Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Watkins. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Watkins to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Watkins, please Contact Us.
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 Watkins (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 Watkins. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 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 north 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Watkins is historic, it would have been located within present day Boone 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 Boone County: Carroll, Marion, Newton, Searcy & Taney (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Watkins. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watkins:
- Boone County (The home county of Watkins)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Valley Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Valley Springs is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Bellefonte
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bellefonte is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefonte
- Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
- Rally Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rally Hill is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rally Hill
- Harrison
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Everton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Bergman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Keener ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Keener is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keener
- Zinc
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Zinc is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zinc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Batavia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Batavia is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batavia
- Ridgeway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgeway is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
- Myrtle
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Myrtle is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Elixir ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Elixir is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elixir
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Osage
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Osage is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Denver
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Denver is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
- Dryfork
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dryfork is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryfork
- Green Forest
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Town ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Rudd
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rudd is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudd
- Metalton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Metalton is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metalton
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Kingston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marble
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Marble is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Eros
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Eros is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eros
- Pyatt
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pyatt is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyatt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
- Bruno
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bruno is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruno
- Dodd City ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dodd City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodd City
- Monarch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Monarch is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monarch
- Yellville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Summit
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Summit is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 589 people
- Peel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Flippin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rush ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rush is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
- Rea Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Rea Valley is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rea Valley
- Bull Shoals
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Newton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Western Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Western Grove is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Hasty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Hasty is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Jasper
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Vendor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Vendor is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vendor
- Compton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mount Judea
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Judea is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Judea
- Parthenon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ponca
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Murray
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Murray is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
- Boxley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Boxley is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxley
- Deer
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mossville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mossville is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
- Swain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Swain is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swain
- Searcy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Pindall
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pindall is located in Searcy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pindall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
- Saint Joe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blanco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Blanco is located in Searcy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
- Gilbert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Witt's Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Witt's Springs is located in Searcy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt's Springs
- Marshall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lone Pine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lone Pine is located in Searcy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
- Baker
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Baker is located in Searcy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Taney County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Ridgedale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Protem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cedarcreek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cedarcreek is located in Taney County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarcreek
- Oasis ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Oasis is located in Taney County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oasis
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Watkins, see our County-by-County Page for Watkins.
Cemeteries Near Watkins ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watkins.
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 Watkins - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Watkins covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Eoff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Clipper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Holmes Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hog Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hampton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Roland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Freeling Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Younes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hudson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Crossroads Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wilbourn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Valley Springs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (234 more) ...
- Smith Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rogers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Wells Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
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.
Watkins itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Elmwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Elmwood is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- Valley Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Valley Springs is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Bellefonte
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bellefonte is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefonte
- Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
- Yardelle
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Yardelle is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yardelle
- Gaither
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gaither is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaither
- Wells Creek ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Wells Creek is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
- Western Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Western Grove is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Rally Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rally Hill is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rally Hill
- Pedlo ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pedlo is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlo
- Harrison
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Hersey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hersey is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hersey
- Pleasant Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hill Top
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hill Top is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Top
- Jasper
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oregon ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Oregon is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oregon
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Watkins. See our List of 1890's Communities around Watkins.
Newspapers Published in Watkins ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watkins.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watkins, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watkins.
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 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 Watkins:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Boone County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Madison County
- Marion County
- Newton County
- Searcy County
- Taney County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Arkansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Watkins, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Watkins) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |