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 West Hartford (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 West Hartford. 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.
Name Variations for West Hartford ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Hartford: W. Hartford
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Hartford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Hartford.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 doctors 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.
West Hartford is located in Sebastian 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 Sebastian County: Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott, Le Flore (OK) & Sequoyah (OK).
Below are the counties that are near West Hartford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Hartford:
- Sebastian County (The home county of West Hartford)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Hartford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Frog Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Frog Town is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Town
- Midland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Midland is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Huntington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Huntington is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Mansfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hackett
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bonanza
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Bonanza is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonanza
- Population from the 2020 Census: 560 people
- Jenny Lind
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Jenny Lind is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenny Lind
- Greenwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,396 people
- Buell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Buell is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
- Barling
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fort Smith
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Central City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Central City is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Wright Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wright Town is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright Town
- Kibler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Kibler is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibler
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,028 people
- New Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- New Town is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Leon ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Leon is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Charleston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Logan County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Lucas
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Lucas is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
- Carolan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Carolan is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolan
- Golden City ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Golden City is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden City
- Booneville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Rich Mountain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rich Mountain is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Mountain
- Mountain Fork
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mountain Fork is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Fork
- Mena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Bates
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bates is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
- Winfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Winfield is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
- Waldron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Gate ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Gate is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate
- Boles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Y City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Y City is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Y City
- Cardiff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cardiff is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardiff
- Parks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Parks is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
- Le Flore County (OK)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Monroe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cameron
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Island
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Rock Island is located in Le Flore County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 648 people
- Poteau
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Heavener
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Howe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Howe is located in Le Flore County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 788 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <1>
- Petros
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Petros is located in Le Flore County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petros
- Shady Point
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hodgen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hodgen is located in Le Flore County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodgen
- Former name for Hodgen:
- Hodgens
- Hodgen has also been known as:
- Hodgens Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hodgen <1>
- Pocola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Wister
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Panama
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Braden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Braden is located in Le Flore County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braden
- Sequoyah County (OK)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Moffett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Roland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Muldrow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Gans
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gans is located in Sequoyah County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gans
- Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gans <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Hartford, see our County-by-County Page for West Hartford.
Cemeteries Near West Hartford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Hartford.
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 West Hartford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Hartford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Leatherwood Cemetery
- The Leatherwood Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2321306 <2>
- Babbs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- West Harmony Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jackson - Red Yard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hartford Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Clark Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- James Fork Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Begum Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Monroe Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Black Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (214 more) ...
- Gipson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sliger Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cherokee 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>
While we didn't find West Hartford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Hartford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Hartford, with the one closest to West Hartford listed first.
- Hartford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gipson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Gipson is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gipson
- Cauthron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cauthron is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cauthron
- Montreal
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Montreal is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montreal
- Mansfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Huntington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Huntington is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Brawley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brawley is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brawley
- Hackett
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Dayton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dayton is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Witcherville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Witcherville is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcherville
- Jenson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Jenson is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenson
- Excelsior
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Excelsior is located in Sebastian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Winfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Winfield is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
- Black Fork
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Black Fork is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Fork
- Boothe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Boothe is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boothe
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Hartford. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Hartford.
Newspapers Published in West Hartford ...
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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Hartford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Hartford, 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 West Hartford.
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 West Hartford:
- Websites specific to Arkansas
- Pages specific to Sebastian County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Franklin County
- Logan County
- Polk County
- Scott County
- Le Flore County
- Sequoyah 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 West Hartford, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Hartford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |