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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 Westdale (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 Westdale. 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 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/counties 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/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Westdale is located in Tangipahoa 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 Tangipahoa Parish: Livingston, Saint Helena, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Tammany, Washington, Amite (MS) & Pike (MS).

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

  • Tangipahoa Parish     (The home parish of Westdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Hammond
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Hammond is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,359 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Natalbany
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Baptist
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Baptist is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baptist
    • Genessee
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Genessee is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genessee
    • Tickfaw
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Ponchatoula
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wadesboro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Wadesboro is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadesboro
    • Robert
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Independence
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Loranger
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Katie ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Katie is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
    • Husser
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Amite City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Ascension Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Summerfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Summerfield is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
    • Claybank
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Claybank is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claybank
    • Galvez Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Galvez Town is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez Town
    • Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
    • Brignac
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Brignac is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brignac
    • Galvez
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Galvez is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez
    • Little Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Little Prairie is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Prairie
    • Hobart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hobart is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart
    • Saint Amant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • East Baton Rouge Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Baywood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Baywood is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Stonypoint ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Stonypoint is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonypoint
    • Greenwell Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Livingston Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Albany
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Albany is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albany <1>
    • Springfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Holden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Starns
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Starns is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starns
    • Georgeville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Georgeville is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
    • Killian
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Killian is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,337 people
    • Clio
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clio is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
    • Livingston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Maurepas
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Oldfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Oldfield is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
    • Walker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Walker is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,302 people
    • French Settlement
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Port Vincent
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Port Vincent is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Vincent
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
  • Saint Helena Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Montpelier
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Montpelier is located in Saint Helena Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 239 people
    • Pine Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Greensburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Grangeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Grangeville is located in Saint Helena Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangeville
  • Saint John the Baptist Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Frenier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Frenier is located in Saint John the Baptist Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenier
    • Laplace
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saint Tammany Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Goodbee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Goodbee is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodbee
    • Folsom
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Madisonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Saint Benedict
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Covington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Mandeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Lewisburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Abita Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Washington Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westdale, with the one closest to Westdale listed first.
    • Stoney Point
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoney Point is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Point
    • Enon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Enon is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
    • Sunny Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
    • Franklinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Westdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westdale.

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

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

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

  • Greenfield Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Rose Memorial Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • New Beaula Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Martin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Nazarene Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Gatlin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Arnold Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Wetmore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hutchinson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Stevens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (379 more) ...
    • Wagner Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • St. Margarets Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hungarian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)

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.<3>

While we didn't find Westdale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Westdale.

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

  • Hammond
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Hammond is located in Tangipahoa Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,359 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
  • Tickfaw
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Ponchatoula
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Springfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Independence
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Starns
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Starns is located in Livingston Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starns
  • Springville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Springville is located in Livingston Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
  • Killian
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Killian is located in Livingston Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,337 people
  • Katie ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Katie is located in Tangipahoa Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
  • Clio
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Clio is located in Livingston Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
  • Amite City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Bayou Barbary
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Barbary is located in Livingston Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Barbary
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Manchac
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Manchac is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchac
    • Roseland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Colyell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Westdale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Westdale.

Newspapers Published in Westdale ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westdale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westdale, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westdale.

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 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 Westdale:

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 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.
<3>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 Westdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Westdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.