RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Sabine Parish >> Alford Heights >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Alford Heights (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 Alford Heights. 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 Alford Heights ...

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 Alford Heights: Alford Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 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 southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors were in the next parish to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the parish to the south.

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 west contained birth and death records; the parish to the south 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.

Alford Heights is located in Sabine Parish.

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

The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of Sabine Parish: De Soto, Natchitoches, Vernon, Newton (TX), Sabine (TX) & Shelby (TX).

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

  • Sabine Parish     (The home parish of Alford Heights)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Many
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Many is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Many
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Many <1>
    • Fisher
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Florien
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Corleyville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
    • Negreet
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Scie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Scie is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Scie
    • Belmont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Zwolle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hamlin ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Hamlin is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
    • Noble
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Toro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
  • De Soto Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Butler ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Butler is located in De Soto Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
    • Pelican
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Oxford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Oxford is located in De Soto Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Vowells Mill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Vowells Mill is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowells Mill
    • Marthaville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Robeline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Provencal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Victoria
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Victoria is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
    • Flora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Forest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Natchez
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Natchitoches
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Powhatan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Grappes Bluff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
  • Red River Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Lake End
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Lake End is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake End
    • Hanna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hanna is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanna
  • Vernon Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Hornbeck
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Anacoco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kurthwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Alco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alco is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
    • Fertitta Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Fertitta Park is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertitta Park
    • Westwood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Westwood Village is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Leesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Newton County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Toledo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
    • South Toledo Bend
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • South Toledo Bend is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Toledo Bend
  • Sabine County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alford Heights, with the one closest to Alford Heights listed first.
    • Milam
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Hemphill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mason
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mason is located in Sabine County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
    • Geneva
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Fairmount
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairmount is located in Sabine County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
  • Shelby County (TX)
    • Huxley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Huxley is located in Shelby County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people

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

Cemeteries Near Alford Heights ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alford Heights.

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 Alford Heights - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • McComic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Muse Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Jerusalem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Fenders Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Pine Knot Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Knot Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pine Knot Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the northeast of Fisher.
    • The Pine Knot Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Shady Grove Church of God Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2151638 <3>
  • Hope Castle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Randolph Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Lewing Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Ft. Jesup Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Carroll Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...
    • Anderson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Antioch Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Redland Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Many
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Many is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Many
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Many <1>
  • Corleyville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
  • Negreet
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Vowells Mill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Vowells Mill is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowells Mill
  • Bayou Scie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayou Scie is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Scie
  • Robeline
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Marthaville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Bellwood
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
  • Provencal
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Victoria
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Victoria is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
  • Columbus ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Columbus is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
  • Toro
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Pleasant Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Kisatchie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Kisatchie is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kisatchie
    • Mitchell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Mitchell is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell

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

Newspapers Published in Alford Heights ...

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 Alford Heights.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alford Heights, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alford Heights.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Alford Heights:

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>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- Alford Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Alford Heights, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.