RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Natchitoches Parish >> Creston >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Creston (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 Creston. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Creston is located in 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 Creston. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Creston:

  • Natchitoches Parish     (The home parish of Creston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Chestnut
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
    • Caspari ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Caspari is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspari
    • Campti
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <1>
    • Goldonna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Grappes Bluff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
    • Clarence
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ashland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Ashland is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Powhatan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Forest is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Natchitoches
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Natchez
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Victoria
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Victoria is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
  • Bienville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Saline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Burkplace
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Burkplace is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkplace
    • Alberta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Alberta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
    • Lucky
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lucky is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Castor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • English
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • English is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
    • Bienville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Jamestown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Liberty Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Liberty Hill is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
    • Sparta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Sparta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
    • Ringgold
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • De Soto Parish
    • Butler ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Butler is located in De Soto Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
  • Grant Parish
    • Montgomery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Jonesboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hodge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • East Hodge
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • North Hodge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • North Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hodge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
  • Red River Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Martin
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Lake End
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Lake End is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake End
    • Coushatta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Edgefield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Edgefield is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
    • Hanna
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Hanna is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanna
    • Halfway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Halfway is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
    • Hall Summit
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Carroll
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Carroll is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Harmon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • East Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • East Point is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
    • Abington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Abington is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abington
    • Westdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Westdale is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale
  • Sabine Parish
    • Pleasant Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Winn Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Coldwater
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
    • Pine Ridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Couley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Couley is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
    • Saint Maurice
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bethlehem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Bethlehem is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Calvin
      (16 miles [25.7 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
    • Atlanta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Whitford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Whitford is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitford
    • Dodson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Winnfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Joyce
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Creston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Creston.

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

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

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

  • Weaver Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Campti Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Stewart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Nativity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Goldonna Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ramah Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • De Blieux Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Pace Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Hathorn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Thomas - Wren Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (129 more) ...
    • Russell Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Russell Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Chestnut
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
  • Campti
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • 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 <1>
  • Grappes Bluff
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grappes Bluff is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grappes Bluff
  • Clarence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Coldwater
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
  • Trichell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Trichell is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trichell
  • Timon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Timon is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timon
  • Brown
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Brown is located in Bienville Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown
  • Couley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Couley is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
  • Pine Ridge
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
  • Saline
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Lake End
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Lake End is located in Red River Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake End
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Natchitoches
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Saint Maurice
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Burkplace
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Burkplace is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkplace

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

Newspapers Published in Creston ...

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 Creston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Creston, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Creston.

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 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 Creston:

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 Creston, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Creston) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.