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 Smyrna (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 Smyrna. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Smyrna 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 Smyrna. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smyrna:
- White County (The home county of Smyrna)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Center Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Center Hill is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Hill
- Searcy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Letona
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Letona is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letona
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Floyd
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Floyd is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
- Garner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Higginson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Higginson is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- McRae
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McRae is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRae
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Kensett
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Clay
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Clay is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Judsonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Romance
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Pangburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Beebe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Rainbow Island
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Rainbow Island is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Island
- Yuba
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Yuba is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
- Wilburn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Wilburn is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilburn
- Heber Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Heber Springs is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heber Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,906 people
- Former name for Heber Springs:
- Sugar Loaf
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heber Springs <1>
- Pearson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pearson is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Tumbling Shoals
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Quitman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ida
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Miller ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Miller is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Shiloh ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Drasco
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Drasco is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drasco
- Concord
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
- Wolf Bayou
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wolf Bayou is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Bayou
- Faulkner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Mount Vernon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Mount Vernon is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Enola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Enola is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
- Enders
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Enders is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enders
- Vilonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Centerville is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Otto
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Otto is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
- Holland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Holland is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
- Beryl
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beryl is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beryl
- Hamlet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hamlet is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
- Guy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Guy is located in Faulkner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
- Greenbrier
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Independence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Floral
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Floral is located in Independence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floral
- Pleasant Plains
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Plains is located in Independence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plains
- Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
- Thida
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Thida is located in Independence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thida
- Jackson County
- Grand Glaise
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Grand Glaise is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Glaise
- Lonoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Ward
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Austin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Austin is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,504 people
- Cabot
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Parnell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Parnell is located in Lonoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
- Prairie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Hickory Plains
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Hickory Plains is located in Prairie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Plains
- Des Arc
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Hill is located in Prairie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
- Pulaski County
- Jacksonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Gravesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Gravesville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravesville
- Chalk ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chalk is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk
- Woodruff County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Augusta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gregory
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Gregory is located in Woodruff County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smyrna, see our County-by-County Page for Smyrna.
Cemeteries Near Smyrna ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smyrna.
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 Smyrna - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smyrna covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Weir Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Gum Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Searcy Faith Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searcy Faith Cemetery
- The Searcy Faith Cemetery has also been known as:
- Faith Assembly Cemetery
- Oakgrove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Oaklawn Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklawn Memorial Gardens
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Oaklawn Memorial Gardens is a large cemetery that is located in Searcy.
- The Oaklawn Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Oaklawn Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #55477 <2>
- Knox Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Knox Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Holly Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (220 more) ...
- Quattlebaum Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gray Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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>
While we didn't find Smyrna in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smyrna.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Searcy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Floyd
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Floyd is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
- Antioch
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Antioch is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Garner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Higginson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Higginson is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- McRae
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McRae is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRae
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Sunrise ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sunrise is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise
- Kensett
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Clay
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Clay is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Turnip ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Turnip is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnip
- Judsonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Romance
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Beebe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Walker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Clear Water ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Water is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Water
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smyrna. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smyrna.
Newspapers Published in Smyrna ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smyrna.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smyrna, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smyrna.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Smyrna:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to White County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cleburne County
- Faulkner County
- Independence County
- Jackson County
- Lonoke County
- Prairie County
- Pulaski County
- Van Buren County
- Woodruff 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 Smyrna, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Smyrna) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |