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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 Ashland (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 Ashland. 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 southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Ashland is located in Tensas 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 Tensas Parish: Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Madison, Adams (MS), Claiborne (MS), Jefferson (MS) & Warren (MS).

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

  • Tensas Parish     (The home parish of Ashland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Saint Joseph
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Newlight
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
    • Highland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Highland is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • Newellton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterproof
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Yucatan Landing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Yucatan Landing is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan Landing
  • Catahoula Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Greenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
    • Wildwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Sicily Island
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
    • Harrisonburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Enterprise
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
  • Concordia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunbarton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunbarton is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
    • Ferriday
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • West Ferriday
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • West Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ferriday
    • Sycamore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
    • Ridgecrest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
    • Vidalia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Franklin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Elam
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Elam is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
    • Wisner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Gilbert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Swampers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Swampers is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampers
    • Chase
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Crowville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jigger
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Winnsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Extension
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Extension is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
    • Fort Necessity
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Baskin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Baskinton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Baskinton is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskinton
    • Liddieville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Liddieville is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liddieville
  • Madison Parish
    • Coleman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Coleman is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
  • Richland Parish
    • New Light
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • New Light is located in Richland Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
  • Adams County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Selma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Selma is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
    • Washington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Washington is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
    • Natchez
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Natchez is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natchez
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natchez <1>
  • Claiborne County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Westside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Westside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
    • Grand Gulf
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf
    • Port Gibson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Ingleside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Ingleside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
    • Willows
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Willows is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willows
  • Jefferson County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Rodney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
    • Fayette
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fayette is located in Jefferson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,432 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fayette <1>
    • Harriston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Red Lick
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Lick is located in Jefferson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lick

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

Cemeteries Near Ashland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ashland.

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 Ashland - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mayflower Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Thistle Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Gold Bell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Cross Keys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Oneonta Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Helena Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Mound Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakewood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Newell Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Elder Shade Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Myrtle Grove Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (207 more) ...
    • St. Matthew Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Newellton Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Routhwood Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<2>

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

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

  • Newlight
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
  • Saint Joseph
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Highland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland is located in Tensas Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
  • Goldman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Goldman is located in Tensas Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldman
  • Waterproof
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Newellton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Rodney
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
  • Oakley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Oakley is located in Franklin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
  • Como
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Como is located in Franklin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
  • Gum Ridge ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Gum Ridge is located in Jefferson County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Ridge
  • Greenville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
  • Wildwood
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Westside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Westside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
    • Gilbert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Sicily Island
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people

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

Newspapers Published in Ashland ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ashland, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ashland.

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 Ashland:

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