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 Okaloosa (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 Okaloosa. 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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Okaloosa is located in Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish: Caldwell, Jackson, Lincoln, Morehouse, Richland & Union.
Below are the parishes that are near Okaloosa. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Okaloosa:
- Ouachita Parish (The home parish of Okaloosa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Lapine
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Forksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
- Indian Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Calhoun
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Frost Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Frost Town is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost Town
- Claiborne
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Claiborne is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
- Eureka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- West Monroe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,086 people
- Pino Bayou Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Pino Bayou Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino Bayou Village
- Richwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Richwood is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,375 people
- Monroe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bosco
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
- Cuba
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Bienville Parish
- English
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- English is located in Bienville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
- Caldwell Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Vixen
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
- Mount Pleasant
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Banks Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Banks Springs is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks Springs
- Columbia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clarks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grayson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kelly
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Jackson Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Eros
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Nash ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Nash is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
- Chatham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
- Cartwright
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cartwright is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- Zoar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Zoar is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
- Weston
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Weston is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Ansley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Ansley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansley
- East Hodge
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- East Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- North Hodge
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- North Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Quitman
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Jonesboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hodge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lincoln Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Averit ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Averit is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averit
- Choudrant
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sibley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sibley is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
- Cedarton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarton is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarton
- Ruston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grambling
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vienna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vienna is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
- Unionville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Unionville is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Simsboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dubach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Richland Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Alto
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alto is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Start
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Union Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Wilhite
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Wilhite is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhite
- Downsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Farmerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ouachita City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ouachita City is located in Union Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ouachita City
- Winn Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Newport
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Sikes
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
- Dodson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Gansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gansville is located in Winn Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Okaloosa, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Okaloosa.
Cemeteries Near Okaloosa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Okaloosa.
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 Okaloosa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Okaloosa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Frantom Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Williams Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Henson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Head Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Eros Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Parker Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker Cemetery
- The Parker Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mineral Springs CME Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68522 <2>
- New Sardis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Pierce Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Greater Apostolic Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (203 more) ...
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Old Sardis Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Beny Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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 Okaloosa in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Okaloosa.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Okaloosa, with the one closest to Okaloosa listed first.
- Cadeville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cadeville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadeville
- Lapine
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Nash ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Nash is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
- Forksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Forksville is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forksville
- Indian Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Dalley ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dalley is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalley
- Calhoun
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Cheniere
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cheniere is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheniere
- Averit ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Averit is located in Lincoln Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averit
- Blankston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Blankston is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blankston
- Logtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Logtown is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logtown
- West Monroe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,086 people
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Vernon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Vernon is located in Jackson Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Cuba
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Bosco
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Okaloosa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Okaloosa.
Newspapers Published in Okaloosa ...
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 Okaloosa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Okaloosa, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Okaloosa.
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 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 Okaloosa:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Ouachita Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bienville Parish
- Caldwell Parish
- Jackson Parish
- Lincoln Parish
- Richland Parish
- Union Parish
- Winn Parish
- 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 Okaloosa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Okaloosa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |