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 Helena (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 Helena. 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 and hospitals 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.
Helena is located in Tensas 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 Tensas Parish: Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Madison, Adams (MS), Claiborne (MS), Jefferson (MS) & Warren (MS).
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Helena. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Helena:
- Tensas Parish (The home parish of Helena)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Waterproof
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Highland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Highland is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Saint Joseph
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Newlight
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
- Newellton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Yucatan Landing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Yucatan Landing is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan Landing
- Catahoula Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Greenville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Wildwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Sicily Island
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
- Harrisonburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Enterprise
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Trinity
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Trinity is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Jonesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Concordia Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Clayton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dunbarton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dunbarton is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
- Ferriday
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sycamore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- West Ferriday
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- West Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ferriday
- Ridgecrest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
- Vidalia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Athlone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Athlone is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
- Chevey Chase
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
- Wildsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Elam
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Elam is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
- Wisner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gilbert
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Chase
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Jigger
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Swampers
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Swampers is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampers
- Extension
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Extension is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
- Crowville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Necessity
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Winnsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Adams County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Selma
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Selma is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Washington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Washington is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Natchez
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carthage
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Carthage is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Cloverdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cloverdale is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Jeannette
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Jeannette is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Claiborne County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Westside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Westside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
- Grand Gulf
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf
- Port Gibson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ingleside
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ingleside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Franklin County (MS)
- Hamburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hamburg is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Jefferson County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Rodney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Fayette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Harriston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Red Lick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Red Lick is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lick
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Helena, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Helena.
Cemeteries Near Helena ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helena.
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 Helena - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Helena covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Helena Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cross Keys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtle Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Oneonta Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Winona Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mound Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mayflower Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Gold Bell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Elder Shade Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Thistle Ridge Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Powells Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- New Zion Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Continue List (235 more) ...
- Loam Land Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Greenville Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Calhoun Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
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 Helena in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Helena.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
- Goldman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Goldman is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldman
- Waterproof
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Highland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Highland is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Saint Joseph
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gum Ridge ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gum Ridge is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Ridge
- Rodney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Greenville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Wildwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Gibson Landing
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Gibson Landing is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson Landing
- Clayton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Westside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Westside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
- Oakley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Oakley is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Sicily Island
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
- Bullitt Bayou
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Bullitt Bayou is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullitt Bayou
- Newellton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Helena. See our List of 1890's Communities around Helena.
Newspapers Published in Helena ...
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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helena.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Helena, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Helena.
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 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 Helena:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Tensas Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Catahoula Parish
- Concordia Parish
- Franklin Parish
- Adams County
- Claiborne County
- Franklin County
- Jefferson 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> | 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 Helena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Helena) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |