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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Oak Flat to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Oak Flat, 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 Oak Flat (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 Oak Flat. 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.

Name Variations for Oak Flat ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Oak Flat: Oak Flt.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Flat. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Flat.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 Oak Flat is historic, it would have been located within present day Van Buren County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Van Buren County: Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Searcy & Stone.

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

  • Van Buren County     (The home county of Oak Flat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Dennard
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Rumley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rumley is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumley
    • Copeland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Copeland is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
    • Crabtree
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Crabtree is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabtree
    • Alread
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Alread is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alread
    • Clinton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rex
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Rex is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rex
    • Shirley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Choctaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Choctaw is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw
    • Scotland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Eglantine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Eglantine is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglantine
    • Fairfield Bay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Tree
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Green Tree is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
  • Baxter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Big Flat
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Buffalo City is located in Baxter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo City
    • Culp
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Culp is located in Baxter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culp
    • Lone Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Lone Rock is located in Baxter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Rock
  • Cleburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Edgemont
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Higden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Greers Ferry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Prim
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Shiloh ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Shiloh is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Miller ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Miller is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
  • Conway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Austin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Cleveland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Center Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Jerusalem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Middleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Middleton is located in Conway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Rush ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Rush is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
    • Bruno
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bruno is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruno
  • Newton County
    • Mount Judea
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Mount Judea is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Judea
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Tilly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Tilly is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilly
    • Appleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Appleton is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Searcy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Leslie
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Watts
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Watts is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
    • Baker
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Baker is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Marshall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lone Pine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Lone Pine is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
    • Harriet
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Gilbert
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Witt's Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Witt's Springs is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt's Springs
    • Blanco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Blanco is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
    • Cozahome
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Cozahome is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cozahome
    • Saint Joe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pindall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pindall is located in Searcy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pindall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
  • Stone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Flat, with the one closest to Oak Flat listed first.
    • Alco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Alco is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
    • Fox
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Fox is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
    • Timbo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Onia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Onia is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onia
    • Fifty-Six
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mountain View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Flat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Flat.

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 Oak Flat - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Dennard Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Lunceford Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Leslie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Woolum Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Elberta Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Caid Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Baldwin Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Arnhart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sulphur Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (217 more) ...
    • Kuykendall Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Thompson Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Horn Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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.

Oak Flat itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Dennard
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Leslie
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Watts
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Watts is located in Searcy County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
  • Copeland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Copeland is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
  • Campbell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell is located in Searcy County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
  • Marshall
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Alread
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Alread is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alread
  • Bear Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bear Creek is located in Searcy County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
  • Clinton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Alco
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Alco is located in Stone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
  • Timbo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Settlement ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Settlement is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settlement
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Latham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Latham is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
    • Rushing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Rushing is located in Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushing
    • Scotland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Flat ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Flat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Flat, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Flat.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Oak Flat:

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 Oak Flat, 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 Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oak Flat) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.