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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 Longleaf (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 Longleaf. 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 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Longleaf is located in Rapides 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 Rapides Parish: Allen, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Grant, La Salle, Natchitoches & Vernon.

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

  • Rapides Parish     (The home parish of Longleaf)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • McNary
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • McNary is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Glenmora
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodworth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lecompte
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Loyd
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Elmer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cheneyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Moreland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Hineston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Whittington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
    • Otis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • Pawnee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Pawnee is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee
    • Oakdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mab
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mab is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mab
    • Elizabeth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ward
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Ward is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Marionville ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Marionville is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marionville
    • Bond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Bond is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond
    • Reids
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Reids is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reids
    • Canton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Canton is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Tenmile
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Tenmile is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile
    • Grant
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cherry Grove is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • Eola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Bunkie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <1>
    • Milburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Egg Bend
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
    • Gold Dust
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Hessmer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Evergreen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Center Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Enterprise
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Effie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cottonport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Marksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Beauregard Parish
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • Turkey Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Pine Prairie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Landry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Reddell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Mamou
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Mamou is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mamou
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mamou <1>
    • Ville Platte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • Creola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Creola is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Creola has also been known as:
      • Creola village
    • Fairmount
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • Morrow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Vernon Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longleaf, with the one closest to Longleaf listed first.
    • Leander
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Leander is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
    • Dido
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Dido is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dido
    • Lacamp
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Pitkin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Fullerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Cravens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cravens is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cravens
    • Hicks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks

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

Cemeteries Near Longleaf ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Longleaf.

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

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

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

  • Rocky Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Butters Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Liberty Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Glenmora Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rose Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Pisgah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Campground Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Paul Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Martin Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Indian Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (199 more) ...
    • Melder Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Science Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Carnal Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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

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

  • Melder
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lecompte
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Loyd
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
  • Elmer
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lamourie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lamourie is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamourie
  • Cheneyville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Moreland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
  • Hineston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Haas
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Haas is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
  • Milford ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Milford is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
  • Poland
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Poland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland
  • Cora
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Cora is located in Vernon Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Eola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Dido
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Dido is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dido
    • Weil
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Weil is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil

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

Newspapers Published in Longleaf ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Longleaf.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Longleaf, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Longleaf.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Longleaf:

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