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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 Sardis (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 Sardis. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Sardis is located in Winn 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 Winn Parish: Bienville, Caldwell, Grant, Jackson, La Salle & Natchitoches.

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

  • Winn Parish     (The home parish of Sardis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Whitford
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Whitford is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitford
    • Atlanta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Winnfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Joyce
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Calvin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Couley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Couley is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
    • Bethlehem
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Bethlehem is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Coldwater
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
    • Hudson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hudson is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
    • Saint Maurice
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Dodson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Flat Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
  • Bienville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Saline
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • English
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • English is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Black Creek ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
    • Montgomery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Georgetown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Dry Prong
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Colfax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Antonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
    • Bentley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairmount
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Pollock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Stay is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stay
    • Fishville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
  • Jackson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Jonesboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Weston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Weston is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
    • East Hodge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • East Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hodge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Hodge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • North Hodge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • North Hodge is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hodge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
    • Zoar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Zoar is located in Jackson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
  • La Salle Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Tullos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Zenoria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Zenoria is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenoria
    • Urania
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Olla
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Olla is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olla
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,371 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olla <1>
    • Standard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Standard is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Goldonna
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarence
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Caspari ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Caspari is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspari
    • Melrose
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Chestnut
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
    • Marco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Marco is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marco
    • Natchez
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Natchitoches
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Cloutierville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Campti
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Campti is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campti
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campti <1>
    • Derry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Derry is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
    • Forest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Forest is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sardis, with the one closest to Sardis listed first.
    • Lena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Rock is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Zimmerman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Zimmerman is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman

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

Cemeteries Near Sardis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sardis.

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

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

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

  • Swindelly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Melton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Winnfield Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Teagle Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Tyson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Franks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Franks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • McDade Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Boyett Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (159 more) ...
    • Blake Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Blake Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Old Harmony Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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 Sardis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sardis.

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

  • Atlanta
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Winnfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Tunica ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Tunica is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunica
  • Couley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Couley is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couley
  • Iatt
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Iatt is located in Grant Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iatt
  • Mount Zion
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Zion is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
  • Black Creek ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Creek is located in Grant Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
  • Coldwater
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Coldwater is located in Winn Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
  • Saint Maurice
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Trichell
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Trichell is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trichell
  • Montgomery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clarence
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Gaars Mill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Gaars Mill is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaars Mill
    • Flat Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Flat Creek is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Creek
    • Gansville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Gansville is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gansville

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

Newspapers Published in Sardis ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sardis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sardis, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sardis.

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 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 Sardis:

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 Sardis, 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 from Point A (ie- Sardis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.