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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Clear Lake. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Clear Lake to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Clear Lake, please Contact Us.

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 Clear Lake (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 Clear Lake. 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 Clear Lake ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

Another variation: Clearlake.

  • A typical abbreviation for Clear Lake: Clear Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Clear Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Clear Lake.

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 ...

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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Clear Lake is historic, it would have been located within present day Natchitoches 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 Natchitoches Parish: Bienville, De Soto, Grant, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Vernon & Winn.

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

  • Natchitoches Parish     (The home parish of Clear Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Clarence
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Caspari ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Caspari is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspari
    • Goldonna
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Campti
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Campti is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campti
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campti <2>
    • Natchitoches
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chestnut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
    • Forest
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Grappes Bluff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
    • Powhatan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Natchez
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Ashland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashland is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Melrose
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Flora
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Bienville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Saline
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Burkplace
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Burkplace is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkplace
    • Lucky
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Lucky is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Alberta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Alberta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
    • English
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • English is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
    • Castor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • De Soto Parish
    • Butler ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Butler is located in De Soto Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Black Creek ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
    • Colfax
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Jonesboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • East Hodge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • East Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hodge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Hodge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Red River Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Lake End
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Lake End is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake End
    • Martin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Martin is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 543 people
    • Hanna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Hanna is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanna
    • Edgefield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgefield is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
    • Coushatta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Carroll
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Carroll is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Halfway
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Halfway is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
    • Hall Summit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Harmon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Winn Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Lake, with the one closest to Clear Lake listed first.
    • Couley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Couley is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
    • Coldwater
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
    • Saint Maurice
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Calvin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethlehem
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethlehem is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Atlanta
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Whitford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Whitford is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitford
    • Pine Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Winnfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Joyce
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gansville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Gansville is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville
    • Dodson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hudson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hudson is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson

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

Cemeteries Near Clear Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clear Lake.

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 Clear Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Saline Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Tucker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Tucker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Harmony Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Old Harmony Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • De Blieux Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Russell Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Russell Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Franks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (135 more) ...
    • Franks Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Campti Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Memory Lawn 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.

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

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

  • Trichell
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Trichell is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trichell
  • Clarence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Couley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Couley is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
  • Saint Maurice
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Coldwater
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
  • Campti
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Campti is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campti
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campti <2>
  • Natchitoches
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Chestnut
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
  • Mount Zion
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Zion is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
  • Atlanta
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Grappes Bluff
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
  • Bermuda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bermuda is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Montgomery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Pine Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Timon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Timon is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timon

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

Newspapers Published in Clear Lake ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clear Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clear Lake, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clear Lake.

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 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 Clear Lake:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Clear Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Clear Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.