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 Watson (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 Watson. 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 southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Watson is located in Livingston 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 Livingston Parish: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Saint Helena, Saint James, Saint John the Baptist & Tangipahoa.
Below are the parishes that are near Watson. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watson:
- Livingston Parish (The home parish of Watson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Denham Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Denham Springs is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,842 people
- Former names for Denham Springs:
- Amite Springs
- Hill's Springs
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denham Springs <1>
- Oldfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oldfield is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Walker
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,302 people
- Livingston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Holden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Starns
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Starns is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starns
- Port Vincent
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Port Vincent is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Vincent
- Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
- Georgeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- French Settlement
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Albany
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Maurepas
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Clio
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clio is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
- Ascension Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Galvez Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Galvez Town is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez Town
- Hope Villa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hope Villa is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Villa
- Bullion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bullion is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
- Claybank
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Claybank is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claybank
- Hobart
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hobart is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart
- Little Prairie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Little Prairie is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Prairie
- Oak Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Prairieville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Summerfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Summerfield is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Galvez
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Galvez is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez
- Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lake is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
- Brignac
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brignac is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brignac
- Duplessis
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Greenwell Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Stonypoint ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Stonypoint is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonypoint
- Central
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Central is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29,450 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central <1>
- Boganvilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Boganvilla is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boganvilla
- Pride
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Baywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Baywood is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Monticello
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Monticello is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Merrydale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Merrydale is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrydale
- Brownfields
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Brownfields is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownfields
- Woodshire Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Woodshire Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodshire Village
- Maribel Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Maribel Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maribel Village
- Tristian Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Tristian Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tristian Village
- Zion City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Zion City is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion City
- East Feliciana Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Blairstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Blairstown is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairstown
- Slaughter
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bells Store ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bells Store is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Store
- Ethel
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lindsay
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lindsay is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsay
- Clinton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Jackson
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Woodland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Woodland is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Norwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Troy ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Iberville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Iberville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Iberville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberville
- Sunshine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sunshine is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Saint Gabriel
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Morrisonville ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Morrisonville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisonville
- Carville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Plaquemine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bayou Goula
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- White Castle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Indian Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Grosse Tete
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pointe Coupee Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Hermitage
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hermitage is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
- Glynn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rougon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lakeland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Ventress
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Patin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Patin is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patin
- Jarreau
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- New Roads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oscar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Saint Helena Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Grangeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grangeville is located in Saint Helena Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangeville
- Pine Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Montpelier
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Montpelier is located in Saint Helena Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
- Population from the 2020 Census: 239 people
- Coleman Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Coleman Town is located in Saint Helena Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Town
- Greensburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Chipola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Chipola is located in Saint Helena Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
- Tangipahoa Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Baptist
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Baptist is located in Tangipahoa Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baptist
- Independence
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Tickfaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Genessee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Genessee is located in Tangipahoa Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genessee
- Natalbany
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Amite City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hammond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wadesboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wadesboro is located in Tangipahoa Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadesboro
- Roseland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Port Allen
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lobdell
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Lobdell is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
- Devalls
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Devalls is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devalls
- Brusly
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brusly is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brusly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brusly <1>
- Arbroth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Arbroth is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbroth
- Carey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Carey is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carey
- Addis
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Addis is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,464 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Addis <1>
- Wilbert ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Wilbert is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbert
- Erwinville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Feliciana Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Rogillioville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
- Saint Francisville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Watson, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Watson.
Cemeteries Near Watson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watson.
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 Watson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Watson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Live Oak Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Womack Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Newsom Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - Old
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - Old
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - Old is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the north of Denham Springs.
- The Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - Old has also been known as:
- Amite Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2401340 <3>
- Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - New
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - New
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - New is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the north of Denham Springs.
- The Amite Baptist Church Cemetery - New has also been known as:
- Amite Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #804762 <3>
- Plainview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Odom Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lovett Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Youngblood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bradford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chambers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- McCray Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (356 more) ...
- Stoner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Denham Springs Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Vickers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Watson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Watson.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
- Magnolia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Stonypoint ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Stonypoint is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonypoint
- Denham Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Denham Springs is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,842 people
- Former names for Denham Springs:
- Amite Springs
- Hill's Springs
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denham Springs <1>
- Oldfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oldfield is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Walker
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,302 people
- Blairstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Blairstown is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairstown
- Baker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Baker is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,999 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baker <1>
- Olive Branch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Olive Branch is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Branch
- Grangeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grangeville is located in Saint Helena Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangeville
- Zachary
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Zachary is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zachary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zachary <1>
- Baton Rouge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Slaughter
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Pine Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hopeville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hopeville is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeville
- Colyell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Colyell is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colyell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Watson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Watson.
Newspapers Published in Watson ...
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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watson, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watson.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Watson:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Livingston Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Ascension Parish
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- East Feliciana Parish
- Iberville Parish
- Pointe Coupee Parish
- Saint Helena Parish
- Tangipahoa Parish
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- West Feliciana Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Watson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Watson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |