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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 Westwood (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 Westwood. 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 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 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.

Westwood is located in Tensas 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 Tensas Parish: Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Madison, Adams (MS), Claiborne (MS), Jefferson (MS) & Warren (MS).

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

  • Tensas Parish     (The home parish of Westwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Newlight
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
    • Newellton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Yucatan Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Yucatan Landing is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan Landing
    • Saint Joseph
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Highland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Highland is located in Tensas Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • Waterproof
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Catahoula Parish
    • Sicily Island
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sicily Island is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sicily Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
  • East Carroll Parish
  • Franklin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Swampers
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Swampers is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampers
    • Crowville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Gilbert
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Baskinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Baskinton is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskinton
    • Chase
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Winnsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Wisner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Elam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Elam is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
    • Baskin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Big Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Big Creek is located in Franklin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
    • Jigger
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Fort Necessity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Madison Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Quebec
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Quebec is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
    • Coleman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Coleman is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Richmond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Richmond is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 530 people
    • Tendal
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Tendal is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tendal
    • Barnes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Barnes is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
    • Tallulah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Waverly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Waverly is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Thomastown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Thomastown is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomastown
    • Mound
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mound is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Ashly
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ashly is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashly
    • Duck Port ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Duck Port is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Port
    • Delta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Richland Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Delhi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Delhi is located in Richland Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,753 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delhi <1>
    • Dunn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Dunn is located in Richland Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
    • Holly Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
    • Mangham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • New Light
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • New Light is located in Richland Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
    • Archibald
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • West Carroll Parish
    • Epps
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Epps is located in West Carroll Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epps
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epps <1>
  • Claiborne County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Grand Gulf
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf
    • Ingleside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ingleside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
    • Westside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Westside is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
    • Port Gibson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Willows
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Willows is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willows
    • Rocky Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Springs is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
  • Jefferson County (MS)
    • Rodney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Rodney is located in Jefferson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
  • Warren County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
    • Stout
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Stout is located in Warren County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
    • Vicksburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Westwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westwood.

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

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

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

  • St. John Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jordan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Newell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Tensas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Wyoming Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Canton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Somerset Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Newellton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Routhwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Elk Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Allendale Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Snyder Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (130 more) ...
    • Lemy Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bland Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Brierfield Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<2>

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

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

  • Newlight
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
  • Newellton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • New Carthage ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • New Carthage is located in Tensas Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Carthage
  • King
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • King is located in Madison Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
  • Lamar
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lamar is located in Franklin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
  • Quebec
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Quebec is located in Madison Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
  • Crowville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Como
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Como is located in Franklin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
  • Barnes
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnes is located in Madison Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
  • Lums
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lums is located in Madison Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lums
  • Tallulah
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Tendal
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Tendal is located in Madison Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tendal
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Waverly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Waverly is located in Madison Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Saint Joseph
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Grand Gulf
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf

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

Newspapers Published in Westwood ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westwood, 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 Westwood.

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 Westwood:

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 Westwood, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Westwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.