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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 Fort Smith (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 Fort Smith. 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 Fort Smith ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Smith: Ft. Smith

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fort Smith. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fort Smith.

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 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.

Fort Smith is located in Lumpkin County.

To see how the shape of Georgia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lumpkin County: Dawson, Fannin, Hall, Towns, Union & White.

Below are the counties that are near Fort Smith. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Smith:

  • Lumpkin County     (The home county of Fort Smith)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Willow ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Willow is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 15,138 people
    • Dahlonega
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Garland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Garland is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
    • Grace ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Grace is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
    • Auraria ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Auraria is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auraria
    • New Bridge ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • New Bridge is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridge
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Ophir
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ophir is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Ball Ground
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Dawson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Dawsonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lumpkin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lumpkin is located in Dawson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,266 people
    • Barrettsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Barrettsville is located in Dawson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrettsville
  • Fannin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Margret
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Margret is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margret
    • Newport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Newport is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Craytonia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Craytonia is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craytonia
    • Hemp
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hemp is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemp
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,647 people
    • Morganton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Greens Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Greens Mill is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Mill
    • Blue Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cutcane
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cutcane is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutcane
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,417 people
    • Mineral Bluff
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Chestnut Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Chestnut Gap is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Gap
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Silver City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Silver City is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Chestatee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Chestatee is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestatee
    • Cumming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Gilmer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Tickanetley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Tickanetley is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tickanetley
    • Rolston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Rolston is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolston
      • Estimated population in 2019: 36,716 people
    • Cherry Log
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Northcutt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Northcutt is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcutt
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 16,698 people
    • White Path
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • White Path is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Path
      • Estimated population in 2019: 342 people
    • East Ellijay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Santaluca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Santaluca is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santaluca
    • Yukon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Yukon is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Ellijay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Whitestone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Whitestone is located in Gilmer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitestone
  • Habersham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Mauldins ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Mauldins is located in Habersham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauldins
      • Estimated population in 2019: 225 people
    • Demorest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Raoul
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Raoul is located in Habersham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raoul
    • Clarkesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Alto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Alto is located in Habersham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alto <1>
    • Baldwin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Cornelia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hills is located in Habersham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills
    • Mount Airy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Hall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Murrayville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Clermont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Brookton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Brookton is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookton
    • Land ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Land is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Land
    • Price
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Price is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
    • Whelchel
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Whelchel is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whelchel
    • Sardis Shores
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Sardis Shores is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis Shores
      • Estimated population in 2019: 960 people
    • The Bluffs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • The Bluffs is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Bluffs
      • Estimated population in 2019: 92 people
    • Hargrove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Hargrove is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargrove
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,371 people
    • Surf Side Club Estates
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Surf Side Club Estates is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surf Side Club Estates
      • Estimated population in 2019: 202 people
    • Summer Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Summer Point is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Point
      • Estimated population in 2019: 158 people
    • White Sands
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • White Sands is located in Hall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sands
      • Estimated population in 2019: 611 people
  • Pickens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Big Canoe
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Marble Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Tate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jasper
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Nelson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cagle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cagle is located in Pickens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cagle
  • Towns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Jacksonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jacksonville is located in Towns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,239 people
    • Young Harris
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Hiawassee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hunt ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Hunt is located in Towns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Suches
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Owltown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Owltown is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owltown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,346 people
    • Choestoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Choestoe is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choestoe
    • Hood ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Hood is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
    • Youngcane ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Youngcane is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngcane
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,661 people
    • Blairsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Canal Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Canal Lake is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canal Lake
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 23,025 people
    • Bethlehem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bethlehem is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
  • White County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Cleveland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Yonah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Yonah is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yonah
    • Helen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Robertstown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Robertstown is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertstown
    • Leo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Leo is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leo
      • Leo has also been known as:
      • Meldean
    • Nacoochee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Nacoochee is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nacoochee
    • Naguchee ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Naguchee is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naguchee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,141 people
    • Sautee - Nacoochee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Cherokee County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Culberson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Culberson is located in Cherokee County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culberson
    • Hothouse
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hothouse is located in Cherokee County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hothouse
  • Clay County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Smith, with the one closest to Fort Smith listed first.
    • Pine Log Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Pine Log Village is located in Clay County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Log Village
    • Warne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Brasstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Elf
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Elf is located in Clay County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elf
    • Hayesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Fort Smith ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Smith.

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 Fort Smith - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mt. Airy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Woody Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Town Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant #2 Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Spriggs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Davis Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (379 more) ...
    • Slabtown Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Tesnatee Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Smiths Chapel Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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 Fort Smith in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fort Smith.

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

  • Porter Springs
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Porter Springs is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Springs
  • Willow ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Willow is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 15,138 people
  • Suches
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Quebec ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Quebec is located in Union County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
  • Dahlonega
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Jay ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jay is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay
  • Gaddistown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gaddistown is located in Union County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaddistown
  • Garland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Garland is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
  • Pleasant Retreat ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Retreat is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Retreat
  • Grace ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Grace is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
  • Halfway ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Halfway is located in Lumpkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
  • Tesnatee
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Tesnatee is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tesnatee
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Auraria ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Auraria is located in Lumpkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auraria
    • Cleveland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Choestoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Choestoe is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choestoe

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

Newspapers Published in Fort Smith ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Smith.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Smith, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Smith.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Fort Smith:

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 Fort Smith, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Smith) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.