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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 Cecilia (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 Cecilia. 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.

Cecilia is located in Saint Martin 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 Saint Martin Parish: Assumption, Iberia, Iberville, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, Saint Landry & Saint Mary.

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

  • Saint Martin Parish     (The home parish of Cecilia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Henderson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Breaux Bridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Parks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Parks is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parks <1>
    • Catahoula Cove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Catahoula Cove is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catahoula Cove
    • Isle Labbe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Isle Labbe is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle Labbe
    • Levert
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Levert is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levert
    • Saint John
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Saint John is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
    • Banker Plantation
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Banker Plantation is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banker Plantation
    • Saint Martinville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bankers
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bankers is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankers
    • Duchamp
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
    • Coteau Holmes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Coteau Holmes is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coteau Holmes
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Higginbotham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
    • Castille
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Castille is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
    • Church Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Branch
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Rayne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Ebenezer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
  • Iberia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Loreauville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Morbihan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Morbihan is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morbihan
    • New Iberia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Derouen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Derouen is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derouen
    • Lydia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Avery Island
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Patoutville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Patoutville is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoutville
  • Iberville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Maringouin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosedale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Grosse Tete
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Stekey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Carencro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Lafayette
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Billeaud
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Billeaud is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billeaud
    • Broussard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Scott
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Scott is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,787 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scott <1>
    • Ossun
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
    • Youngsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Milton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Duson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Duson is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,761 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duson <1>
    • Ridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • East Krotz Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Lottie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Fordoche
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Livonia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Livonia is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Livonia <1>
    • Ravenswood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Dupont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jarreau
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Oscar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Portage
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
    • Arnaudville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Frozard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
    • Leonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Grand Coteau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sunset
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Sunset is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunset <1>
    • Krotz Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cankton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
    • Port Barre
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Opelousas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewisburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Swayze Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
  • Vermilion Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cecilia, with the one closest to Cecilia listed first.
    • Maurice
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Leroy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Delcambre
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Indian Bayou
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
    • Erath
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Erath is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,030 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erath <1>
    • Andrew
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew
    • Meaux
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Meaux is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meaux
    • Abbeville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Youngs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Youngs is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs

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

Cemeteries Near Cecilia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cecilia.

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

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

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

  • St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Henderson.
    • The St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68504 <2>
  • Ring Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Bernard Cemetery #1
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Bernard Cemetery #2
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Francis Regis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Strauss Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Butte La Rose Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Peter RC Church Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Peter RC Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Peter RC Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Carencro.
    • The St. Peter RC Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Peter Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1965383 <2>
  • Greenlawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (102 more) ...
    • St. John Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Lafayette.
      • The St. John Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #640777 <2>
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jewish Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)

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

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

  • Breaux Bridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Arnaudville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Frozard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
  • Leonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Carencro
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Lafayette
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Grand Coteau
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sunset
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Sunset is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunset <1>
  • Broussard
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Saint Martinville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Scott
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Scott is located in Lafayette Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,787 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scott <1>
  • Duchamp
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Port Barre
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Shuteston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
    • Cade
      (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 Cecilia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cecilia.

Newspapers Published in Cecilia ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cecilia.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cecilia, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cecilia.

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 helpful 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 Cecilia:

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 Cecilia, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cecilia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.