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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 Pleasant Valley (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 Pleasant Valley. 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 Pleasant Valley ...

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 Pleasant Valley: Pleasant Vly. (or less commonly used: Pleasant Vally. or Pleasant Vlly.)

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

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/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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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/parishes 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/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Pleasant Valley is located in Lafayette 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 Lafayette County: Columbia, Hempstead, Miller, Nevada, Bossier (LA), Caddo (LA) & Webster (LA).

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

  • Lafayette County     (The home county of Pleasant Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Gin City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Gin City is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
    • Walnut Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Bradley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Kress City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Kress City is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kress City
    • Lewisville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • McKamie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • McKamie is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKamie
    • Old Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Town is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Stamps
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stamps is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamps
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stamps <1>
    • Buckner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Buckner is located in Lafayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Taylor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Welcome
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Welcome is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Western
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Western is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
    • Philadelphia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Philadelphia is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Macedonia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Macedonia is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
  • Miller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Doddridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Fouke
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Capps City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Capps City is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps City
    • Roberts ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Roberts is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
    • Garland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Garland is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
    • Genoa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Genoa is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Rondo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Rondo is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
    • Texarkana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bossier Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Plain Dealing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Alden Bridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
    • Ivan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ivan is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
    • Benton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Benton is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,092 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benton <1>
  • Caddo Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Missionary
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Missionary is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
    • Ida
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ida is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Frog Level ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Frog Level is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Level
    • Zylks
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Zylks is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zylks
    • Rodessa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hosston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Garfield ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Garfield is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Black Bayou ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou
    • Gilliam
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Vivian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Vivian is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vivian
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vivian <1>
    • Belcher
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Oil City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Webster Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Springhill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Cullen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Cullen is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,056 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cullen <1>
    • Sarepta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sarepta is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarepta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 814 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sarepta <1>
    • Cotton Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bowie County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Sulphur
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Sulphur is located in Bowie County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur
    • Texarkana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wake Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Nash
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Nash is located in Bowie County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,781 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nash <1>
    • Redwater
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cass County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
    • Bloomburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • McLeod
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Queen City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Domino
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Domino is located in Cass County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Domino
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Springdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Springdale is located in Cass County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Atlanta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Huffins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Huffins is located in Cass County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffins
    • Bivins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Kildare
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Pleasant Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pleasant Valley.

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 Pleasant Valley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • New Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Sulphur Fork Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Blanton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bradley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Walnut Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Rocky Mound Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Fouke Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Wyche Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Phylaw Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (139 more) ...
    • Slaughter Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughter Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Slaughter Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the north of Rodessa (LA).
      • The Slaughter Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Rodessa Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68985 <3>
    • Antioch Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ford Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)

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 Pleasant Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pleasant Valley.

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

  • Missionary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Missionary is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
  • Walnut Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
  • Bradley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Boggy
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Boggy is located in Miller County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boggy
  • Arkana
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arkana is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkana
  • Era ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Era is located in Miller County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Era
  • Frog Level ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Frog Level is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Level
  • Fouke
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Canfield
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Canfield is located in Lafayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
  • Roberts ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Roberts is located in Miller County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
  • Plain Dealing
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Redland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Redland is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redland
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Carterville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Carterville is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville
    • Collinsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Collinsburg is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsburg
    • Garfield ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Garfield is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield

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

Newspapers Published in Pleasant Valley ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pleasant Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pleasant Valley, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pleasant Valley.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Pleasant Valley:

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>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- Pleasant Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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>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 Pleasant Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.