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 Ridgecrest (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 Ridgecrest. 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.
Ridgecrest is located in Concordia 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 Concordia Parish: Avoyelles, Catahoula, Pointe Coupee, Tensas, West Feliciana, Adams (MS) & Wilkinson (MS).
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Ridgecrest. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ridgecrest:
- Concordia Parish (The home parish of Ridgecrest)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Sycamore
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Ferriday
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- West Ferriday
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- West Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ferriday
- Vidalia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Clayton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Dunbarton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dunbarton is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
- Athlone
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Athlone is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
- Chevey Chase
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
- Wildsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Monterey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Armagh
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Armagh is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
- Fairview
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fairview is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Bougere
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bougere is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
- Catahoula Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Greenville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Wildwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Trinity
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Trinity is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Parhams
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
- Jonesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sicily Island
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
- Harrisonburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Utility
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Utility is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utility
- Rhinehart
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Enterprise
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Aimwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Elam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Elam is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
- Wisner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Extension
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Extension is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
- Tensas Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Highland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Highland is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Waterproof
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Joseph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Adams County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Carthage
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Carthage is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Natchez
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cloverdale is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Washington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Washington is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Selma
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Selma is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Jeannette
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Jeannette is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Franklin County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Hamburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hamburg is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Roxie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- White Apple
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- White Apple is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Apple
- Garden City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Garden City is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Knoxville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Knoxville is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- Jefferson County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Rodney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Fayette
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Harriston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wilkinson County (MS)
- Artonish
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ridgecrest, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Ridgecrest.
Cemeteries Near Ridgecrest ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ridgecrest.
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 Ridgecrest - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ridgecrest covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Ferriday Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Turner Acres Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lambert Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Minorca Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sawyer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- St. James Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Vidalia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clemont Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- St. Mary Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Linwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sargent Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (257 more) ...
- Routh Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Natchez City Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Natchez National Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Ridgecrest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ridgecrest.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ridgecrest, with the one closest to Ridgecrest listed first.
- Sycamore
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Taconey
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Taconey is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taconey
- Turtle Lake ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Turtle Lake is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Lake
- Morville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Morville is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morville
- Vidalia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bullitt Bayou
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bullitt Bayou is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullitt Bayou
- Natchez
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Clayton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Frogmore
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Frogmore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogmore
- Gibson Landing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Gibson Landing is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson Landing
- Foster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Foster is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Greenville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Wildwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Washington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Washington is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Chevey Chase
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ridgecrest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ridgecrest.
Newspapers Published in Ridgecrest ...
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 119 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ridgecrest.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ridgecrest, 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 Ridgecrest.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Ridgecrest:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Concordia Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Catahoula Parish
- Franklin Parish
- Tensas Parish
- Adams County
- Franklin County
- Jefferson County
- Wilkinson 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 Ridgecrest, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ridgecrest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |