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 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 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 ...
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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Branch is located in Acadia 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 Acadia Parish: Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Saint Landry & Vermilion.
Below are the parishes that are near Branch. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Branch:
- Acadia Parish (The home parish of Branch)
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Higginbotham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
- Church Point
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Castille
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Castille is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
- Rayne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ellis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ellis is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Crowley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ebenezer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
- Iota
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Iota is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iota
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,428 people
- Egan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Estherwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Evangeline
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Morse
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Evangeline Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Chataignier
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tyrone
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Unatex
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
- Duralde
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
- Basile
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mamou
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ville Platte
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Reddell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Jennings
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Elton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Elton is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elton <1>
- Roanoke
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lake Arthur
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lafayette Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Duson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ossun
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
- Carencro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Scott
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
- Stekey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
- Lafayette
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Milton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Broussard
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Youngsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Billeaud
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Billeaud is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billeaud
- Saint Landry Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Cankton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Lewisburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
- Sunset
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lawtell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Grand Coteau
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Eunice
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Frozard
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
- Opelousas
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Leonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Arnaudville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Washington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Port Barre
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Martin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Breaux Bridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cecilia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Duchamp
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
- Parks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Henderson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Levert
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Levert is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levert
- Delacroix
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Delacroix is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delacroix
- Saint John
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Saint John is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
- Saint Martinville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vermilion Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Indian Bayou
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
- Andrew
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew
- Maurice
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Leroy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Kaplan
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Meaux
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Meaux is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meaux
- Gueydan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Abbeville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Youngs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Youngs is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs
- Perry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Erath
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Branch, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Branch.
Cemeteries Near Branch ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of 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 Branch - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Branch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Arceneaux Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the west of Church Point.
- The St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Edwards Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #756472 <2>
- Murphy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hookman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- McBride Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Baptist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kie Herbert Memorial Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kie Herbert Memorial Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Kie Herbert Memorial Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the north of Crowley.
- The Kie Herbert Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
- Herbert Cemetery
- Kie Herbert Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #67744 <2>
- Hawks Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mercy Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mowata Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (167 more) ...
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Mowata Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowata Cemetery
- The Mowata Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68342 <2>
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 Branch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Branch.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Church Point
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rayne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Duson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Prudhomme
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Prudhomme is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudhomme
- Crowley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shuteston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
- Sunset
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Scott
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Carencro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Grand Coteau
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
- Cartville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cartville is located in Acadia Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Indian Bayou
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
- Estherwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Frozard
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around Branch.
Newspapers Published in 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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Branch.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Branch, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Branch.
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 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 Branch:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Acadia Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Evangeline Parish
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- Lafayette Parish
- Saint Landry Parish
- Saint Martin Parish
- Vermilion 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |