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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 Big Island (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 Island. 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 Island ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Big Island: Big Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Island. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Island.

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 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.

Big Island is located in Rapides 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 Rapides Parish: Allen, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Grant, La Salle, Natchitoches & Vernon.

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

  • Rapides Parish     (The home parish of Big Island)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • Deville
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Kolin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Libuse
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Ruby
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Whittington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
    • Ball
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Ball is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ball <1>
    • Pineville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Tioga
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Echo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Alexandria Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Alexandria Junction is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria Junction
    • Alexandria
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Anandale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Anandale is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • North Point
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • North Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
    • Center Point
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Effie
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Vick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Vick is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vick
    • Moncla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Moncla is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moncla
    • Egg Bend
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
    • Marksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Hessmer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Mansura
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bordelonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Moreauville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Cottonport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Catahoula Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • Rhinehart
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Parhams
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
    • Utility
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Utility is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utility
    • Jonesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Trinity
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Trinity is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
  • Concordia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • Acme
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Armagh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Armagh is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
    • Monterey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Monterey is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
    • Wildsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • Fishville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
    • Pollock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Creola
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Creola is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Creola has also been known as:
      • Creola village
    • Antonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
    • Stay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Stay is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stay
    • Bentley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dry Prong
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairmount
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
  • La Salle Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Island, with the one closest to Big Island listed first.
    • Sharp Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Sharp Town is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Town
    • Jena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jena is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jena <1>
    • Midway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Midway is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Trout
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Summerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Summerville is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
    • Zenoria
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Zenoria is located in La Salle Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenoria

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

Cemeteries Near Big Island ...

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

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

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

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

  • Burlew Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Paul Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Guillory Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Woodson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Deville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Slocum Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cole Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Newell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Tyler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (209 more) ...
    • Hopewell Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hooper Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • French Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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 Big Island in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Island.

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

  • Holloway
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Holloway is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
  • Poland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Poland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland
  • Egg Bend
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
  • Marksville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Pineville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Moreland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
  • Fishville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
  • Alexandria
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Lavacco
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lavacco is located in Catahoula Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavacco
  • Lamourie
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lamourie is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamourie
  • Mansura
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Acme
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Era
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • New Era is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • Glade
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Glade is located in Catahoula Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade
    • Lecompte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Big Island ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Island.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Island, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Island.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Island:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Big Island) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Big Island, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.