RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Vernon Parish >> Billy Goat Hill >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Louisiana

The Commemorative Quarter for Louisiana





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 Billy Goat Hill (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 Billy Goat Hill. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Billy Goat Hill is located in Vernon 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 Vernon Parish: Allen, Beauregard, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine & Newton (TX).

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

  • Vernon Parish     (The home parish of Billy Goat Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • New Llano
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Fertitta Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fertitta Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertitta Park
      • Fertitta Park is located in Vernon Parish
    • Leesville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Westwood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
      • Westwood Village is located in Vernon Parish
    • Pickering
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickering have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickering
      • Pickering is located in Vernon Parish
    • Fort Polk North
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fort Polk
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Polk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Polk
      • Fort Polk is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Polk <1>
    • Elmwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Vernon Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmwood
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Elmwood
    • Savage Fork
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinewood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinewood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood
      • Pinewood is located in Vernon Parish
    • Slagle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slagle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slagle
      • Slagle is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slagle <1>
    • Rosepine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosepine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosepine
      • Rosepine is located in Vernon Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosepine <1>
    • Anacoco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Reids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reids. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reids
      • Reids is located in Allen Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Reids
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Reids
    • Grant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
      • Grant is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grant <1>
  • Beauregard Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Ludington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludington
      • Ludington is located in Beauregard Parish
    • Ikes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ikes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ikes
      • Ikes is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ikes
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Ikes
    • DeRidder
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for DeRidder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeRidder
      • DeRidder is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,521 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for DeRidder <1>
    • Sugartown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugartown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugartown
      • Sugartown is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugartown <1>
    • Merryville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Newlin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
      • Newlin is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newlin
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Newlin
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Bellwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bellwood
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Bellwood
    • Gorum
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Mora
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
    • Sieper
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sieper have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sieper
      • Sieper is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sieper <1>
    • Hineston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hineston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Sabine Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Rock ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
      • Rock is located in Sabine Parish
    • Toro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
      • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Toro
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Toro
    • Florien
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florien have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florien
      • Florien is located in Sabine Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florien <1>
    • Corleyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Fisher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Newton County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billy Goat Hill, with the one closest to Billy Goat Hill listed first.
    • Toledo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toledo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
      • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Toledo
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Toledo
    • South Toledo Bend
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Toledo Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Toledo Bend
      • South Toledo Bend is located in Newton County (TX)
    • Burkeville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Wiergate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiergate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiergate
      • Wiergate is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiergate <1>
    • Shanklerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Sabine County (TX)

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

Cemeteries Near Billy Goat Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Billy Goat Hill.

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 Billy Goat Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Gill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leesville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leesville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leesville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cemetery #7
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery #7
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery #7 have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cemetery #1
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery #1
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery #1 have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Craft Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Craft Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Craft Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cyer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cyer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (133 more) ...
    • Kay Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kay Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cemetery #6
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery #6
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery #6 have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Franklin Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Billy Goat Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Billy Goat Hill.

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

  • Leesville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Elmwood
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Elmwood is located in Vernon Parish
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Elmwood
    • From Billy Goat Hill to Elmwood
  • Caney
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
    • Caney is located in Vernon Parish
  • Anacoco
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Walnut Hill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hicks
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Simpson
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Toledo
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toledo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
    • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Toledo
    • From Billy Goat Hill to Toledo
  • Toro
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
    • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Toro
    • From Billy Goat Hill to Toro
  • Cora
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Vernon Parish
  • Kisatchie
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kisatchie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kisatchie
    • Kisatchie is located in Natchitoches Parish
  • Burkeville
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Dido
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dido. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dido
      • Dido is located in Vernon Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dido
      • From Billy Goat Hill to Dido
    • Mora
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
    • Corleyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Billy Goat Hill ...

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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around Billy Goat Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Billy Goat Hill, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Billy Goat Hill.

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 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 Billy Goat Hill:

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

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

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>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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Billy Goat Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Billy Goat Hill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Billy Goat Hill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.0883, Longitude: -93.2710       In this case, the coordinates for Billy Goat Hill have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025