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 Creek (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 Creek. 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.
Name Variations for Big Creek ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
Another variation: Bigcreek.
- A typical abbreviation for Big Creek: Big Crk. (or less commonly used: Big Ck. or Big Cr.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Creek.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Big Creek is located in Franklin 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 Franklin Parish: Caldwell, Catahoula, Madison, Richland & Tensas.
Below are the parishes that are near Big Creek. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Creek:
- Franklin Parish (The home parish of Big Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Baskin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Baskinton
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Baskinton is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskinton
- Winnsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Crowville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Liddieville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Liddieville is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liddieville
- Chase
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Swampers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Swampers is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampers
- Fort Necessity
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gilbert
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Jigger
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Extension
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Extension is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Extension
- Wisner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Elam
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Elam is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elam
- Caldwell Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Columbia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fredericksburg ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fredericksburg is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
- Banks Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Banks Springs is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks Springs
- Grayson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Clarks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vixen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Vixen is located in Caldwell Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vixen
- Catahoula Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Enterprise
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Enterprise is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Rosefield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rosefield is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosefield
- Madison Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Waverly
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Waverly is located in Madison Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Tendal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tendal is located in Madison Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tendal
- Quebec
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Quebec is located in Madison Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quebec
- Morehouse Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Oak Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Windsor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Windsor is located in Morehouse Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Collinston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ouachita Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Bosco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bosco is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosco
- Cuba
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Cuba is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Pino Bayou Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pino Bayou Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino Bayou Village
- Richwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Richwood is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,375 people
- Spanish City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Spanish City is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish City
- Swartz
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Leisure Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Leisure Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
- Monroe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Northpark Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Northpark Village is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northpark Village
- West Monroe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- West Monroe is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,086 people
- Claiborne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Claiborne is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
- Fairbanks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lapine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lapine is located in Ouachita Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Richland Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Mangham
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- New Light
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Light is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Archibald
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Alto
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alto is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Rayville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Holly Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
- Start
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dunn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Delhi
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Tensas Parish
- Newlight
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Newlight is located in Tensas Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlight
- West Carroll Parish
- Epps
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Epps is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epps
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epps <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Big Creek, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Big Creek.
Cemeteries Near Big Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Creek.
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 Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Big Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Buie Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gwin Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Reagan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Archibald Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coax Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- China Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Brunson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Nickols Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Gwin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Prewitt Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (148 more) ...
- Austin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Cedar Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
While we didn't find Big Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Creek.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Mangham
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Archibald
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Baskinton
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Baskinton is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskinton
- Alto
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alto is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Winnsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Charlieville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Charlieville is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlieville
- Crowville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rayville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Girard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Girard is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
- Lamar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lamar is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
- Bee Bayou
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bee Bayou is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Bayou
- Holly Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Ridge
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Crew Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Crew Lake is located in Richland Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crew Lake
- Como
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Como is located in Franklin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Fort Necessity
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Big Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Creek.
Newspapers Published in Big Creek ...
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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Creek.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Creek, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Creek.
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 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 Creek:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Franklin Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Caldwell Parish
- Catahoula Parish
- Madison Parish
- Morehouse Parish
- Ouachita Parish
- Richland Parish
- Tensas Parish
- West Carroll 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> | 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 Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Big Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |