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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 Old Shell Beach (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 Old Shell Beach. 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.

Name Variations for Old Shell Beach ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Old Shell Beach: Old Shell Bch.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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 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.

Old Shell Beach is located in Saint Bernard 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 Saint Bernard Parish: Orleans & Plaquemines.

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

  • Saint Bernard Parish     (The home parish of Old Shell Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • Shell Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Shell Beach is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Beach
    • Yscloskey
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Yscloskey is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yscloskey
    • Alluvial City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Alluvial City is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alluvial City
    • Hopedale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Hopedale is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
    • Reggio
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Reggio is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reggio
    • Verret
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Verret is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verret
    • Toca
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Toca is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toca
    • Saint Bernard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Sebastopol
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Sebastopol is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
    • Poydras
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Poydras is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poydras
    • Mohawk City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Mohawk City is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk City
    • Violet
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • Terrytown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Timberlane
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Timberlane is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
    • Gretna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Gretna is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,615 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <1>
    • Harvey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Woodmere
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Woodmere is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmere
    • Crown Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Estelle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Estelle is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
    • Marrero
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jean Lafitte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jean Lafitte is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jean Lafitte
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,996 people
    • Westwego
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Barataria
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bridge City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Orleans Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • Lake Catherine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • Pine Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Village is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
    • Gentilly Terrace
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gentilly Terrace is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly Terrace
    • Gentilly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gentilly is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly
    • New Orleans
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Milneburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Milneburg is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milneburg
  • Plaquemines Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • Braithwaite
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • English Turn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • English Turn is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Turn
    • Scarsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Scarsdale is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarsdale
    • Belle Chasse
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Stella
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Stella is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Linwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Linwood is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
    • Pointe a la Hache
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • West Pointe A La Hache
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • West Pointe A La Hache is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pointe A La Hache
    • Carlisle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Monsecour
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Monsecour is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monsecour
    • Woodland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodland is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • Cedar Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Plaquemines Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
  • Saint Tammany Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • North Shore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • North Shore is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
    • Oak Harbor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Oak Harbor is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Harbor
    • Eden Isle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Eden Isle is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Isle
    • North Shore Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • North Shore Beach is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore Beach
    • Lake Shore Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Lake Shore Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore Village
    • McClane City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • McClane City is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClane City
    • Slidell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Slidell is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slidell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,541 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slidell <1>
    • Bon Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Bon Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Village
    • Lake Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lake Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Huntwyck Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Huntwyck Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntwyck Village
    • Tanglewood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Tanglewood Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood Village
  • Hancock County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Shell Beach, with the one closest to Old Shell Beach listed first.
    • Pearlington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Logtown ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Logtown is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logtown
    • Lakeshore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeshore is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeshore

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

Cemeteries Near Old Shell Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Shell Beach.

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 Old Shell Beach - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Old Shell Beach covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • True Love Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Merrit Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Ellen Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • English Turn Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • St. Bernard Memorial Gardens
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Scarsdale Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Resthaven Memorial Park
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Chalmette National Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Belair Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Nero Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pt. Celeste Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (80 more) ...
    • Ballowe Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Westlawn Memorial Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Westlawn South Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)

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 Old Shell Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Shell Beach.

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

  • Yscloskey
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Yscloskey is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yscloskey
  • Shell Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Shell Beach is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Beach
  • Hopedale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hopedale is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
  • Reggio
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Reggio is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reggio
  • Verret
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Verret is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verret
  • Contreras
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Contreras is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contreras
  • Kenilworth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Kenilworth is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenilworth
  • Toca
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Toca is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toca
  • Saint Bernard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Sebastopol
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Sebastopol is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
  • Poydras
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Poydras is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poydras
  • Violet
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Saxonholm
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Saxonholm is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxonholm
    • Story
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Story is also located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
    • Chef Menteur
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chef Menteur is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chef Menteur

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

Newspapers Published in Old Shell Beach ...

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 533 newspapers that have been published in the area around Old Shell Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Shell Beach, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Shell Beach.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Old Shell Beach:

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 Old Shell Beach, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Old Shell Beach) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.