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 Shongaloo (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 Shongaloo. 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 southeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.
Old Shongaloo is located in Webster 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 Webster Parish: Columbia (AR), Lafayette (AR), Bienville, Bossier & Claiborne.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Old Shongaloo. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Old Shongaloo:
- Webster Parish (The home parish of Old Shongaloo)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Shongaloo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cullen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Springhill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Sarepta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cotton Valley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Minden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Dixie Inn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Bossier Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Ivan
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
- Plain Dealing
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bellevue
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Alden Bridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
- Princeton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caddo Parish
- Missionary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Missionary is located in Caddo Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionary
- Claiborne Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Dykesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Haynesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Blackburn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Gordon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Homer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Holly Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Arizona
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
- Summerfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Summerfield is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Athens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lisbon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Darley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Darley is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darley
- Columbia County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Western
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Western is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Horsehead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Emerson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Emerson is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Welcome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Taylor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Philadelphia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Philadelphia is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Calhoun
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Magnolia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Village is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village
- Waldo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Waldo is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,256 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waldo <1>
- McNeil
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lafayette County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Bradley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- McKamie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- McKamie is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKamie
- Walnut Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Gin City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gin City is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
- Buckner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Buckner is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Kress City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kress City is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kress City
- Stamps
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Stamps is located in Lafayette County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamps
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,467 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stamps <1>
- Lewisville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Union County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Dodge City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Dodge City is located in Union County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Mount Holly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Old Shongaloo, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Old Shongaloo.
Cemeteries Near Old Shongaloo ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Shongaloo.
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 Shongaloo - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Old Shongaloo covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Old Shongaloo Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Shongaloo Cemetery
- The Old Shongaloo Cemetery has also been known as:
- Old Shongallo Cemetery
- Old Shongaloo Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979623 <2>
- Haynes Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Glover Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hudson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- White Hall African-American Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Old Whitehall Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stewart - Walkerville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Wards Chapel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Anderson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Taylor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (247 more) ...
- St. Peter Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Slack Memorial Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Shongaloo in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Shongaloo.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Old Shongaloo, with the one closest to Old Shongaloo listed first.
- Shongaloo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Plainfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Plainfield is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Millerton
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Millerton is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Dykesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
- Horsehead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Horsehead is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsehead
- Welcome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Welcome is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Sarepta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Haynesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Blackburn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Brister
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brister is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brister
- Macedonia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Macedonia is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Cotton Valley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Sharman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sharman is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharman
- Ware
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ware is located in Columbia County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Gordon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Gordon is located in Claiborne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Old Shongaloo. See our List of 1890's Communities around Old Shongaloo.
Newspapers Published in Old Shongaloo ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Old Shongaloo.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Shongaloo, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Shongaloo.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Shongaloo:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Webster Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Bossier Parish
- Caddo Parish
- Claiborne Parish
- Columbia County
- Lafayette 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> | 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 Shongaloo, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Old Shongaloo) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |