RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Saint Tammany Parish >> Big Branch >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Big Branch (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 Big Branch. 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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.

Big Branch is located in Saint Tammany 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 Tammany Parish: Jefferson, Orleans, Tangipahoa, Washington, Hancock (MS) & Pearl River (MS).

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

  • Saint Tammany Parish     (The home parish of Big Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Lacombe
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mandeville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewisburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Abita Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Huntwyck Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Huntwyck Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntwyck Village
    • Covington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Madisonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • North Shore Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • North Shore Beach is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore Beach
    • Browns Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Browns Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Village
    • Hickory
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Hickory is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Eden Isle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Eden Isle is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Isle
    • Lake Shore Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Shore Village is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore Village
  • Jefferson Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Metairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Kenner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kenner is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66,288 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kenner <1>
    • Jefferson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Elmwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bridge City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Gretna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Gretna is located in Jefferson Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,615 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <1>
    • Terrytown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • River Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Harvey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Marrero
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Westwego
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Harahan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Orleans Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Milneburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Milneburg is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milneburg
    • Pine Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Pine Village is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
    • Gentilly Terrace
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Gentilly Terrace is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly Terrace
    • Gentilly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Gentilly is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly
    • Lake Catherine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • New Orleans
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Saint Bernard Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Arabi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Versailles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Versailles is located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
    • Chalmette
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Meraux
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Saxonholm
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Saxonholm is located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxonholm
    • Story
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Story is located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
    • Mohawk City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mohawk City is located in Saint Bernard Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk City
    • Violet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saint John the Baptist Parish
    • Frenier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Frenier is located in Saint John the Baptist Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenier
  • Tangipahoa Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Katie ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Katie is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
    • Robert
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Akers
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Manchac
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Manchac is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchac
    • Ponchatoula
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Hammond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Hammond is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,359 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Wadesboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Wadesboro is located in Tangipahoa Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadesboro
  • Washington Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Enon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Enon is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
    • Lees Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lees Creek is located in Washington Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Creek
  • Hancock County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Gainesville ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Gainesville is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainesville
    • Napoleon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Napoleon is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
    • Logtown ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Logtown is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logtown
    • Pearlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Pearl River County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Branch, with the one closest to Big Branch listed first.
    • Nicholson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Nicholson is located in Pearl River County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholson
    • Picayune
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Picayune is located in Pearl River County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Picayune
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Picayune <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Big Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Branch.

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 Big Branch - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Toomer Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lafrere Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Seghors Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Cousin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • James Todd Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mandeville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Chinchuba Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Peace Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Crow Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Byers Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Abita Springs Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (226 more) ...
    • Green Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Davis Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Dubuisson Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Mandeville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Florenville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Florenville is located in Saint Tammany Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenville
  • Covington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Madisonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Slidell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Slidell is located in Saint Tammany Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slidell
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,541 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slidell <1>
  • Pearl River
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Talisheek
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Katie ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Katie is located in Tangipahoa Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
  • Milneburg
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Milneburg is located in Orleans Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milneburg
  • Chef Menteur
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Chef Menteur is located in Orleans Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chef Menteur
  • Gainesville ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gainesville is located in Hancock County (MS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainesville
  • Gentilly
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Gentilly is located in Orleans Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lake Catherine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Orleans Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • Logtown ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Logtown is located in Hancock County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logtown
    • Sun
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Sun is located in Saint Tammany Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sun <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Big Branch ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Branch, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Branch.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Big Branch:

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>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 Big Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Big Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.