RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Arkansas >> Bradley County >> Simpson >> 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 Simpson (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 Simpson. 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.

Simpson is located in Bradley 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 Bradley County: Ashley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Drew & Union.

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

  • Bradley County     (The home county of Simpson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Sumpter
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sumpter is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumpter
    • Hermitage
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Ingalls
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ingalls is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalls
    • Farmville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Farmville is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
    • Gravelridge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Gravelridge is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelridge
    • Johnsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Johnsville is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
    • Sturgis ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Sturgis is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
    • Warren
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lanark
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lanark is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
    • Long View Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Long View Ferry is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View Ferry
    • Banks
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Banks is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
    • Jersey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Blanchton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Blanchton is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchton
  • Ashley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Fountain Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fountain Hill is located in Ashley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • West Crossett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • West Crossett is located in Ashley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Crossett
    • North Crossett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • North Crossett is located in Ashley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Crossett
    • Hamburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Crossett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Meridian
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Meridian is located in Ashley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Harrell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Harrell is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
    • Tinsman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Tinsman is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tinsman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
    • Hampton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Orlando
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Orlando is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
    • Rye
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Rye is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
    • Annover ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Annover is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annover
    • New Edinburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • New Edinburg is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Edinburg
    • Pansy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Pansy is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
    • Kingsland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kingsland is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
    • Saline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Saline is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline
  • Dallas County
    • Fordyce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Drew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Lacey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lacey is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
    • Wilmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilmar is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Barkada
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Barkada is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkada
    • Monticello
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rose Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rose Hill is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
  • Lincoln County
    • Cornerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Cornerville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simpson, with the one closest to Simpson listed first.
    • Bolding
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Bolding is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolding
    • Lapile
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lapile is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapile
    • Crain City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Crain City is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crain City
    • Calion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Calion is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 440 people
    • Felsenthal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Felsenthal is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felsenthal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
    • Lawson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lawson is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawson
    • Perdue City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Perdue City is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdue City
    • Strong
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Urbana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Urbana is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbana
    • Huttig
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Huttig is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huttig
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people

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

Cemeteries Near Simpson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Simpson.

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

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

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

  • Pattsville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hickory Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Holly Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Parker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Saline Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Outlaw Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Adams / Singer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Smearny Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Gravelridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Calvary Presbyterian Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (211 more) ...
    • Johnsville Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hales Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shiloh Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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, Simpson had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Sumpter
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sumpter is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumpter
  • Ingalls
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ingalls is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalls
  • Gravelridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Gravelridge is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelridge
  • Johnsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnsville is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
  • Sturgis ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sturgis is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
  • Warren
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Lanark
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lanark is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
  • Marsden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Marsden is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsden
  • Jersey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Saline ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Saline is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline
  • Blanchton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Blanchton is located in Bradley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchton
  • Milo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Milo is located in Ashley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Lacey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lacey is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
    • Wilmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilmar is located in Drew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Summerville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Summerville is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville

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

Newspapers Published in Simpson ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Simpson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Simpson, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Simpson.

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 Simpson:

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 Simpson, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Simpson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.