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 Coker (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 Coker. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Coker is located in De Soto 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 De Soto Parish: Caddo, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Panola (TX) & Shelby (TX).
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Coker. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Coker:
- De Soto Parish (The home parish of Coker)
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- South Mansfield
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- South Mansfield is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Mansfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
- Mansfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Oxford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Grand Cane
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Screamerville ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Screamerville is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamerville
- Pelican
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stanley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Stanley is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Butler ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Butler is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Gloster
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Longstreet
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Logansport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Keachi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keachi is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keachi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
- Bossier Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Atkins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Atkins is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Elm Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Caddo Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Keithville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Spring Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Ridge is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Ridge
- Ellerbe Woods
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ellerbe Woods is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerbe Woods
- Edgewood Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Edgewood Village is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood Village
- South Towne Heights
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- South Towne Heights is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Towne Heights
- Summer Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Summer Grove is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Grove
- Reisor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Reisor is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reisor
- Natchitoches Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Marthaville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Grappes Bluff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
- Red River Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Abington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Abington is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abington
- Harmon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Westdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Westdale is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale
- Carroll
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Carroll is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- East Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- East Point is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
- Coushatta
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hanna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hanna is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanna
- Edgefield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Edgefield is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
- Halfway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Halfway is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Lake End
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lake End is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake End
- Hall Summit
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Martin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Martin is located in Red River Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 543 people
- Sabine Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Converse
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hamlin ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hamlin is located in Sabine Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Noble
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Belmont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bayou Scie
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bayou Scie is located in Sabine Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Scie
- Zwolle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Shelby County (TX)
- The following are listed by their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Haslam
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Haslam is located in Shelby County (TX)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haslam
- Huxley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Huxley is located in Shelby County (TX)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people
- Joaquin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Campti
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Campti is located in Shelby County (TX)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campti
- Shelbyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Africa ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Africa is located in Shelby County (TX)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
- Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Coker, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Coker.
Cemeteries Near Coker ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Coker.
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 Coker - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Coker covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Stephenson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Flanagan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Guy Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Williams Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Creswell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Truevine Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Allen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Barber Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cook Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (140 more) ...
- Sebastian Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Woodvine Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Friendship Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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 Coker in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Coker.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Coker, with the one closest to Coker listed first.
- Mansfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Oxford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Cook ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cook is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
- Lula
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lula is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lula
- Grand Cane
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Carmel
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Carmel is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel
- Pelican
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kingston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Kingston is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Mitchell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mitchell is located in Sabine Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Gloster
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Butler ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Butler is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Longstreet
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Pleasant Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Logansport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Keachi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keachi is located in De Soto Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keachi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Coker. See our List of 1890's Communities around Coker.
Newspapers Published in Coker ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Coker.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Coker, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Coker.
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 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 Coker:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to De Soto Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bossier Parish
- Caddo Parish
- Natchitoches Parish
- Red River Parish
- Sabine Parish
- Shelby County
- 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 Coker, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Coker) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |