RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Arkansas >> White County >> Russell >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Russell (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 Russell. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Russell is located in White 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 White County: Cleburne, Faulkner, Independence, Jackson, Lonoke, Prairie & Woodruff.

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

  • White County     (The home county of Russell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Russell, with the one closest to Russell listed first.
    • Bradford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bradford is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 736 people
    • Bald Knob
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bliss ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bliss is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss
    • Judsonia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunnydale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Kensett
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • West Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Davenport ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Davenport is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
    • Searcy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Clay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Georgetown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Higginson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Higginson is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
    • Griffithville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffithville is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffithville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
  • Cleburne County
  • Cross County
  • Independence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Russell, with the one closest to Russell listed first.
    • Thida
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Plains
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Plains is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plains
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
    • Oil Trough
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Floral
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Magness
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Magness is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magness
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Newark
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Salado
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Salado is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salado
    • Southside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Southside is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
    • Sulphur Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Sulphur Rock is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Rock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
    • Desha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Locust Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Locust Grove is located in Independence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Grove
    • Batesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Russell, with the one closest to Russell listed first.
    • Grand Glaise
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Grand Glaise is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Glaise
    • Tupelo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Weldon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Shoffner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Auvergne
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Gourd Neck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Island Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Island Town is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Town
    • Newport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Beedeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Beedeville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beedeville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Jacksonport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Remmel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Algoa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Diaz
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Diaz is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diaz
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,208 people
  • Prairie County
  • Woodruff County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Russell, with the one closest to Russell listed first.
    • Augusta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Riverside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Patterson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Patterson is located in Woodruff County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 388 people
    • Gregory
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • McCrory
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Flynn ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Flynn is located in Woodruff County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flynn
    • Colona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • DeView
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Howell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Howell is located in Woodruff County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
    • Morton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Bemis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cotton Plant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hunter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hunter is located in Woodruff County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people

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

Cemeteries Near Russell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Russell.

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 Russell - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Russell, with the one closest to Russell 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Russell had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Russell had a population of 216 people.

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

  • Bald Knob
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bradford is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 736 people
  • Clear Water ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Clear Water is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Water
  • Bliss ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bliss is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss
  • Judsonia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Augusta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Denmark
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Denmark is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
  • Grand Glaise
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Grand Glaise is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Glaise
  • Kensett
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • West Point
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Olyphant
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Olyphant is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olyphant
  • Pleasant Plains
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Plains is located in Independence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plains
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Davenport ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Davenport is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
    • Little Red
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Little Red is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Red
    • Searcy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Russell ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Russell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Russell, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Russell.

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 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 Russell:

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 Russell, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Russell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.