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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 Castor Plunge (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 Castor Plunge. 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 and doctors 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.

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

  • Rapides Parish     (The home parish of Castor Plunge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Weil
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Weil is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
    • Gardner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodworth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Elmer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Otis
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Anandale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Anandale is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
    • Moreland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Moreland is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Alexandria Junction
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Alexandria Junction is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria Junction
    • Alexandria
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hineston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hot Wells
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hot Wells is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Wells
    • Forest Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Hemphill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Hemphill is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Pawnee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Pawnee is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee
    • Mab
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Mab is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mab
    • Elizabeth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Marionville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Marionville was located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marionville
    • Reids
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Reids is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reids
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Center Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Egg Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
    • Effie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • North Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • North Point is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
    • Moncla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Moncla is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moncla
    • Vick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Vick is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vick
    • Hessmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Bunkie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Turkey Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
  • Grant Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Fairmount
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Creola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Stay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Stay is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stay
    • Bentley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Colfax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Pollock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Dry Prong
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Fishville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fishville is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
    • Antonia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Antonia is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonia
  • Natchitoches Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Marco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Marco is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marco
    • Gorum
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cloutierville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Derry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Derry is located in Natchitoches Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
  • Vernon Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castor Plunge, with the one closest to Castor Plunge listed first.
    • Leander
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Leander is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
    • Lacamp
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Hicks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Hicks is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Simpson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Dido
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dido is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dido
    • Fullerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pitkin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Walnut Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Walnut Hill is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Cravens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cravens is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cravens

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

Cemeteries Near Castor Plunge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Castor Plunge.

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 Castor Plunge - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Burrough Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Alexander Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Rougeau Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Mark Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Belgard Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Woodworth Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sunrise Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Marler Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Peter Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Swann Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Barnidge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Cloverdale Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (200 more) ...
    • Anandale Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • McNutt Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Williams Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Elmer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Melder
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Weil
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Weil is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weil
  • Milford ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Milford was located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
  • Crane
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Crane is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crane
  • Hineston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Moreland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Moreland is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
  • Alexandria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Rapides
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Rapides is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapides
  • Lamourie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lamourie is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamourie
  • Hemphill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hemphill is also located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
  • Pineville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Boyce
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Boyce is also located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyce <1>
    • Lecompte
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairmount
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fairmount is located in Grant Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount

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

Newspapers Published in Castor Plunge ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Castor Plunge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Castor Plunge, 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 Castor Plunge.

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 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 Castor Plunge:

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