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 Chatham (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 Chatham. 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 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 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.
Chatham is located in Jackson 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 Jackson Parish: Bienville, Caldwell, Lincoln, Ouachita & Winn.
Below are the parishes that are near Chatham. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chatham:
- Jackson Parish (The home parish of Chatham)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
- Nash ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Nash is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
- Eros
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Zoar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Zoar is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
- Cartwright
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cartwright is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- Weston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Weston is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Ansley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Ansley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansley
- East Hodge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- East Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- North Hodge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- North Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Quitman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Hodge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Jonesboro
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bienville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- English
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- English is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
- Liberty Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Liberty Hill is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
- Bienville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Caldwell Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Vixen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
- Mount Pleasant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Banks Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Banks Springs is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks Springs
- Clarks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Columbia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grayson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kelly
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- La Salle Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Olla
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Standard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Standard is located in La Salle Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard
- Lincoln Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Averit ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Averit is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averit
- Choudrant
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sibley
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Sibley is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
- Ruston
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Grambling
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Cedarton is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarton
- Vienna
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Vienna is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
- Simsboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Unionville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Unionville is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Dubach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ouachita Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Indian Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Indian Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Lapine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Calhoun
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Forksville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
- Frost Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Frost Town is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost Town
- Eureka
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Cuba
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Claiborne
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Claiborne is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
- Bosco
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
- West Monroe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,086 people
- Richwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Richwood is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,375 people
- Monroe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pino Bayou Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pino Bayou Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino Bayou Village
- Union Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Downsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wilhite
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wilhite is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhite
- Winn Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Newport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Sikes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Dodson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hudson is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Gansville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gansville is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville
- Flat Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
- Joyce
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Winnfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Pine Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Calvin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chatham, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Chatham.
Cemeteries Near Chatham ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chatham.
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 Chatham - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chatham covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Chatham Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Greater Apostolic Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wyatt Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Concord Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Womack Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Henson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Clair Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bonett Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Brooklyn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (199 more) ...
- Tippen Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Frantom Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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 Chatham in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chatham.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chatham, with the one closest to Chatham listed first.
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
- Nash ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Nash is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
- Vernon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vernon is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Hebron
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Hebron is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Weston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Weston is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Cadeville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cadeville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadeville
- Indian Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Indian Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Lapine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Averit ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Averit is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averit
- Choudrant
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Gaars Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gaars Mill is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaars Mill
- Forksville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Calhoun
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Newport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Cotton Plant
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cotton Plant is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Plant
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chatham. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chatham.
Newspapers Published in Chatham ...
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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chatham.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chatham, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chatham.
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 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 Chatham:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Jackson Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bienville Parish
- Caldwell Parish
- La Salle Parish
- Lincoln Parish
- Ouachita Parish
- Union Parish
- Winn Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
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 Chatham, 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- Chatham) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |