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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 Brian (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 Brian. 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 Counties/Parishes ...

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

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest 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 north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/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 counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Brian is located in Caddo 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 Caddo Parish: Lafayette (AR), Miller (AR), Bossier, De Soto, Red River, Cass (TX), Harrison (TX), Marion (TX) & Panola (TX).

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

  • Caddo Parish     (The home parish of Brian)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Mooringsport
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Blanchard
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Longwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Longwood is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Oil City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Belcher
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Longwood Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Longwood Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood Village
    • Western Hills Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Black Bayou ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou
    • Gilliam
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Shreveport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chateau Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Chateau Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Village
  • Bossier Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Benton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bossier City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Alden Bridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
    • Parkland Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • Espanita Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
    • Red Chute
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
    • Bodcau
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
    • Eastwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Plain Dealing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellevue
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Fillmore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Fillmore is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Princeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • De Soto Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Stonewall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Frierson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Miller County (AR)
    • Capps City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Capps City is located in Miller County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps City
  • Cass County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • McLeod
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Huffins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Huffins is located in Cass County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffins
    • Kildare
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bivins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Harrison County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Uncertain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Waskom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Waskom is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waskom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waskom <1>
    • Jonesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Karnack
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Baldwin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Baldwin is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
    • Scottsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Pope City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Pope City is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope City
    • Elysian Fields
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodlawn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Woodlawn is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
    • Marshall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Marshall is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,523 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marshall <1>
    • Nesbitt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Nesbitt is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesbitt
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 281 people
  • Marion County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Jefferson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Lodi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kellyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Kellyville is located in Marion County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyville
  • Panola County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brian, with the one closest to Brian listed first.
    • Panola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • De Berry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Brian ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brian.

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

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

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

  • McDonald Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Walker Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Dean Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Republican Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Swanson Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Light Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Round Grove Memorial Gardens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Blocker Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (180 more) ...
    • Mt. Zion Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Dickson Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Carolina Bluff 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.<3>

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

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

  • Blanchard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mooringsport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Latex
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Latex is located in Caddo Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latex
  • Longwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Longwood is located in Caddo Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
  • Vanceville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Vanceville is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanceville
  • Benton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Brownlee
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Brownlee is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee
  • Waskom
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Waskom is located in Harrison County (TX)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waskom
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waskom <1>
  • Greenwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Flournoy
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Jewella ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jewella is located in Caddo Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewella
  • Jonesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Shreveport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bossier City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Bayou ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou

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

Newspapers Published in Brian ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brian.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brian, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brian.

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 websites either 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 Brian:

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 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.
<3>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 Brian, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Brian) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.