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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 Samtown (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 Samtown. 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 southeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Samtown is located in Rapides Parish.

To see how the shape of Louisiana's parishes have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of Rapides Parish: Allen, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Grant, La Salle, Natchitoches & Vernon.

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

  • Rapides Parish     (The home parish of Samtown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Samtown, with the one closest to Samtown listed first.
    • Alexandria Junction
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria Junction
      • Alexandria Junction is located in Rapides Parish
    • Anandale
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
      • Anandale is located in Rapides Parish
    • Alexandria
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pineville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Moreland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Kolin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Tioga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tioga have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tioga <1>
    • Weil
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weil. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
      • Weil is located in Rapides Parish
    • Libuse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Libuse have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libuse
      • Libuse is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Libuse <1>
    • Woodworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Whittington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Whittington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
    • Ball
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ball have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball
      • Ball is located in Rapides Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ball <1>
  • Allen Parish
    • Pawnee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pawnee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee
      • Pawnee is located in Allen Parish
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Samtown, with the one closest to Samtown listed first.
    • Center Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Center Point <1>
    • North Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Point. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
      • North Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Effie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Egg Bend
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Egg Bend. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Moncla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moncla
      • Moncla is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Vick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vick
      • Vick is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Hessmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hessmer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessmer
      • Hessmer is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 749 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hessmer <1>
    • Marksville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
      • Marksville is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marksville <1>
    • Bunkie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
      • Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <1>
    • Eola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Mansura
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Enterprise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
  • Evangeline Parish
    • Turkey Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turkey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Creek
      • Turkey Creek is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turkey Creek <1>
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Samtown, with the one closest to Samtown listed first.
    • Creola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
      • Creola is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Creola has also been known as:
      • Creola village
    • Stay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stay
      • Stay is located in Grant Parish
    • Bentley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fishville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fishville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
      • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
    • Pollock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fairmount
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairmount. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
    • Antonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
    • Dry Prong
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Prong have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Prong
      • Dry Prong is located in Grant Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dry Prong <1>
    • Colfax
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Creek ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
      • Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
  • La Salle Parish
    • Sharp Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Town
      • Sharp Town is located in La Salle Parish
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • Marco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marco
      • Marco is located in Natchitoches Parish
  • Vernon Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Samtown, with the one closest to Samtown listed first.
    • Leander
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leander. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
      • Leander is located in Vernon Parish
    • Lacamp
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lacamp. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamp
      • Lacamp is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacamp <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Samtown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Samtown.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Garden of Memories Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden of Memories Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden of Memories Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Anandale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anandale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anandale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunlight Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Figgins Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Figgins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Figgins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holly Oak Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holly Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holly Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alexandria National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Wesley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wesley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wesley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jewish Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jewish Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jewish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • B'nai Israel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the B'nai Israel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the B'nai Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (198 more) ...
    • Greenwood Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Peart Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peart Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cloverdale Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cloverdale Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cloverdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

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

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

  • Alexandria
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pineville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Moreland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
  • Weil
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weil. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
    • Weil is located in Rapides Parish
  • Lamourie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamourie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamourie
    • Lamourie is located in Rapides Parish
  • Rapides
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapides have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapides
    • Rapides is located in Rapides Parish
  • Poland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland
    • Poland is located in Rapides Parish
  • Lecompte
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lecompte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lecompte
    • Lecompte is located in Rapides Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lecompte <1>
  • Holloway
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
    • Holloway is located in Rapides Parish
  • Crane
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crane
    • Crane is located in Rapides Parish
  • Milford ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
    • Milford is located in Rapides Parish
  • Melder
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melder
    • Melder is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melder <1>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Loyd
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loyd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
    • Boyce
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyce have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
      • Boyce is located in Rapides Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyce <1>
    • Elmer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
      • Elmer is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmer <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Samtown ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Samtown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Samtown, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Samtown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Samtown:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Samtown. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Rapides Parish: www.rppj.com/

The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Samtown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Samtown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Samtown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2719, Longitude: -92.4365       In this case, the coordinates for Samtown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025