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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 Alfalfa (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 Alfalfa. 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 ...

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

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next parish to the west. 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 instead of the parish in which they lived:  their home parish contained property and probate records; the parish to the west contained birth and death records; the parish to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Alfalfa is located in Rapides 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 Rapides Parish: Allen, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Grant, La Salle, Natchitoches & Vernon.

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

  • Rapides Parish     (The home parish of Alfalfa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alfalfa, with the one closest to Alfalfa listed first.
    • Boyce
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
      • Boyce is located in Rapides Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyce <2>
    • Zimmerman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zimmerman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
      • Zimmerman is located in Rapides Parish
    • Weil
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weil have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
      • Weil is located in Rapides Parish
    • Hot Wells
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Wells
      • Hot Wells is located in Rapides Parish
    • Gardner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardner
      • Gardner is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardner <2>
    • Lena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Alexandria
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pineville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Tioga
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tioga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tioga <2>
    • Alexandria Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria Junction
      • Alexandria Junction is located in Rapides Parish
    • Ball
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ball have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball
      • Ball is located in Rapides Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ball <2>
    • Anandale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
      • Anandale is located in Rapides Parish
    • Hemphill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hemphill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
      • Hemphill is located in Rapides Parish
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alfalfa, with the one closest to Alfalfa listed first.
    • Center Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • North Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
      • North Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Effie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Egg Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egg Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alfalfa, with the one closest to Alfalfa listed first.
    • Fairmount
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairmount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
    • Creola
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
      • Creola is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Creola has also been known as:
      • Creola village
    • Stay
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stay
      • Stay is located in Grant Parish
    • Colfax
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bentley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Dry Prong
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Prong have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Prong
      • Dry Prong is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dry Prong <2>
    • Pollock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Antonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
    • Montgomery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
      • Montgomery is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 716 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montgomery <2>
    • Georgetown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Georgetown <2>
  • La Salle Parish
    • Zenoria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenoria
      • Zenoria is located in La Salle Parish
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alfalfa, with the one closest to Alfalfa listed first.
    • Marco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marco
      • Marco is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Gorum
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorum
      • Gorum is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorum <2>
    • Cloutierville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Derry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
      • Derry is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Melrose
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melrose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melrose <2>
  • Vernon Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alfalfa, with the one closest to Alfalfa listed first.
    • Leander
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leander have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
      • Leander is located in Vernon Parish
    • Lacamp
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacamp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamp
      • Lacamp is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacamp <2>
    • Simpson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
      • Simpson is located in Vernon Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Simpson <2>
    • Hicks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
      • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
    • Alco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
      • Alco is located in Vernon Parish
  • Winn Parish
    • Atlanta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Alfalfa ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alfalfa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alfalfa, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alfalfa.

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 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 Alfalfa:

Cemeteries Near Alfalfa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alfalfa.

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

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

  • Boyce Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boyce Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boyce Cemetery
  • Texada Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Texada Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Texada Cemetery
  • McNutt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McNutt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McNutt Cemetery
  • McNutt Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McNutt Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McNutt Hill Cemetery
  • Williams Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
  • Belgard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belgard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belgard Cemetery
  • Newlight Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newlight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newlight Cemetery
  • Anthony Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anthony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anthony Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #66862 <4>
  • Cruikshank Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • St. Aloysius Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Aloysius Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Aloysius Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68760 <4>
  • Campground Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campground Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campground Cemetery
  • Campground Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campground Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campground Cemetery
  • Continue List   (195 more) ...
    • Union Baptist Church Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Dark - Neal Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dark - Neal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dark - Neal 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.<5>

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

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

  • Rapides
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapides have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapides
    • Rapides is located in Rapides Parish
  • Boyce
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Boyce is located in Rapides Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyce <2>
  • Crane
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crane
    • Crane is located in Rapides Parish
  • Weil
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weil have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
    • Weil is located in Rapides Parish
  • Fairmount
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairmount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
  • Milford ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
    • Milford is located in Rapides Parish
  • Alexandria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Lena
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pineville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Colfax
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hemphill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hemphill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
    • Hemphill is located in Rapides Parish
  • Elmer
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
    • Elmer is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmer <2>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Moreland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Chopin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chopin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chopin
      • Chopin is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Hineston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hineston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hineston
      • Hineston is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hineston <2>

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

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

The official website for Rapides Parish: www.rppj.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alfalfa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alfalfa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.3696, Longitude: -92.6185       In this case, the coordinates for Alfalfa have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Alfalfa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024