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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 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 Counties/Parishes ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors and 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 counties/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 counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Thomas is located in Washington 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 Washington Parish: Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa, Marion (MS), Pearl River (MS), Pike (MS) & Walthall (MS).

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

  • Washington Parish     (The home parish of Thomas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Popeville ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Popeville is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popeville
    • Pine
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Pine is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine
    • Franklinton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Angie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Angie is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Angie <1>
    • Varnado
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bogalusa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Hermon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Enon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Enon is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
    • Sunny Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
    • Lees Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Lees Creek is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Creek
    • Stoney Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Stoney Point is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Point
  • Saint Tammany Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Sun
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Sun is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sun <1>
    • Bush
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Folsom
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Folsom is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 871 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Folsom <1>
    • Saint Benedict
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Tangipahoa Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Wilmer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilmer is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmer
    • Henry City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Henry City is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry City
    • Husser
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kentwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Tangipahoa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Fluker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lawrence County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Tilton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Verna
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Verna is located in Lawrence County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
  • Marion County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Twin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Twin is located in Marion County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin
    • Kokomo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Pinebur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Pinebur is located in Marion County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebur
    • Columbia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Expose
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Expose is located in Marion County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
    • Goss
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Goss is located in Marion County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
  • Pearl River County (MS)
    • Poplarville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pike County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Smithburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Smithburg is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
    • Holmesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Bacots
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bacots is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bacots
    • Topisaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
    • Osyka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Osyka is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osyka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osyka <1>
    • Chatawa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Chatawa is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
    • Magnolia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Walthall County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
    • Tylertown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sartinville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville

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.

  • Payne Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Gay Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Crain Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Gerald Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Duncan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Crains Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Sam McKenzie Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Magee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Magee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Warren Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Faith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (607 more) ...
    • Noble Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Breland Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Duncan Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)

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.<2>

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.

  • Popeville ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Popeville is located in Washington Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popeville
  • Franklinton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Zona
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Zona is located in Washington Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
  • Mount Hermon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Pickwick
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pickwick is located in Marion County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick
  • Smithburg
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Smithburg is located in Pike County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
  • Spring Cottage
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Cottage is located in Marion County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Cottage
  • Sunny Hill
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
  • Lees Creek
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Lees Creek is located in Washington Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Creek
  • Bailey
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bailey is located in Tangipahoa Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Chinquapin
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Chinquapin is located in Pearl River County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinquapin
  • Sun
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sun is located in Saint Tammany Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sun <1>
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Columbia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Holmesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Topisaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw

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 13 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 26 miles [41.8 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 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 Thomas:

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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Thomas) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.