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 Midway (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 Midway. 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 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 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.
Midway is located in Bossier 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 Bossier Parish: Lafayette (AR), Miller (AR), Bienville, Caddo, Red River & Webster.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Midway. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Midway:
- Bossier Parish (The home parish of Midway)
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Bellevue
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Ivan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
- Alden Bridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
- Benton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Princeton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Eastwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Espanita Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
- Red Chute
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
- Fillmore
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fillmore is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Bodcau
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
- Haughton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Parkland Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
- Bienville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Armistead
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Armistead is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armistead
- Taylor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Caddo Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Belcher
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Gilliam
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shreveport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blanchard
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Normandy Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Normandy Village is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy Village
- Hosston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Black Bayou ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou
- Mooringsport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Chateau Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chateau Village is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Village
- Longwood Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Longwood Village is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood Village
- Oil City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Silver Pine Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Pine Village is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Pine Village
- Claiborne Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Holly Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Blackburn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Dykesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Webster Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Cotton Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sarepta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Doyline
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dixie Inn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Minden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cullen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Springhill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sibley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow Pine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow Pine is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
- Shongaloo
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Dubberly
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Buckhorn ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
- Columbia County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Welcome
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Taylor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Western
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Western is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Lafayette County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Bradley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Walnut Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Gin City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Gin City is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
- Miller County (AR)
- Capps City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Capps City is located in Miller County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps City
- Harrison County (TX)
- Uncertain
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Midway, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Midway.
Cemeteries Near Midway ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Midway.
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 Midway - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Midway covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Pilkinson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sibley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Raymond Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pilgrim Home Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Player Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Old Red River Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hawkins Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Benton Community Club Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dove Dale Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Graham Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hodges Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (207 more) ...
- Flaherty Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fellowship Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Midway had a population of 14 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Bellevue
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Ivan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
- Rocky Mount
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rocky Mount is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
- Hughes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hughes is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughes
- Alden Bridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
- Benton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Vanceville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Vanceville is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanceville
- Brownlee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brownlee is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee
- Bodcau
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
- Cotton Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Haughton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Collinsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Collinsburg is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsburg
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Dorcheat
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Dorcheat is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcheat
- Plain Dealing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sarepta
(14 miles [22.5 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 Midway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Midway.
Newspapers Published in Midway ...
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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Midway.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Midway, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Midway.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Midway:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Bossier Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bienville Parish
- Caddo Parish
- Claiborne Parish
- Webster Parish
- Columbia County
- Lafayette County
- Miller County
- Harrison 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 Midway, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Midway) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |