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 Dodson (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 Dodson. 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 hospitals 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.
Dodson is located in Winn 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 Winn Parish: Bienville, Caldwell, Grant, Jackson, La Salle & Natchitoches.
Below are the parishes that are near Dodson. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dodson:
- Winn Parish (The home parish of Dodson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Gansville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Gansville is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville
- Hudson
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hudson is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Bethlehem
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Sikes
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Joyce
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Winnfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Calvin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coldwater
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Pine Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Newport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Newport is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Whitford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Whitford is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitford
- Flat Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
- Atlanta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Bienville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- English
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- English is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
- Saline
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Burkplace
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burkplace is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkplace
- Liberty Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty Hill is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
- Lucky
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lucky is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Bienville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Alberta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Alberta is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
- Caldwell Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Vixen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
- Mount Pleasant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Kelly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Clarks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Grant Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Black Creek ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Georgetown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Jonesboro
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Weston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Weston is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Hodge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- East Hodge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- East Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- North Hodge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- North Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Zoar
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Zoar is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
- Quitman
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Chatham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
- Ansley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Ansley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansley
- Nash ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Nash is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
- Eros
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cartwright
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cartwright is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- La Salle Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Tullos
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Urania
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Olla
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Standard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Standard is located in La Salle Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard
- Zenoria
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Zenoria is located in La Salle Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenoria
- Natchitoches Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Goldonna
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Chestnut
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
- Caspari ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Caspari is located in Natchitoches Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspari
- Ashland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Ashland is located in Natchitoches Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Clarence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Campti
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ouachita Parish
- Indian Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Indian Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dodson, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Dodson.
Cemeteries Near Dodson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dodson.
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 Dodson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dodson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Transport Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Gansville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Siloam Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Crockett Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Morning Star Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McDade Memorial Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Teagle Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Winnfield Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Boyett Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- McCarty Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (165 more) ...
- McDonald Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jonesboro Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Willis Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
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 Dodson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dodson.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dodson, with the one closest to Dodson listed first.
- Gaars Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gaars Mill is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaars Mill
- Gansville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Gansville is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville
- Winnfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Weston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Weston is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Coldwater
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Hebron
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Hebron is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Pine Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Hickory Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Hickory Valley is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Valley
- Tunica ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Tunica is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunica
- Flat Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
- Newport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Newport is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Friendship
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Friendship is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Couley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Couley is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
- Atlanta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dodson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dodson.
Newspapers Published in Dodson ...
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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dodson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dodson, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dodson.
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 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 Dodson:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Winn Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bienville Parish
- Caldwell Parish
- Grant Parish
- Jackson Parish
- La Salle Parish
- Natchitoches Parish
- Ouachita 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 Dodson, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dodson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |