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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 Olla (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 Olla. 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 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.

Olla is located in La Salle 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 La Salle Parish: Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Grant, Rapides & Winn.

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

  • La Salle Parish     (The home parish of Olla)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Standard
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Standard is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard
    • Urania
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tullos
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Summerville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerville is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
    • Zenoria
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Zenoria is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenoria
    • Trout
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Midway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Midway is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Jena
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jena is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jena <1>
    • Sharp Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Sharp Town is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Town
  • Caldwell Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Kelly
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Clarks
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Grayson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Banks Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Banks Springs is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks Springs
    • Mount Pleasant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Columbia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fredericksburg ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Fredericksburg is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
    • Vixen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
  • Catahoula Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Rosefield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Rosefield is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosefield
    • Aimwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Enterprise
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Rhinehart
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrisonburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Utility
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Utility is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utility
    • Jonesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Franklin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Extension
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Extension is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
    • Fort Necessity
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Liddieville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Liddieville is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liddieville
    • Jigger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Georgetown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Black Creek ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
    • Antonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
    • Fishville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
    • Pollock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dry Prong
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bentley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Jackson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Zoar
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Zoar is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
    • Chatham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ouachita Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Cuba
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Bosco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
  • Winn Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olla, with the one closest to Olla listed first.
    • Flat Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
    • Newport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Newport is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Sikes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Joyce
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Hudson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Hudson is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
    • Winnfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Dodson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Whitford is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitford
    • Atlanta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Olla ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Olla.

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 Olla - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Olla Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Pinehill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Kees Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • McBroom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Urania Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Blake Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Benson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Little Chickasaw Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Harris Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (202 more) ...
    • McDaniel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hargrove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Nelson Cemetery
      (5 miles [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 Olla in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Olla.

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

  • Flat Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
  • Holum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Holum is located in Caldwell Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holum
  • Hickory Valley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory Valley is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Valley
  • Rosefield
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Rosefield is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosefield
  • Copenhagen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Copenhagen is located in Caldwell Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
  • Newport
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Newport is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
  • Cotton Plant
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Cotton Plant is located in Caldwell Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Plant
  • Aimwell
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Pleasant
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Fredericksburg ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fredericksburg is located in Caldwell Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
  • Columbia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Tunica ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Tunica is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunica
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Riverton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Riverton is located in Caldwell Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
    • Manifest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Manifest is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manifest
    • Enterprise
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Olla ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Olla.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Olla. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Olla and those printed in the larger area surrounding Olla.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4> of Olla.

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 Olla:

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 Olla, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Olla) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.