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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 Zachary (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 Zachary. 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 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.

Zachary is located in East Baton Rouge 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 East Baton Rouge Parish: Ascension, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Saint Helena, West Baton Rouge & West Feliciana.

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

  • East Baton Rouge Parish     (The home parish of Zachary)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Tristian Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Tristian Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tristian Village
    • Baker
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Port Hudson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Brownfields
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Brownfields is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownfields
    • Zion City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Zion City is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion City
    • Boganvilla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Central
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Central is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central <1>
    • Merrydale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Merrydale is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrydale
    • Greenwell Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pride
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Maribel Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Maribel Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maribel Village
    • Monticello
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Monticello is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
    • Baton Rouge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Ascension Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Hope Villa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Hope Villa is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Villa
    • Bullion
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bullion is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
    • Oak Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Grove is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Galvez Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Galvez Town is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez Town
    • Hobart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hobart is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart
    • Little Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Little Prairie is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Prairie
    • Prairieville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Claybank
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Claybank is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claybank
    • Galvez
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Galvez is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez
    • Dutch Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Duplessis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Summerfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerfield is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
    • Cornerview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Cornerview is located in Ascension Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerview
  • East Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Slaughter
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lindsay
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bells Store ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Bells Store is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Store
    • Ethel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jackson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jackson is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,707 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>
    • Blairstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Clinton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Clinton is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <1>
    • Wilson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Norwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Norwood is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwood <1>
    • Woodland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Troy ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Troy is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
  • Iberville Parish
  • Livingston Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Watson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Denham Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oldfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Oldfield is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
    • Walker
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Livingston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Vincent
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Port Vincent is located in Livingston Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Vincent
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
    • Holden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Starns
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
  • Saint Helena Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Grangeville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Pine Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Coleman Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Coleman Town is located in Saint Helena Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Town
    • Chipola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Montpelier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Montpelier is located in Saint Helena Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 239 people
  • West Baton Rouge Parish
  • West Feliciana Parish
  • Wilkinson County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zachary, with the one closest to Zachary listed first.
    • Turnbull
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Whitaker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Centreville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Zachary ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zachary.

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

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

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

  • Shaffer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Stanford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • McHugh Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Azalea Rest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Redwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Young Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Barnes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Black Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Strangers Home Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Holly Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (315 more) ...
    • Ballard Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Overton Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Beech Grove Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Zachary had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Zachary had a population of 18,417 people.

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

  • Irene
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Irene is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
  • Baker
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Slaughter
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lindsay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Port Hudson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Bells Store ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bells Store is located in East Feliciana Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Store
  • Olive Branch
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Olive Branch is located in East Feliciana Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Branch
  • Arbroth
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ethel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Devalls
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Anchor
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Anchor is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
  • Lobdell
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Magnolia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Magnolia is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Waterloo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Waterloo is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
    • Jackson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jackson is located in East Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,707 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Zachary ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Zachary.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Zachary. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Zachary and those printed in the larger area surrounding Zachary.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> of Zachary.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Zachary:

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