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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 Shaw (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 Shaw. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 west contained birth and death records; the parish to the south 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.

Shaw 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 Shaw. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shaw:

  • Concordia Parish     (The home parish of Shaw)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Bougere
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Bougere is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
    • Fairview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairview is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Acme
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Armagh
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Armagh is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
    • Monterey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
    • Ridgecrest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
    • Vidalia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Athlone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Athlone is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Sycamore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
    • Ferriday
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Wildsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Bordelonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Simmesport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Odenburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Moreauville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Dupont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Plaucheville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mansura
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Marksville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Cottonport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Moncla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Moncla is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moncla
  • Catahoula Parish
    • Parhams
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Legonier
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Smithland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Williamsport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Innis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Batchelor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Angola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Tunica
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Weyanoke
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Converse ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
    • Wakefield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bains
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
    • Rogillioville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
  • Adams County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Cloverdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cloverdale is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Carthage
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Carthage is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Natchez
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Natchez is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natchez
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natchez <1>
    • Jeannette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeannette is located in Adams County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
  • Wilkinson County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
    • Artonish
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
    • Woodville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Wilkinson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Wilkinson is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinson
    • Turnbull
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull

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

Cemeteries Near Shaw ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shaw.

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

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

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

  • Loch Leven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • McCoy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Deer Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Singleton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Ashland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Homeplace Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Knox Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ft. Adams Baptist Mission Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Pt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (211 more) ...
    • Clarksville Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Turnbull Family Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<3>

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

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

  • Black Hawk
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Black Hawk is located in Concordia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hawk
  • Artonish
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
  • Kienstra
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Kienstra is located in Adams County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kienstra
  • Arnot
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Arnot is located in Adams County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnot
  • Bougere
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Bougere is located in Concordia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
  • Fort Adams
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Adams is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Adams
  • Fairview
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairview is located in Concordia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Big Bend
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
  • Acme
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Merrick
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Merrick is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrick
  • Pinckneyville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pinckneyville is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
  • Red River Landing
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Red River Landing is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red River Landing
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Angola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • New Era
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • New Era is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • Bordelonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Shaw ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shaw.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shaw, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shaw.

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 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 Shaw:

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 Shaw, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shaw) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.