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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Napoleon. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Napoleon to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Napoleon, please Contact Us.

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 Napoleon (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 Napoleon. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Napoleon is historic, it would have been located within present day Desha 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 Desha County: Arkansas, Chicot, Drew, Lincoln, Phillips & Bolivar (MS).

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

  • Desha County     (The home county of Napoleon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Kelso
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Rohwer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Watson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Arkansas City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arkansas City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
      • Arkansas City is located in Desha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • McArthur
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pea Ridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Snow Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake
      • Snow Lake is located in Desha County
    • McGehee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hopedale ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopedale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
      • Hopedale is located in Desha County
    • Reed
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
      • Reed is located in Desha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Pickens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickens
      • Pickens is located in Desha County
    • Dumas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Mitchellville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Mitchellville is located in Desha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
  • Arkansas County
  • Chicot County
  • Drew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Tillar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tillar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillar
      • Tillar is located in Drew County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Winchester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Selma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Selma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Selma is located in Drew County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Selma
      • From Napoleon to Selma
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • South Bend ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
      • South Bend is located in Lincoln County
    • Gould
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Phillips County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Crumrod
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crumrod have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumrod
      • Crumrod is located in Phillips County
    • Mellwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mellwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellwood
      • Mellwood is located in Phillips County
  • Bolivar County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Rosedale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Beulah
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Christmas
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Wright
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Mound City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Waxhaw
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Benoit
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benoit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benoit
      • Benoit is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benoit <2>
    • Dahomy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dahomy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
      • Dahomy is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dahomy
      • From Napoleon to Dahomy
    • Eutaw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eutaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
      • Eutaw is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eutaw
      • From Napoleon to Eutaw
    • Pace
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pace
      • Pace is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
    • Gunnison
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Grapeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grapeland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapeland
      • Grapeland is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grapeland
      • From Napoleon to Grapeland
    • Lake Vista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Vista
      • Lake Vista is located in Bolivar County (MS)
  • Coahoma County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Sunflower Landing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Africa ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Africa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
      • Africa is located in Coahoma County (MS)
    • Roundaway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sunflower County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Halstead
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Halstead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halstead
      • Halstead is located in Sunflower County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Halstead
      • From Napoleon to Halstead
    • White City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Sunflower County (MS)
    • Ruleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Roundaway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Napoleon, with the one closest to Napoleon listed first.
    • Napanee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Napanee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napanee
      • Napanee is located in Washington County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Napanee
      • From Napoleon to Napanee
    • Metcalfe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metcalfe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalfe
      • Metcalfe is located in Washington County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
    • Helm
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helm. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helm
      • Helm is located in Washington County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Helm
      • From Napoleon to Helm
    • Greenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Stoneville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dunleith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dunleith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunleith
      • Dunleith is located in Washington County (MS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dunleith
      • From Napoleon to Dunleith
    • Leland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Napoleon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Napoleon.

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

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

  • Anns Tabernacle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anns Tabernacle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anns Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clark Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clark Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clark Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beulah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beulah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beulah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Scotland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scotland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scotland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosedale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosedale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosedale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waldon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waldon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waldon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Turner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Polk - Royal Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Polk - Royal Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Polk - Royal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (180 more) ...
    • Old Stone Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Stone Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Stone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Speckter Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Speckter Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Speckter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Parthenia Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parthenia Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parthenia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.

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

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

  • Rosedale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Christmas
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • White River
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White River
    • White River is located in Desha County
  • Lobdell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lobdell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
    • Lobdell is located in Bolivar County (MS)
  • Wright
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mound City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Bolivar
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolivar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
    • Bolivar is located in Bolivar County (MS)
  • Eutaw
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eutaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
    • Eutaw is located in Bolivar County (MS)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Eutaw
    • From Napoleon to Eutaw
  • Benoit
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benoit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benoit
    • Benoit is located in Bolivar County (MS)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benoit <2>
  • Dahomy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dahomy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
    • Dahomy is located in Bolivar County (MS)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Dahomy
    • From Napoleon to Dahomy
  • Gunnison
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Watson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mound Landing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lake Vista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Vista
      • Lake Vista is located in Bolivar County (MS)
    • Concordia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concordia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concordia
      • Concordia is located in Bolivar County (MS)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Napoleon ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Napoleon.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Napoleon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Napoleon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Napoleon.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5> of Napoleon.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Napoleon:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Napoleon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Napoleon) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Napoleon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8018, Longitude: -91.0709    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025