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 Plainfield (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 Plainfield. 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/Parishes ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/parishes instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Plainfield is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Lafayette, Nevada, Ouachita, Union, Claiborne (LA) & Webster (LA).
Below are the counties/parishes that are near Plainfield. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Plainfield:
- Columbia County (The home county of Plainfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Western
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Western is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Horsehead
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Macedonia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Emerson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Emerson is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Welcome
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Taylor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Philadelphia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Philadelphia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Calhoun
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Magnolia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- McNeil
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Waldo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Village is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- McKamie
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- McKamie is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKamie
- Bradley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Walnut Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Buckner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Buckner is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Kress City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Kress City is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kress City
- Gin City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Gin City is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
- Stamps
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lewisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Old Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Old Town is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Ouachita County
- Stephens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Dodge City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Dodge City is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Mount Holly
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bossier Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Ivan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ivan is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
- Plain Dealing
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Alden Bridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
- Caddo Parish (LA)
- Missionary
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Missionary is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
- Claiborne Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Dykesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Haynesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blackburn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Gordon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Homer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Homer is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,789 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer <1>
- Holly Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Arizona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
- Summerfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Summerfield is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Webster Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Shongaloo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Springhill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Cullen
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sarepta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cotton Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Minden
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Plainfield, see our County-by-County Page for Plainfield.
Cemeteries Near Plainfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plainfield.
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 Plainfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Plainfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Stewart - Walkerville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Old Shongaloo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Shongaloo Cemetery
- The Old Shongaloo Cemetery has also been known as:
- Old Shongallo Cemetery
- Old Shongaloo Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979623 <2>
- Glover Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Haynes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Slack Memorial Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Taylor Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wards Chapel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Anderson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (227 more) ...
- Owen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Boucher Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Springhill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Plainfield had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Plainfield, with the one closest to Plainfield listed first.
- Horsehead
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Millerton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Millerton is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Shongaloo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Welcome
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Macedonia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Brister
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Brister is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brister
- Dykesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Haynesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sharman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sharman is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharman
- Sarepta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ware
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ware is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Blackburn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Calhoun
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Carterville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Carterville is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville
- Atlanta
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Atlanta is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Plainfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Plainfield.
Newspapers Published in Plainfield ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plainfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plainfield, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Plainfield.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Plainfield:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lafayette County
- Ouachita County
- Union County
- Bossier Parish
- Caddo Parish
- Claiborne Parish
- Webster Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Arkansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Plainfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Plainfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |