RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Saint Landry Parish >> Williamson >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Williamson. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Williamson to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Williamson, please Contact Us.

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 Williamson (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 Williamson. 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 northwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Although our information shows that the community of Williamson is historic, it would have been located within present day Saint Landry 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 Saint Landry Parish: Acadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee & Saint Martin.

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

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Williamson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Swayze Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Half Moon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Melville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Palmetto
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Krotz Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Barre
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Elba
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Immaculata
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lebeau
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Washington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Rosa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Leonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Portage
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Church Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Higginbotham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Odenburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Dupont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Plaucheville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Simmesport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Hickory
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Gold Dust
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Cottonport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Evergreen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Milburn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Hamburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Moreauville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Eola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Ville Platte
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Saint Landry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Chataignier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Iberville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Maringouin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosedale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Grosse Tete
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Stekey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Carencro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lafayette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Ossun
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • East Krotz Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Ravenswood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Lottie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Fordoche
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Morganza
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Livonia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Livonia is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Livonia <2>
    • Batchelor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Innis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Dupont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Williamsport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Oscar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Lettsworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Breaux Bridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Parks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Parks is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parks <2>
    • Catahoula Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Catahoula Cove is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catahoula Cove
  • West Baton Rouge Parish
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamson, with the one closest to Williamson listed first.
    • Tunica
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Angola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Francisville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Bains
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains

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

Cemeteries Near Williamson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamson.

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

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

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

  • Midway Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • De Viller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Saquette Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • McBride Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Green Chapel Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Zion Travelers Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (150 more) ...
    • Macedonia Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Morning Star Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)

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.

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

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

  • Melville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Palmetto
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Port Barre
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Ravenswood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
  • Elba
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Bayou Current
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Beggs
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Washington
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Leonville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Fordoche
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Rosa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Viva
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Viva is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viva
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Opelousas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Garland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
    • Arnaudville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Williamson ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williamson, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williamson.

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 helpful 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 Williamson:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Williamson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Williamson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.