lake
      • Fountain Lake is located in Garland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 576 people
  • Hot Spring County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Bonnerdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonnerdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnerdale
      • Bonnerdale is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonnerdale <3>
    • Bismarck
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bismarck have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bismarck
      • Bismarck is located in Hot Spring County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bismarck <3>
  • Pike County
  • Polk County
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Little Texas
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Harvey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
      • Harvey is located in Scott County
    • Nebraska ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nebraska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebraska
      • Nebraska is located in Scott County
  • Yell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joplin, with the one closest to Joplin listed first.
    • Aly
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Chula
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chula. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chula
      • Chula is located in Yell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chula
      • From Joplin to Chula
    • Bluffton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Briggsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briggsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briggsville
      • Briggsville is located in Yell County
    • Wing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gravelly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rover
      • Rover is located in Yell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rover <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Joplin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Joplin.

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 Joplin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Joplin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joplin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joplin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Murphy Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murphy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murphy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blish Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blish Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • James Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the James Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Big Fir Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Little Fir Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Fir Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Fir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McKinney Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little Fir Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Fir Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Fir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howerton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howerton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howerton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buckville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (217 more) ...
    • Sweethome Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweethome Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sweethome Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Zion Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wacaster Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wacaster Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wacaster 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.<4>

While we didn't find Joplin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Joplin.

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

  • Lucky ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lucky have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
    • Lucky is located in Montgomery County
  • Mazarn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mazarn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazarn
    • Mazarn is located in Montgomery County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Mazarn
    • From Joplin to Mazarn
  • Meyers
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Plata
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plata have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plata
    • Plata is located in Montgomery County
  • Washita
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mount Ida
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Ida have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ida
    • Mount Ida is located in Montgomery County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,005 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Ida <3>
  • Ophir
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ophir. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Ophir is located in Montgomery County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ophir
    • From Joplin to Ophir
  • Story
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Hickory Station ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Station
    • Hickory Station is located in Montgomery County
  • Pearcy
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Caddo Gap
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Manfred
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manfred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
    • Manfred is located in Montgomery County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Manfred
    • From Joplin to Manfred
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Oma
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oma
      • Oma is located in Hot Spring County
    • Black Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Springs
      • Black Springs is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Elm ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm
      • Elm is located in Clark County

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

Newspapers Published in Joplin ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Joplin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Joplin, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Joplin.

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 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 Joplin:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Joplin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Joplin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Joplin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5421, Longitude: -93.4529    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025