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The Commemorative Quarter for Arkansas





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 Welcome (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 Welcome. 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 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.

Welcome is located in Columbia County.

To see how the shape of Arkansas' counties 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 Welcome. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Welcome:

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Welcome)
  • Lafayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Bradley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Walnut Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gin City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gin City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
      • Gin City is located in Lafayette County
    • McKamie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Kress City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kress City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kress City
      • Kress City is located in Lafayette County
    • Buckner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
      • Buckner is located in Lafayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
    • Stamps
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Lewisville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Old Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Lafayette County
  • Miller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Doddridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doddridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddridge
      • Doddridge is located in Miller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Doddridge <1>
    • Garland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fouke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fouke have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fouke
      • Fouke is located in Miller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 876 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fouke <1>
    • Capps City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capps City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps City
      • Capps City is located in Miller County
    • Roberts ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
      • Roberts is located in Miller County
  • Union County
    • Dodge City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodge City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
      • Dodge City is located in Union County
  • Bossier Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Plain Dealing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plain Dealing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain Dealing
      • Plain Dealing is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plain Dealing <1>
    • Ivan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ivan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
      • Ivan is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ivan
      • From Welcome to Ivan
    • Alden Bridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bellevue
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellevue. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bellevue
      • From Welcome to Bellevue
    • Benton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Princeton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princeton <1>
  • Caddo Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Missionary
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Missionary. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
      • Missionary is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Missionary
      • From Welcome to Missionary
    • Ida
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ida have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
      • Ida is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Gilliam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilliam have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilliam
      • Gilliam is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilliam <1>
    • Hosston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Belcher
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Frog Level ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frog Level have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Level
      • Frog Level is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Black Bayou ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou
      • Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Rodessa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodessa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodessa
      • Rodessa is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 256 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodessa <1>
  • Claiborne Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Dykesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Haynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haynesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynesville
      • Haynesville is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,000 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haynesville <1>
    • Blackburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gordon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gordon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
      • Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gordon
      • From Welcome to Gordon
    • Holly Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Homer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Webster Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome, with the one closest to Welcome listed first.
    • Springhill
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springhill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhill
      • Springhill is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springhill <1>
    • Cullen
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cullen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen
      • Cullen is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,056 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cullen <1>
    • Sarepta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Shongaloo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cotton Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Valley
      • Cotton Valley is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cotton Valley <1>
    • Minden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Dixie Inn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dixie Inn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
      • Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people

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

Cemeteries Near Welcome ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Welcome.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Boucher Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boucher Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boucher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Springhill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springhill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coyle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Slack Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Slack Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Slack Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garden of Memory Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden of Memory Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden of Memory Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Timothy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Timothy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Timothy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boggs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boggs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boggs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stubbs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stubbs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stubbs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cason Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cason Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Moriah Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Haynes Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haynes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haynes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (205 more) ...
    • St. Peter Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Old Shongaloo Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Stewart - Walkerville Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart - Walkerville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart - Walkerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Welcome had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Carterville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carterville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville
    • Carterville is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
  • Sarepta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Plainfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
    • Plainfield is located in Columbia County
  • Redland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redland
    • Redland is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
  • Shongaloo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sharman
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharman
    • Sharman is located in Columbia County
  • Bradley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Arkana
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arkana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkana
    • Arkana is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
  • Horsehead
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Horsehead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
    • Horsehead is located in Columbia County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Horsehead
    • From Welcome to Horsehead
  • Cotton Valley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Valley
    • Cotton Valley is located in Webster Parish (LA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cotton Valley <1>
  • Millerton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millerton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Millerton is located in Claiborne Parish (LA)
  • Macedonia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Canfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
      • Canfield is located in Lafayette County
    • Walnut Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Plain Dealing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plain Dealing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain Dealing
      • Plain Dealing is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plain Dealing <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Welcome ...

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 Welcome.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Welcome, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Welcome.

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 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 Welcome:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Welcome. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>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 Welcome, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Welcome) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Welcome. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0208, Longitude: -93.4667       In this case, the coordinates for Welcome have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025