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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Overton. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Overton to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Overton, please Contact Us.

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 Overton (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 Overton. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Overton is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Overton. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Overton:

  • Webster Parish     (The home parish of Overton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Dixie Inn
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
    • Minden
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sibley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Dubberly
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Yellow Pine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Yellow Pine is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
    • Doyline
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Buckhorn ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
    • Heflin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Cotton Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sarepta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Shongaloo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cullen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Bienville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Taylor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Armistead
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Armistead is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armistead
    • Gibsland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Mount Lebanon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Mount Lebanon is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Ringgold
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jamestown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Bryceland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bryceland is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryceland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Sparta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sparta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
    • Arcadia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Castor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bienville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Alberta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Alberta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
  • Bossier Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Fillmore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Fillmore is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Haughton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Princeton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bellevue
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Eastwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Bodcau
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
    • Espanita Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
    • Red Chute
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
    • Ivan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
    • Elm Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Atkins
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Atkins is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
    • Parkland Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
  • Caddo Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Normandy Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Normandy Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy Village
    • Shreveport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Ellerbe Woods
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellerbe Woods is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerbe Woods
    • Chateau Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Chateau Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Village
  • Claiborne Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Holly Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Darley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Darley is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darley
    • Athens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Blackburn
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Blackburn is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
    • Homer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Homer is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,789 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer <2>
    • Dykesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Dykesville is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykesville
    • Sugar Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Sugar Creek is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek
    • Arizona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Arizona is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arizona
    • Haynesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Lisbon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Lincoln Parish
    • Simsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Red River Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overton, with the one closest to Overton listed first.
    • Hall Summit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • East Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • East Point is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
    • Westdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Westdale is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale

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

Cemeteries Near Overton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Overton.

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

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

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

  • Overton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Knottingham Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Minden Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Lane Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Allen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Burns Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Fuller Memorial Shrine Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Garden of Memory Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Crowe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (246 more) ...
    • Richardson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Walker Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Keene Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)

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.

While we didn't find Overton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Overton.

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

  • Minden
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Sibley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Dubberly
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Dorcheat
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dorcheat is located in Webster Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcheat
  • Doyline
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Buckhorn ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
  • Langston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Langston is located in Claiborne Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
  • Taylor
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Holly Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
  • Haughton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Armistead
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Armistead is located in Bienville Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armistead
  • Gibsland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Darley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Darley is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darley
    • Bellevue
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Mount Lebanon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Mount Lebanon is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people

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

Newspapers Published in Overton ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Overton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Overton, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Overton.

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 Overton:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Overton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Overton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.