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 Ferriday (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 Ferriday. 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.
Name Variations for West Ferriday ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Ferriday: W. Ferriday
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors 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 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 north 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 Ferriday 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 West Ferriday. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Ferriday:
- Concordia Parish (The home parish of West Ferriday)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Ferriday
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Ridgecrest
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
- Sycamore
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Dunbarton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunbarton is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
- Vidalia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Athlone
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Athlone is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
- Chevey Chase
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
- Wildsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Monterey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Armagh
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Armagh is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
- Fairview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fairview is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Catahoula Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Greenville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Wildwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Trinity
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Trinity is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Sicily Island
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
- Jonesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Harrisonburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Parhams
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
- Utility
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Utility is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utility
- Enterprise
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Rhinehart
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Aimwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Rosefield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rosefield is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosefield
- Franklin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Elam
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Elam is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
- Wisner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Extension
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Extension is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
- Gilbert
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jigger
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Tensas Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Highland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Highland is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Waterproof
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Joseph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Adams County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Carthage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Carthage is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Natchez
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cloverdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cloverdale is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Washington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Washington is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Selma
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Selma is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Jeannette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jeannette is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Franklin County (MS)
- Hamburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hamburg is located in Franklin County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Jefferson County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Rodney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Fayette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Ferriday, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for West Ferriday.
Cemeteries Near West Ferriday ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Ferriday.
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 West Ferriday - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Ferriday covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Turner Acres Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Ferriday Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Eva Dale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cypress Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rogers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Calhoun Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sawyer Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lambert Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Minorca Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Athlone Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (240 more) ...
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- St. James Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Powells Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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 West Ferriday in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Ferriday.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Ferriday, with the one closest to West Ferriday listed first.
- Turtle Lake ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Turtle Lake is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Lake
- Sycamore
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Frogmore
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Frogmore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogmore
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Taconey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Taconey is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taconey
- Bullitt Bayou
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bullitt Bayou is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullitt Bayou
- Morville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Morville is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morville
- Vidalia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Greenville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Greenville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Wildwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wildwood is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Gibson Landing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gibson Landing is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson Landing
- Natchez
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Chevey Chase
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Chevey Chase is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevey Chase
- Lismore
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lismore is located in Concordia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lismore
- Foster
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Foster is located in Adams County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Ferriday. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Ferriday.
Newspapers Published in West Ferriday ...
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 120 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Ferriday.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Ferriday, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Ferriday.
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 websites either 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 Ferriday:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Concordia Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Catahoula Parish
- Franklin Parish
- Tensas Parish
- Adams County
- Franklin County
- Jefferson County
- 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> | 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 Ferriday, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Ferriday) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |