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 Gowen (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 Gowen. 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 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.
Gowen is located in West Carroll Parish.
To see how the shape of Louisiana's parishes have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of West Carroll Parish: Chicot (AR), East Carroll, Morehouse & Richland.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Gowen. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gowen:
- West Carroll Parish (The home parish of Gowen)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Darnell
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darnell
- Darnell is located in West Carroll Parish
- Epps
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epps have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epps
- Epps is located in West Carroll Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epps <2>
- Pioneer
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
- Pioneer is located in West Carroll Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pioneer <2>
- Forest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Oak Grove is located in West Carroll Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,518 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Grove <2>
- Fiske
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiske
- Fiske is located in West Carroll Parish
- Kilbourne
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- East Carroll Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Transylvania
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Transylvania have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transylvania
- Transylvania is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Transylvania <2>
- Sondheimer
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sondheimer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondheimer
- Sondheimer is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sondheimer <2>
- Lake Providence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Baskinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baskinton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskinton
- Baskinton is located in Franklin Parish
- Crowville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Big Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
- Big Creek is located in Franklin Parish
- Madison Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Waverly
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Waverly is located in Madison Parish
- Tendal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tendal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tendal
- Tendal is located in Madison Parish
- Quebec
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quebec. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
- Quebec is located in Madison Parish
- Omega
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Omega. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Omega is located in Madison Parish
- Tallulah
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ashly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ashly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashly
- Ashly is located in Madison Parish
- Richmond
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Richmond is located in Madison Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 530 people
- Barnes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barnes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
- Barnes is located in Madison Parish
- Thomastown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomastown
- Thomastown is located in Madison Parish
- Morehouse Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Oak Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Oak Ridge is located in Morehouse Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Ridge <2>
- Mer Rouge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mer Rouge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mer Rouge
- Mer Rouge is located in Morehouse Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 534 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mer Rouge <2>
- Bonita
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jones
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Jones is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jones <2>
- Collinston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinston
- Collinston is located in Morehouse Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collinston <2>
- Windsor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Windsor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Windsor is located in Morehouse Parish
- Brodnax ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brodnax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodnax
- Brodnax is located in Morehouse Parish
- Bastrop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Richland Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Delhi
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Dunn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Dunn is located in Richland Parish
- Holly Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
- Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
- Rayville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayville
- Rayville is located in Richland Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,436 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rayville <2>
- Start
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Start have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Start
- Start is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Start <2>
- Archibald
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Archibald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archibald
- Archibald is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Archibald <2>
- Alto
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Alto is located in Richland Parish
- Mangham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ashley County (AR)
- Wilmot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Wilmot is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Issaquena County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Tallula
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tallula. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallula
- Tallula is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Chotard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chotard
- Chotard is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Mayersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayersville
- Mayersville is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 517 people
- Sharkey County (MS)
- Onward
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onward
- Onward is located in Sharkey County (MS)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gowen, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Gowen.
Cemeteries Near Gowen ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gowen.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gowen covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Epps Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bethany Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Wilson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Palestine Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palestine Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palestine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jackson Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Fairview Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Forest Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Seven Star Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seven Star Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seven Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- McGaha Memorial
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McGaha Memorial
- To give a relative sense of its location, the McGaha Memorial is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<5> to the northeast of Oak Grove.
- The McGaha Memorial has also been known as:
- Redwing Cemetery Addition
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1959643 <4>
- Redwing Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redwing Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Redwing Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<5> to the northeast of Oak Grove.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1451349 <4>
- Forest Church of God Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (84 more) ...
- Shanks Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shanks Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shanks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- McKnight Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKnight Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKnight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Newton Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<6>
While we didn't find Gowen in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gowen.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gowen, with the one closest to Gowen listed first.
- Floyd
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floyd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
- Floyd is located in West Carroll Parish
- Forest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Delhi
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Altoona
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
- Altoona is located in Madison Parish
- Waverly
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Waverly is located in Madison Parish
- Oak Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Oak Grove is located in West Carroll Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,518 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Grove <2>
- Holly Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
- Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
- Tendal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tendal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tendal
- Tendal is located in Madison Parish
- Bee Bayou
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bee Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Bayou
- Bee Bayou is located in Richland Parish
- Quebec
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quebec. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
- Quebec is located in Madison Parish
- Oak Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Oak Ridge is located in Morehouse Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Ridge <2>
- Arcadia ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arcadia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Arcadia is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Lake Providence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Omega
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Omega. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Omega is located in Madison Parish
- Shelburn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburn
- Shelburn is located in East Carroll Parish
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gowen. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gowen.
Newspapers Published in Gowen ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gowen.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gowen, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gowen.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Gowen:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to West Carroll Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- East Carroll Parish
- Franklin Parish
- Madison Parish
- Morehouse Parish
- Richland Parish
- Ashley County
- Issaquena County
- Sharkey County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gowen. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<4> | 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. |
<5> | 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- Gowen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gowen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.6543, Longitude: -91.4609 In this case, the coordinates for Gowen have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<6> | 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 Gowen, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |