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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 Bat (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 Bat. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Bat is located in 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 Bat. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bat:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Bat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Palmetto
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Immaculata
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lebeau
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Swayze Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Rosa
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Half Moon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Elba
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Melville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Bayou Jack
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Port Barre
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Washington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Boretta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Acadia Parish
    • Church Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Dupont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Odenburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Plaucheville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Hickory
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Simmesport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Cottonport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Evergreen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gold Dust
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Hamburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Milburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Moreauville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Ville Platte
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Landry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Chataignier
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
  • Iberville Parish
    • Maringouin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Carencro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Stekey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Ravenswood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • East Krotz Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Batchelor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Innis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Morganza
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Legonier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Williamsport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Fordoche
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Lottie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Smithland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
  • Rapides Parish
    • Cheneyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Breaux Bridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bat, with the one closest to Bat listed first.
    • Angola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Tunica
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Weyanoke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Bat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bat.

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

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

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

  • McBride Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Cason Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Saquette Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Apostolic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (159 more) ...
    • Midway Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Spring Bluff Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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>

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

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

  • Palmetto
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Rosa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Bayou Current
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Elba
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Beggs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Melville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Big Cane
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Garland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
  • Washington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Port Barre
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Ravenswood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
  • Dubuisson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Boretta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Morrow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Odenburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg

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

Newspapers Published in Bat ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bat, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bat.

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 Bat:

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 Bat, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bat) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.