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 Portia (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 Portia. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 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 north 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.
Portia is located in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County: Craighead, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Randolph & Sharp.
Below are the counties that are near Portia. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Portia:
- Lawrence County (The home county of Portia)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Black Rock
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Powhatan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hoxie
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Walnut Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- College City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- College City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College City
- Estimated population in 2016: 506 people
- Minturn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Minturn is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minturn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Annieville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Annieville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annieville
- Imboden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smithville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Smithville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Alicia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Alicia is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alicia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Sedgwick
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Peach Orchard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Peach Orchard is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Orchard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Datto
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Datto is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Datto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
- Knobel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Knobel is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
- Craighead County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Egypt
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bono
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cash
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Cash is located in Craighead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
- Population from the 2020 Census: 359 people
- Philadelphia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Philadelphia is located in Craighead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Jonesboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Obear ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Obear is located in Craighead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obear
- Brookland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Light
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Light is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light
- Delaplaine
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Delaplaine is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaplaine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Walcott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Walcott is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
- Beech Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Beech Grove is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Grove
- Crowley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Crowley is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
- Finch
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Finch is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finch
- Pine Knot
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pine Knot is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Knot
- Stonewall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Stonewall is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewall
- Independence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Cord
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cord is located in Independence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cord
- Charlotte
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Charlotte is located in Independence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
- Cave City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Swifton
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Swifton is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swifton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Centerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Kenyon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Kenyon is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyon
- Tuckerman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Elgin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Elgin is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Grubbs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Grubbs is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubbs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Campbell Station
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Campbell Station is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Manson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Manson is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manson
- Eleven
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Eleven is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleven
- Birdell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Birdell is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdell
- Pocahontas
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pocahontas is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,371 people
- Former names for Pocahontas:
- Bettis Bluff
- Betts Bluff
- Pokakhontas
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocahontas <1>
- Skaggs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Skaggs is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skaggs
- Water Valley ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Water Valley is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
- O'Kean
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- O'Kean is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Kean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Serene
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Serene is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serene
- Kingsville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kingsville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsville
- Elevenpoint
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Elevenpoint is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elevenpoint
- Lima
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Lima is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
- Attica
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Attica is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
- Sharp County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Williford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Williford is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Poughkeepsie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Poughkeepsie is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poughkeepsie
- Grange
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Grange is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
- Hardy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Highland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Highland is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,105 people
- Maxville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Maxville is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
- Cherokee Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wirth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wirth is located in Sharp County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wirth
- Evening Shade
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Portia, see our County-by-County Page for Portia.
Cemeteries Near Portia ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portia.
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 Portia - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Portia covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Portia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Crossroad Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Oak Forest Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kissee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jenkins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Powhatan Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Lauderdale Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Colberk Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Arbor Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Austin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Westphal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Adams Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (355 more) ...
- Scott Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Cemetery
- Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Scott Cemetery (located 82 miles to the north).
- Phillips - Reeves Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lawson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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 Portia had a population of 571 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Portia had a population of 399 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Portia, with the one closest to Portia listed first.
- Black Rock
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Powhatan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hoxie
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Walnut Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Clover Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Clover Bend is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Bend
- Minturn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Minturn is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minturn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Lindsey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lindsey is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
- Noland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Noland is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noland
- Murta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Murta is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murta
- Imboden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Annieville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Annieville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annieville
- Lynn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Strangers Home
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Strangers Home is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strangers Home
- Birdell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Birdell is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdell
- Smithville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Smithville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Portia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portia.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Portia ...
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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portia.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Portia. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Portia and those printed in the larger area surrounding Portia.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Portia.
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 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 Portia:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Lawrence County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Craighead County
- Greene County
- Independence County
- Jackson County
- Randolph County
- Sharp County
- 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 Portia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Portia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |