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 Mer Rouge (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 Mer Rouge. 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 northwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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/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 north 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.
Mer Rouge is located in Morehouse 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 Morehouse Parish: Ashley (AR), Chicot (AR), Union (AR), Ouachita, Richland, Union & West Carroll.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Mer Rouge. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mer Rouge:
- Morehouse Parish (The home parish of Mer Rouge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Bastrop
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brodnax ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brodnax is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodnax
- Collinston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Windsor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Windsor is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Bonita
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jones
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ouachita Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Fairbanks
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sterlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Swartz
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Leisure Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Leisure Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
- Northpark Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Northpark Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northpark Village
- Spanish City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Spanish City is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish City
- Monroe
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pino Bayou Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pino Bayou Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino Bayou Village
- Richwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Richwood is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,375 people
- West Monroe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,086 people
- Claiborne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Claiborne is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
- Richland Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Start
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Rayville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Holly Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
- Dunn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dunn is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Delhi
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Alto
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Alto is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Archibald
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Union Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Ouachita City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ouachita City is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ouachita City
- Haile
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Haile is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haile
- Marion
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Wilhite
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wilhite is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhite
- West Carroll Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Fiske
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fiske is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiske
- Pioneer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Darnell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Darnell is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darnell
- Epps
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Epps is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epps
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epps <1>
- Forest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ashley County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Elon ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Elon is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
- Meridian
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Meridian is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
- Wilmot
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmot is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Crossett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Parkdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Crossett
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- West Crossett is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Crossett
- North Crossett
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- North Crossett is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Crossett
- Hamburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Union County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Felsenthal
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Felsenthal is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felsenthal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
- Huttig
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Huttig is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huttig
- Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mer Rouge, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Mer Rouge.
Cemeteries Near Mer Rouge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mer Rouge.
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 Mer Rouge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mer Rouge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Dunmore Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mer Rouge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Courney Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cooper Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Carter Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Carter Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Heart Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Morehouse Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bastrop City Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Howell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (123 more) ...
- Christ Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pine Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Bastrop.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68589 <2>
- Cooper Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Mer Rouge had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Mer Rouge had a population of 534 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mer Rouge, with the one closest to Mer Rouge listed first.
- Cleora ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cleora is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleora
- Bastrop
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brodnax ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brodnax is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodnax
- Doss ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Doss is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doss
- Oak Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Causey ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Causey is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Causey
- Bonita
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jones
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ouachita City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ouachita City is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ouachita City
- De Siard
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- De Siard is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Siard
- Elon ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Elon is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
- Crew Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Crew Lake is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crew Lake
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Girard
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Girard is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
- Rayville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bee Bayou
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bee Bayou is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Bayou
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mer Rouge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mer Rouge.
Newspapers Published in Mer Rouge ...
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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mer Rouge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mer Rouge, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mer Rouge.
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 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 Mer Rouge:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Morehouse Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Ouachita Parish
- Richland Parish
- Union Parish
- West Carroll Parish
- Ashley County
- Union 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> | 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 Mer Rouge, 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' (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- Mer Rouge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |