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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 Ross Ferry (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 Ross Ferry. 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 Ross Ferry ...

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 Ross Ferry: Ross Fry. (or less commonly used: Ross Frry.)

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

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.

Ross Ferry is located in Arkansas 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 Arkansas County: Desha, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Monroe, Phillips & Prairie.

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

  • Arkansas County     (The home county of Ross Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Gillett
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Tichnor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bayou Meto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Meto is located in Arkansas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Meto
    • De Witt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Ethel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Ethel is located in Arkansas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Almyra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Saint Charles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Desha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Pea Ridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pea Ridge is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
    • Mitchellville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Mitchellville is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
    • Dumas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pickens
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Pickens is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickens
    • Watson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hopedale ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Hopedale is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
    • Kelso
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Kelso is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
    • Rohwer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Reed
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Reed is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Snow Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Snow Lake is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake
    • McArthur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • McArthur is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McArthur
    • Napoleon ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Napoleon is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
    • McGehee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Drew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Winchester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Winchester is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Tillar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Tillar is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Selma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Selma is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Reydell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Reydell is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reydell
    • Tamo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Tamo is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamo
    • Moscow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Moscow is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Richardson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Richardson is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
    • Cornerstone
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cornerstone is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerstone
    • Noble Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Noble Lake is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble Lake
    • Madding
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Madding is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madding
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • South Bend ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
    • Gould
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Gould is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 719 people
    • Varner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Varner is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varner
    • Sarassa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sarassa is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarassa
    • Grady
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Warrenton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Warrenton is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
    • Meroney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Meroney is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meroney
    • Crigler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Crigler is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crigler
    • Tyro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Tyro is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
    • Yorktown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Yorktown is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Star City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Palmyra
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Palmyra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
  • Phillips County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Crumrod
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Crumrod is located in Phillips County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumrod
    • Mellwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Mellwood is located in Phillips County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellwood
  • Bolivar County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ross Ferry, with the one closest to Ross Ferry listed first.
    • Wright
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Wright is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
    • Rosedale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosedale is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,559 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosedale <1>
    • Waxhaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Waxhaw is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waxhaw
    • Gunnison
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Gunnison is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunnison
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
    • Perthshire
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Perthshire is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perthshire
    • Beulah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Beulah is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
    • Eutaw
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Eutaw is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
    • Christmas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Christmas is located in Bolivar County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas

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

Cemeteries Near Ross Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ross Ferry.

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 Ross Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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>

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

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

  • Pendleton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pendleton is located in Desha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
  • Arkansas Post ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Arkansas Post is located in Arkansas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas Post
  • South Bend ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • South Bend is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
  • Medford ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Medford is located in Desha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
  • Douglas
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Douglas is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
  • Reedville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Reedville is located in Desha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedville
  • Dumas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Red Fork
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Red Fork is located in Desha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fork
  • Cummins
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Cummins is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummins
  • Watson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Tichnor
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Varner
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Varner is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varner
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Hopedale ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Hopedale is located in Desha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
    • Winchester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Winchester is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Bayou Meto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Meto is located in Arkansas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Meto

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

Newspapers Published in Ross Ferry ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ross Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ross Ferry, 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 Ross Ferry.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Ross Ferry:

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 Ross Ferry, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ross Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.