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 Oaks (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 Oaks. 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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.
Oaks is located in Claiborne 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 Claiborne Parish: Columbia (AR), Union (AR), Bienville, Lincoln, Union & Webster.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Oaks. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oaks:
- Claiborne Parish (The home parish of Oaks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Haynesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Gordon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Dykesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Blackburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Homer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arizona
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
- Holly Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Summerfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Summerfield is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Lisbon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Athens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Darley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Darley is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darley
- Wards Mill ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wards Mill is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wards Mill
- Sugar Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Creek is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek
- Bienville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Taylor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gibsland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Arcadia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Lebanon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mount Lebanon is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
- Bossier Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Ivan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
- Bellevue
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Lincoln Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Hico
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hico is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
- Vining Mills ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vining Mills is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining Mills
- Dubach
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Union Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Cane Ridge ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cane Ridge is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Ridge
- Lillie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bernice
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Pisgah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pisgah is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Spearsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Webster Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Shongaloo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cotton Valley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cullen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sarepta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Springhill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Minden
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dixie Inn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Dubberly
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sibley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Columbia County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Emerson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Emerson is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Horsehead
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Western
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Western is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Calhoun
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Macedonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Welcome
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Philadelphia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Philadelphia is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Taylor
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Village is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village
- Magnolia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- McNeil
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Union County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Dodge City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dodge City is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Junction City
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Junction City is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 520 people
- Scotland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Scotland is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Blanchard Springs ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Blanchard Springs is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard Springs
- Mount Holly
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Lisbon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oaks, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Oaks.
Cemeteries Near Oaks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oaks.
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 Oaks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oaks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Friendship Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Old Haynesville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Taylor Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Old Pine Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- New Pine Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oakes Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Phipps Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Tinsley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Adkins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Kendrick Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (294 more) ...
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Meadows Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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 Oaks in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oaks.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oaks, with the one closest to Oaks listed first.
- Haynesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Gordon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Dykesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Blackburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Ware
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ware is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Millerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Millerton is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Homer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Shongaloo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Antioch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Antioch is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Arizona
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
- Holly Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Atlanta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Atlanta is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Plainfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Plainfield is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Brister
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Brister is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brister
- Horsehead
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oaks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oaks.
Newspapers Published in Oaks ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oaks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oaks, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oaks.
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 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 Oaks:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Claiborne Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bienville Parish
- Bossier Parish
- Lincoln Parish
- Union Parish
- Webster Parish
- Columbia 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> | 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 Oaks, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oaks) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |