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 Smithland (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 Smithland. 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/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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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/parishes 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/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Smithland is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Lafayette, Nevada, Ouachita, Union, Claiborne (LA) & Webster (LA).
Below are the counties/parishes that are near Smithland. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smithland:
- Columbia County (The home county of Smithland)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Philadelphia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Philadelphia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Macedonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Magnolia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Waldo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Horsehead
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Taylor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- McNeil
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Western
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Western is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Emerson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Emerson is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Welcome
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- College Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- College Hill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Hill
- Hempstead County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Patmos
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Patmos is located in Hempstead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patmos
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
- Shover Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Shover Springs is located in Hempstead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shover Springs
- Centerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Centerville is located in Hempstead County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- McKamie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- McKamie is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKamie
- Buckner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Buckner is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Stamps
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kress City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Kress City is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kress City
- Lewisville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Old Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Old Town is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Bradley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Gin City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gin City is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
- Miller County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Garland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Garland is located in Miller County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
- Fouke
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Roberts ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Roberts is located in Miller County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
- Nevada County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Willisville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Willisville is located in Nevada County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willisville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
- Bodcaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bodcaw is located in Nevada County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcaw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Rosston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rosston is located in Nevada County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
- Cale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cale is located in Nevada County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Ouachita County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Stephens
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pace City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pace City is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pace City
- Lufra ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lufra is located in Ouachita County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lufra
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Mount Holly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Dodge City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dodge City is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Bossier Parish (LA)
- Plain Dealing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Caddo Parish (LA)
- Missionary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Missionary is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
- Claiborne Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Dykesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Haynesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Gordon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Blackburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Webster Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Springhill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Cullen
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Shongaloo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sarepta
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cotton Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smithland, see our County-by-County Page for Smithland.
Cemeteries Near Smithland ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smithland.
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 Smithland - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smithland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Rocky Mount Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Friendship Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Antioch Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Frazier Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sharman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rudd Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Barlow Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Scott Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Strong Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (190 more) ...
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kings Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Magnolia Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Smithland in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smithland.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smithland, with the one closest to Smithland listed first.
- Sharman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sharman is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharman
- Macedonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Lumber
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lumber is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber
- Magnolia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Waldo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Horsehead
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Stamps
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brister
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brister is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brister
- McNeil
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Plainfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Plainfield is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Calhoun
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Canfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Canfield is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Lewisville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Welcome
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- College Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- College Hill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smithland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smithland.
Newspapers Published in Smithland ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smithland.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smithland, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smithland.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Smithland:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hempstead County
- Lafayette County
- Miller County
- Nevada County
- Ouachita County
- Union County
- Bossier Parish
- Caddo Parish
- Claiborne Parish
- Webster Parish
- 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> | 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 Smithland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Smithland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |