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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 Dusenbury (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 Dusenbury. 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 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/counties 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/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Dusenbury is located in Vernon 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 Vernon Parish: Allen, Beauregard, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine & Newton (TX).

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

  • Vernon Parish     (The home parish of Dusenbury)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Alco
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Alco is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
    • Kurthwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Slagle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Walnut Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Walnut Hill is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Simpson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hicks
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Anacoco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Leesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Fort Polk North
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Fort Polk North is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Polk North
    • Fertitta Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fertitta Park is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertitta Park
    • Westwood Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Westwood Village is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Hornbeck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • New Llano
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairmount
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Colfax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Gorum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Derry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Derry is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
    • Cloutierville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Vowells Mill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Vowells Mill is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowells Mill
    • Flora
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Melrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Provencal
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Natchez
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Victoria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Victoria is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
    • Marco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Marco is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marco
    • Robeline
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Natchitoches
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Mora
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Flatwoods
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Sieper
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Hemphill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Hemphill is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
    • Lena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Hot Wells
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Hot Wells is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Wells
    • Rock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Rock is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Otis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Hineston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Gardner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Zimmerman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Zimmerman is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
    • Boyce
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Elmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sabine Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Corleyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
    • Florien
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Fisher
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Toro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
    • Many
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Many is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Many
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Many <1>
    • Negreet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Rock ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Rock is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
  • Newton County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dusenbury, with the one closest to Dusenbury listed first.
    • Toledo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
    • South Toledo Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • South Toledo Bend is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Toledo Bend

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

Cemeteries Near Dusenbury ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dusenbury.

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

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

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

  • West Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Ballview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Folly Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Booty Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • New Kisatchie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Kile Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Welcome Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Billy Dowden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Self Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (168 more) ...
    • Glass Window Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Comrade Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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.<2>

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

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

  • Kisatchie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Kisatchie is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kisatchie
  • Walnut Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Walnut Hill is located in Vernon Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
  • Simpson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Hicks
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
  • Mora
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Anacoco
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Gorum
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Leesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Bellwood
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
  • Derry
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Derry is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
  • Corleyville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
  • Vowells Mill
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Vowells Mill is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowells Mill
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Cloutierville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Caney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Caney is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
    • Chopin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Chopin is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chopin

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

Newspapers Published in Dusenbury ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dusenbury.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dusenbury, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dusenbury.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Dusenbury:

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>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 Dusenbury, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Dusenbury) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.