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 Bates (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 Bates. 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 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.
Bates is located in Acadia 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 Acadia Parish: Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Saint Landry & Vermilion.
Below are the parishes that are near Bates. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bates:
- Acadia Parish (The home parish of Bates)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Ellis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ellis is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Iota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Iota is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iota
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,428 people
- Branch
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Church Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Higginbotham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
- Castille
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Castille is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
- Crowley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Egan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rayne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Evangeline
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Estherwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Ebenezer
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
- Allen Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Bond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bond is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond
- Coverdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Coverdale is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coverdale
- Lauderdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lauderdale is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Elder
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Elder is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Oberlin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Canton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Canton is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Kinder
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Ward
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ward is located in Allen Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Evangeline Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Tyrone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Unatex
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
- Chataignier
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Duralde
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
- Basile
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mamou
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Reddell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Ville Platte
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Pine Prairie
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bayou Chicot
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
- Saint Landry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Elton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Elton is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elton <1>
- Jennings
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Roanoke
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Arthur
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Welsh
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Welsh is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,195 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welsh <1>
- Lafayette Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Duson
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ossun
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
- Carencro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
- Scott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Stekey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
- Lafayette
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Milton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Landry Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Eunice
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lewisburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
- Lawtell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cankton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Sunset
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grand Coteau
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Opelousas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Frozard
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
- Washington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Leonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Arnaudville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Boretta
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
- Vermilion Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Indian Bayou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
- Andrew
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew
- Leroy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Maurice
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gueydan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Kaplan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Meaux
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Meaux is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meaux
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bates, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Bates.
Cemeteries Near Bates ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bates.
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 Bates - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bates covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Mowata Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowata Cemetery
- The Mowata Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68342 <2>
- Mowata Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Frey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Louis Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Louis Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Eunice.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1162440 <2>
- Odon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Carron Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Savoy Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Riche Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the west of Church Point.
- The St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Edwards Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #756472 <2>
- Courtville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Calvary Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Eunice.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68279 <2>
- Continue List (173 more) ...
- Fruge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Miller Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Fontenot Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<4>
While we didn't find Bates in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bates.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bates, with the one closest to Bates listed first.
- Prudhomme
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Prudhomme is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudhomme
- Cartville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cartville is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartville
- Church Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Crowley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Rayne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Estherwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Shuteston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
- Duson
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mermentau
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grand Coteau
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Opelousas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Plaisance
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Plaisance is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaisance
- Carencro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Indian Bayou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bates. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bates.
Newspapers Published in Bates ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bates.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bates, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bates.
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 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 Bates:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Acadia Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Allen Parish
- Evangeline Parish
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- Lafayette Parish
- Saint Landry Parish
- Vermilion Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
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> | 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. |
| <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 from Point A (ie- Bates) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Bates, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |