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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 Monroe (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 Monroe. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 west contained birth and death records; the parish to the north 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.

Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish and is the Parish Seat.

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 Ouachita Parish: Caldwell, Jackson, Lincoln, Morehouse, Richland & Union.

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

  • Ouachita Parish     (The home parish of Monroe)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • West Monroe
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Spanish City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish City
      • Spanish City is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Pino Bayou Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pino Bayou Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino Bayou Village
      • Pino Bayou Village is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Richwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
      • Richwood is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,375 people
    • Claiborne
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claiborne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
      • Claiborne is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Leisure Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leisure Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
      • Leisure Village is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Northpark Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northpark Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northpark Village
      • Northpark Village is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Swartz
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairbanks
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairbanks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
      • Fairbanks is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairbanks <2>
    • Lapine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lapine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
      • Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lapine
      • From Monroe to Lapine
    • Sterlington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterlington
      • Sterlington is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,974 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterlington <2>
    • Forksville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
      • Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forksville
      • From Monroe to Forksville
    • Calhoun
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calhoun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Calhoun is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calhoun <2>
  • Caldwell Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Vixen
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vixen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
      • Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vixen
      • From Monroe to Vixen
    • Mount Pleasant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Columbia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
      • Columbia is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Columbia <2>
    • Banks Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Franklin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Big Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Baskin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baskin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskin
      • Baskin is located in Franklin Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 240 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baskin <2>
    • Baskinton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Baskinton
      • From Monroe to Baskinton
    • Liddieville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Eros
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eros have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eros
      • Eros is located in Jackson Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eros <2>
    • Cartwright
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cartwright. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
      • Cartwright is located in Jackson Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cartwright
      • From Monroe to Cartwright
    • Nash ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nash have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
      • Nash is located in Jackson Parish
    • Chatham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Chatham is located in Jackson Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 551 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatham <2>
    • Dalley ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dalley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
      • Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
    • Zoar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Lincoln Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Averit ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Averit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averit
      • Averit is located in Lincoln Parish
    • Sibley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sibley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
      • Sibley is located in Lincoln Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sibley
      • From Monroe to Sibley
    • Choudrant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Choudrant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choudrant
      • Choudrant is located in Lincoln Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Choudrant <2>
    • Cedarton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedarton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarton
      • Cedarton is located in Lincoln Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cedarton
      • From Monroe to Cedarton
    • Ruston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Morehouse Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Windsor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Windsor
      • From Monroe to Windsor
    • Collinston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Oak Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Bastrop
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mer Rouge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Richland Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Start
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Alto
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Rayville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Archibald
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Mangham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • New Light
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Holly Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Union Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monroe, with the one closest to Monroe listed first.
    • Wilhite
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ouachita City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Downsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Haile
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Farmerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmerville
      • Farmerville is located in Union Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmerville <2>
    • Marion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Monroe ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Monroe.

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 Monroe covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Monroe had a population of 3,256 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Monroe had a population of 46,998 people.

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

  • West Monroe
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sicard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sicard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicard
    • Sicard is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Millhaven
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millhaven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millhaven
    • Millhaven is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Cheniere
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheniere have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheniere
    • Cheniere is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Lapine
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lapine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
    • Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lapine
    • From Monroe to Lapine
  • Logtown
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Logtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logtown
    • Logtown is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Forksville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
    • Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Forksville
    • From Monroe to Forksville
  • Crew Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crew Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crew Lake
    • Crew Lake is located in Richland Parish
  • De Siard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Siard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Siard
    • De Siard is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Point
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point
    • Point is located in Union Parish
  • Cadeville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cadeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadeville
    • Cadeville is located in Ouachita Parish
  • Ouachita City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Calhoun
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calhoun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Calhoun is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calhoun <2>
    • Cuba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cuba. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cuba
      • From Monroe to Cuba
    • Bosco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bosco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
      • Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bosco
      • From Monroe to Bosco

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Monroe ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Monroe.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Monroe. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Monroe and those printed in the larger area surrounding Monroe.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within Less than 2 miles<6> of Monroe.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Monroe:

The official website for Monroe: www.ci.monroe.la.us/

The official website for Ouachita Parish: www.oppj.org/

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>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 Monroe, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Monroe) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Monroe. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.5122, Longitude: -92.1149    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025