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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 Opal (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 Opal. 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.

Opal is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Howard, Montgomery, Scott, Sevier, Le Flore (OK) & McCurtain (OK).

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Opal)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opal, with the one closest to Opal listed first.
    • Big Fork
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
      • Big Fork is located in Polk County
    • Board Camp
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Board Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
      • Board Camp is located in Polk County
    • Dallas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Polk County
    • Mena
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Potter Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Junction
      • Potter Junction is located in Polk County
    • Potter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Polk County
    • Rich Mountain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Mountain
      • Rich Mountain is located in Polk County
    • Hatfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Vandervoort
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandervoort have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandervoort
      • Vandervoort is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Hatton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
      • Hatton is located in Polk County
    • Wickes
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickes
      • Wickes is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wickes <2>
    • Cove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bog Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bog Springs
      • Bog Springs is located in Polk County
  • Calhoun County
    • Unco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unco
      • Unco is located in Calhoun County
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opal, with the one closest to Opal listed first.
    • Athens
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Umpire
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Umpire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
      • Umpire is located in Howard County
    • Galena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
      • Galena is located in Howard County
    • Euclid
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Euclid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euclid
      • Euclid is located in Howard County
    • Dierks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opal, with the one closest to Opal listed first.
    • Cox Spring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Spring
      • Cox Spring is located in Montgomery County
    • Oden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oden
      • Oden is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oden <2>
    • Pencil Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pencil Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pencil Bluff
      • Pencil Bluff is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pencil Bluff <2>
    • Whitetown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
      • Whitetown is located in Montgomery County
    • Black Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Norman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Sims
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
      • Sims is located in Montgomery County
    • Mount Ida
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Ida have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Manfred
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manfred have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manfred
      • Manfred is located in Montgomery County
    • Ophir
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ophir have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
      • Ophir is located in Montgomery County
    • Caddo Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caddo Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo Gap
      • Caddo Gap is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caddo Gap <2>
    • Washita
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washita
      • Washita is located in Montgomery County
    • Story
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opal, with the one closest to Opal listed first.
    • Langley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Grandfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfield
      • Grandfield is located in Pike County
    • Newhope
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhope
      • Newhope is located in Pike County
    • Lodi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
      • Lodi is located in Pike County
    • Star of the West ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star of the West
      • Star of the West is located in Pike County
    • Daisy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
      • Daisy is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Salem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Pike County
    • Kirby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opal, with the one closest to Opal listed first.
    • Y City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Y City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Y City
      • Y City is located in Scott County
    • Boles
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Parks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Parks is located in Scott County
    • Harvey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
      • Harvey is located in Scott County
    • Waldron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Little Texas
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Texas
      • Little Texas is located in Scott County
    • Winfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
      • Winfield is located in Scott County
    • Cardiff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardiff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardiff
      • Cardiff is located in Scott County
  • Yell County
    • Gravelly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelly
      • Gravelly is located in Yell County

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

Newspapers Published in Opal ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Opal.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Opal, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Opal.

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 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 Opal:

Cemeteries Near Opal ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Opal.

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

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

  • Lower Big Fork Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Big Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Big Fork Cemetery
  • Edwards Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwards Cemetery
  • Cherry Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cherry Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cherry Hill Cemetery
  • Yocana Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yocana Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yocana Cemetery
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Ridge Cemetery
  • Huddleston Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huddleston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huddleston Cemetery
  • Wilhite Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilhite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilhite Cemetery
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
  • Board Camp Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Board Camp Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Board Camp Cemetery
  • Gortemiller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gortemiller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gortemiller Cemetery
  • Continue List   (208 more) ...
    • Cox Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cox Cemetery
    • Shirley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shirley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shirley Cemetery
    • Wilhite Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilhite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilhite Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • Big Fork
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Fork
    • Big Fork is located in Polk County
  • Board Camp
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Board Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
    • Board Camp is located in Polk County
  • Ink
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ink have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ink
    • Ink is located in Polk County
  • Buck Knob
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buck Knob have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Knob
    • Buck Knob is located in Scott County
  • Oden
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oden
    • Oden is located in Montgomery County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oden <2>
  • Dallas
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Dallas is located in Polk County
  • New Moon ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Moon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Moon
    • New Moon is located in Howard County
  • Hartley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
    • Hartley is located in Polk County
  • Gate ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate
    • Gate is located in Scott County
  • Black Springs
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Boles
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Langley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Umpire
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Umpire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
      • Umpire is located in Howard County
    • Sims
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
      • Sims is located in Montgomery County
    • Cedar Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
      • Cedar Creek is located in Scott County

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Opal) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Opal. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5395, Longitude: -93.9896       In this case, the coordinates for Opal have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Opal, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024