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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 Willow Chute (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 Willow Chute. 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.

Willow Chute is located in Bossier 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 Bossier Parish: Lafayette (AR), Miller (AR), Bienville, Caddo, Red River & Webster.

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

  • Bossier Parish     (The home parish of Willow Chute)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Benton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Alden Bridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
    • Parkland Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • Bossier City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Red Chute
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
    • Espanita Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
    • Bellevue
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Bodcau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
    • Eastwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Princeton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Ivan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ivan is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivan
    • Fillmore
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fillmore is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
  • Caddo Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Belcher
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Blanchard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Shreveport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Gilliam
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Mooringsport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Normandy Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Normandy Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy Village
    • Longwood Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Longwood Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood Village
    • Oil City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Chateau Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Chateau Village is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Village
    • Longwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Longwood is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Western Hills Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Black Bayou ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Black Bayou is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bayou
  • De Soto Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Stonewall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Frierson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Webster Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Cotton Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Doyline
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sarepta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Dixie Inn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Dixie Inn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Inn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
    • Minden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Sibley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Cullen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Yellow Pine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Yellow Pine is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
    • Springhill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Buckhorn ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Buckhorn is located in Webster Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
    • Dubberly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County (AR)
    • Welcome
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Welcome is located in Columbia County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
  • Lafayette County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Bradley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bradley is located in Lafayette County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bradley <1>
    • Gin City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Gin City is located in Lafayette County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin City
    • Walnut Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Walnut Hill is located in Lafayette County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
  • Miller County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Capps City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Capps City is located in Miller County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps City
    • Doddridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Cass County (TX)
    • McLeod
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Harrison County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Chute, with the one closest to Willow Chute listed first.
    • Uncertain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Waskom
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Waskom is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waskom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waskom <1>
    • Jonesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Karnack
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Baldwin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Baldwin is located in Harrison County (TX)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
    • Scottsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Panola County (TX)
    • Panola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Willow Chute ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Chute.

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 Willow Chute - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Benton Community Club Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Old Red River Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Dickson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Pilkinson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Sibley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Raymond Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Light Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Prairie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Carolina Bluff Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Player Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...
    • Dove Dale Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Walker Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cottage Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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 Willow Chute in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow Chute.

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

  • Benton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Vanceville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Vanceville is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanceville
  • Brownlee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Brownlee is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee
  • Alden Bridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
  • Hughes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hughes is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughes
  • Blanchard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Midway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Midway is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
  • Bossier City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Shreveport
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Bodcau
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
  • Bellevue
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bellevue is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
  • Rocky Mount
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rocky Mount is located in Bossier Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mooringsport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jewella ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jewella is located in Caddo Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewella
    • Collinsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Collinsburg is located in Bossier Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsburg

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

Newspapers Published in Willow Chute ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Chute.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Chute, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Chute.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Willow Chute:

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 Willow Chute, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Willow Chute) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.