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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Thomas to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Thomas, 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 Thomas (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 Thomas. 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 northwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next parish to the west. 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 west 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Thomas is historic, it would have been located within present day Bienville 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 Bienville Parish: Bossier, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Webster & Winn.

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

  • Bienville Parish     (The home parish of Thomas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Armistead
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Armistead is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armistead
    • Ringgold
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jamestown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sparta
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Sparta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
    • Castor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alberta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Alberta is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
    • Taylor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Lebanon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Lebanon is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Bienville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Bryceland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Bryceland is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryceland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Gibsland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lucky
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Lucky is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Burkplace
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Burkplace is located in Bienville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkplace
  • Bossier Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Atkins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Atkins is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
    • Haughton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Elm Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Fillmore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Fillmore is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Princeton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Eastwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Bodcau
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
    • Espanita Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
    • Red Chute
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
    • Bellevue
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Parkland Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • Bossier City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Caddo Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Ellerbe Woods
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Ellerbe Woods is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerbe Woods
    • Normandy Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Normandy Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy Village
    • Shreveport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • 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 Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Darley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Darley is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darley
    • Holly Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Holly Springs is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Athens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Sugar Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sugar Creek is located in Claiborne Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek
  • De Soto Parish
  • Lincoln Parish
    • Simsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Ashland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ashland is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Chestnut
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Chestnut is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
  • Red River Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Hall Summit
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • East Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • East Point is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
    • Westdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Westdale is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale
    • Halfway
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Halfway is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
    • Martin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Martin is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 543 people
    • Carroll
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Carroll is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Abington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Abington is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abington
    • Edgefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Edgefield is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
    • Harmon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Coushatta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Hanna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hanna is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanna
  • Webster Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Buckhorn ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
    • Heflin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Yellow Pine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Yellow Pine is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
    • Dubberly
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Sibley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Doyline
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Dixie Inn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
    • Minden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Cotton Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Winn Parish
    • Pine Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Winn Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge

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

Cemeteries Near Thomas ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thomas.

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

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

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

  • Tomlinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Reeves Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Andrew Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Theus Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Coleman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Tooke Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Shehee Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Tooke Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mosley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Israelite Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Israelite Cemetery
    • The Israelite Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Isrealite Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hill Baptist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (207 more) ...
    • Rocky Mount Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wimberly Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Stafford Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Armistead
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Armistead is located in Bienville Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armistead
  • Ringgold
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Buckhorn ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
  • Sparta
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Sparta is located in Bienville Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
  • Dubberly
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Sibley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Doyline
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Taylor
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Howard
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Howard is located in Red River Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
  • Mount Lebanon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Lebanon is located in Bienville Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
  • Minden
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Haughton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Williams
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Williams is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
    • East Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • East Point is located in Red River Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
    • Bienville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Thomas ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thomas.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thomas, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thomas.

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 Thomas:

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