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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 Bodoc (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 Bodoc. 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 southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Bodoc is located in Avoyelles 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 Avoyelles Parish: Catahoula, Concordia, Evangeline, La Salle, Pointe Coupee, Rapides & Saint Landry.

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

  • Avoyelles Parish     (The home parish of Bodoc)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Dupont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Hickory
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Plaucheville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Cottonport
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Moreauville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Evergreen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Hamburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Odenburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Mansura
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Simmesport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunkie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Hessmer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Concordia Parish
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Ville Platte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Turkey Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Pine Prairie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Chataignier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Reddell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Legonier
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Smithland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Williamsport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Batchelor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Ravenswood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Morganza
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • East Krotz Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Echo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Ruby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lecompte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Whittington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Bayou Jack
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Morrow
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Lebeau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Immaculata
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Boretta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Palmetto
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Elba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Washington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Half Moon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Melville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Swayze Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Port Barre
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bodoc, with the one closest to Bodoc listed first.
    • Angola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Tunica
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Wilkinson County (MS)
    • Artonish
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish

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

Cemeteries Near Bodoc ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bodoc.

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

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

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

  • Snowden Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mater Dolorosa Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Morrow Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Spring Bluff Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Apostolic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (168 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jersalem Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

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

  • Cottonport
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Big Cane
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Moreauville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Morrow
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hamburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Red Fish
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Fish is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fish
  • Mansura
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Odenburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
  • Rosa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Simmesport
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bunkie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Whiteville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
    • Dubuisson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
    • Legonier
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier

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

Newspapers Published in Bodoc ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bodoc.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bodoc, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bodoc.

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 Bodoc:

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 Bodoc, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bodoc) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.