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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Alton. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Alton to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Alton, 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 Alton (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 Alton. 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 Parishes/Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next parish to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the parish to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring parishes/counties instead of the parish in which they lived:  their home parish contained property and probate records; the parish to the east contained birth and death records; the parish to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring parishes/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 Alton is historic, it would have been located within present day Concordia Parish.

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

The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of Concordia Parish: Avoyelles, Catahoula, Pointe Coupee, Tensas, West Feliciana, Adams (MS) & Wilkinson (MS).

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

  • Concordia Parish     (The home parish of Alton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Armagh
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
      • Armagh is located in Concordia Parish
    • Monterey
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
    • Acme
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Acme <3>
    • Athlone
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Concordia Parish
    • Wildsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildsville
      • Wildsville is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wildsville <3>
    • Fairview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Concordia Parish
    • Ridgecrest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgecrest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
      • Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
    • West Ferriday
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Ferriday have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ferriday
      • West Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish
    • Ferriday
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferriday have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferriday
      • Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,188 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ferriday <3>
    • Sycamore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
    • Dunbarton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
      • Dunbarton is located in Concordia Parish
    • Vidalia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • North Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
      • North Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Vick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vick
      • Vick is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Bordelonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Moncla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moncla
      • Moncla is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Effie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Marksville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
      • Marksville is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marksville <3>
    • Center Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Center Point <3>
    • Hamburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Moreauville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moreauville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreauville
      • Moreauville is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 849 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moreauville <3>
    • Egg Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egg Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Mansura
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Catahoula Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Parhams
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parhams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
      • Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Jonesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
      • Jonesville is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <3>
    • Rhinehart
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhinehart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhinehart
      • Rhinehart is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rhinehart <3>
    • Harrisonburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Aimwell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aimwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aimwell
      • Aimwell is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aimwell <3>
    • Wildwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
      • Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Sicily Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sicily Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
      • Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
  • La Salle Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Sharp Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Town
      • Sharp Town is located in La Salle Parish
    • Jena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jena
      • Jena is located in La Salle Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jena <3>
    • Midway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in La Salle Parish
    • Trout
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trout have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout
      • Trout is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trout <3>
    • Summerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
      • Summerville is located in La Salle Parish
  • Rapides Parish
    • Deville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deville
      • Deville is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deville <3>
  • Adams County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Carthage
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carthage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
      • Carthage is located in Adams County (MS)
    • Cloverdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
      • Cloverdale is located in Adams County (MS)
    • Natchez
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natchez
      • Natchez is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natchez <3>

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

Newspapers Published in Alton ...

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 127 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alton, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Alton:

Cemeteries Near Alton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alton.

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 Alton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pecantly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecantly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecantly Cemetery
  • Alton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alton Cemetery
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
  • Forman Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forman Cemetery
  • Young Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Young Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Young Cemetery
  • Steele Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Steele Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Steele Cemetery
  • Hedrick Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hedrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hedrick Cemetery
  • White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Cemetery
  • Calhoun Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calhoun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calhoun Cemetery
  • Matthew Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Matthew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Matthew Cemetery
  • Gillespie Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gillespie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gillespie Cemetery
  • Flowery Mound Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flowery Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flowery Mound Cemetery
  • Continue List   (207 more) ...
    • Parhams Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parhams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parhams Cemetery
    • Palo Alto Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palo Alto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palo Alto Cemetery
    • Trisler Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trisler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trisler Cemetery

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.

While we didn't find Alton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alton.

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

  • Eva
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eva have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eva
    • Eva is located in Concordia Parish
  • Parhams
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parhams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
    • Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
  • Glade
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glade have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade
    • Glade is located in Catahoula Parish
  • New Era
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • New Era is located in Concordia Parish
  • Monterey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
    • Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
  • Lismore
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lismore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lismore
    • Lismore is located in Concordia Parish
  • Security
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Security have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Security
    • Security is located in Catahoula Parish
  • Acme
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
    • Acme is located in Concordia Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Acme <3>
  • Utility
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utility have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utility
    • Utility is located in Catahoula Parish
  • Jonesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
    • Jonesville is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,950 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <3>
  • Frogmore
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frogmore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogmore
    • Frogmore is located in Concordia Parish
  • Chevey Chase
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chevey Chase have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
    • Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Trinity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trinity have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
      • Trinity is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Lavacco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavacco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavacco
      • Lavacco is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Bougere
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bougere have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
      • Bougere is located in Concordia Parish

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

The official website for State of Louisiana: louisiana.gov/

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 Alton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.4424, Longitude: -91.8121       In this case, the coordinates for Alton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024