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The Commemorative Quarter for Louisiana





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 West End (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 West End. 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 southeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.

West End is located in Vernon Parish.

To see how the shape of Louisiana's parishes have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of Vernon Parish: Allen, Beauregard, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine & Newton (TX).

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

  • Vernon Parish     (The home parish of West End)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Leesville
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Fertitta Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fertitta Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertitta Park
      • Fertitta Park is located in Vernon Parish
    • Westwood Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
      • Westwood Village is located in Vernon Parish
    • New Llano
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Billy Goat Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Billy Goat Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billy Goat Hill
      • Billy Goat Hill is located in Vernon Parish
    • Fort Polk North
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Polk North. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Polk North
      • Fort Polk North is located in Vernon Parish
    • Elmwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Vernon Parish
    • Pickering
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickering have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickering
      • Pickering is located in Vernon Parish
    • Fort Polk
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Polk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Polk
      • Fort Polk is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Polk <1>
    • Anacoco
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Slagle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slagle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slagle
      • Slagle is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slagle <1>
    • Savage Fork
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Savage Fork. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage Fork
      • Savage Fork is located in Vernon Parish
  • Allen Parish
    • Reids
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reids. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reids
      • Reids is located in Allen Parish
  • Beauregard Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Ikes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ikes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ikes
      • Ikes is located in Beauregard Parish
    • Ludington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludington
      • Ludington is located in Beauregard Parish
    • DeRidder
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for DeRidder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeRidder
      • DeRidder is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,521 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for DeRidder <1>
    • Sugartown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugartown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugartown
      • Sugartown is located in Beauregard Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugartown <1>
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Bellwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish
    • Gorum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorum
      • Gorum is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorum <1>
    • Vowells Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vowells Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowells Mill
      • Vowells Mill is located in Natchitoches Parish
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Mora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
    • Sieper
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sieper have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sieper
      • Sieper is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sieper <1>
    • Flatwoods
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hemphill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemphill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
      • Hemphill is located in Rapides Parish
    • Hineston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hineston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hineston
      • Hineston is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hineston <1>
  • Sabine Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Toro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
      • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
    • Rock ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
      • Rock is located in Sabine Parish
    • Florien
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florien have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florien
      • Florien is located in Sabine Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florien <1>
    • Corleyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Corleyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
      • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
    • Fisher
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Negreet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Negreet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Negreet
      • Negreet is located in Sabine Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Negreet <1>
  • Newton County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Toledo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toledo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
      • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
    • South Toledo Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Toledo Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Toledo Bend
      • South Toledo Bend is located in Newton County (TX)
    • Burkeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wiergate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiergate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiergate
      • Wiergate is located in Newton County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiergate <1>
    • Shanklerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanklerville
      • Shanklerville is located in Newton County (TX)
  • Sabine County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West End, with the one closest to West End listed first.
    • Fairmount
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
      • Fairmount is located in Sabine County (TX)
    • Mason
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Sabine County (TX)

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

Cemeteries Near West End ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West End.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Leesville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leesville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leesville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Anacoco Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anacoco Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anacoco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smart Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shady Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shady Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cemetery #1
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery #1
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery #1 have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kay Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kay Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (143 more) ...
    • Self Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Self Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Self Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wilson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cooper Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

  • Leesville
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Caney
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
    • Caney is located in Vernon Parish
  • Elmwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Elmwood is located in Vernon Parish
  • Anacoco
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Walnut Hill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Walnut Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Walnut Hill is located in Vernon Parish
  • Hicks
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
  • Simpson
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Simpson is located in Vernon Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Simpson <1>
  • Toledo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toledo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
    • Toledo is located in Newton County (TX)
  • Toro
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro
    • Toro is located in Sabine Parish
  • Kisatchie
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kisatchie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kisatchie
    • Kisatchie is located in Natchitoches Parish
  • Cora
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Vernon Parish
  • Mora
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
    • Mora is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Burkeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Corleyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Corleyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corleyville
      • Corleyville is located in Sabine Parish
    • Bellwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Natchitoches Parish

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

Newspapers Published in West End ...

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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around West End.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West End, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West End.

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 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 West End:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West End. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 West End, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- West End) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West End. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.1432, Longitude: -93.2729       In this case, the coordinates for West End have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025