RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Saint Landry Parish >> Big Cane >> 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 Cane (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 Cane. 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 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Big Cane 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 Big Cane. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Cane:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Big Cane)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Bayou Jack
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Rosa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Morrow
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Immaculata
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lebeau
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Boretta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Palmetto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Washington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Elba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Half Moon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Swayze Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Port Barre
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Melville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Dupont
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Hickory
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Plaucheville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottonport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Gold Dust
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Odenburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Bunkie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <1>
    • Eola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Moreauville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Hamburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Ville Platte
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Pine Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Turkey Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Chataignier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Reddell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mamou
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mamou is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mamou
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mamou <1>
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Legonier
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Innis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Lettsworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Batchelor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Williamsport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Smithland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Ravenswood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Morganza
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • East Krotz Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Fordoche
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lottie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Echo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Lecompte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Cane, with the one closest to Big Cane listed first.
    • Angola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Tunica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Big Cane ...

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

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

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

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

  • Spring Bluff Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Apostolic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Morrow Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Snowden Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Cason Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (171 more) ...
    • Robinson Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Goudeau Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Big Cane had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Rosa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Morrow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Dubuisson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Boretta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Garland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
  • Whiteville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
  • Palmetto
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Beggs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Evergreen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Cottonport
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Barbreck
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck
  • Bayou Current
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Odenburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Bunkie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <1>
    • Eola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola

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

Newspapers Published in Big Cane ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Cane.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Cane, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Cane.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Big Cane:

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