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 Donaldsonville (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 Donaldsonville. 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 southeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.
Donaldsonville is located in Ascension Parish and is the Parish Seat.
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 Ascension Parish: Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston & Saint James.
Below are the parishes that are near Donaldsonville. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Donaldsonville:
- Ascension Parish (The home parish of Donaldsonville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Darrow
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Aben
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Aben is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aben
- Aben has also been known as:
- Abend
- Barton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Barton is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
- Cofield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cofield is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cofield
- Burnside
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Geismar
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Southwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Southwood is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood
- Gonzales
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sorrento
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cornerview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cornerview is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerview
- Dutch Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Dutch Town is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Town
- Brittany
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Amant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Assumption Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Belle Terre
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Terre is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Terre
- Brulie Maurin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Brulie Maurin is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brulie Maurin
- Belle Alliance
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Alliance is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Alliance
- Belle Rose
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Burbank ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Burbank is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
- Freetown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Freetown is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Kessler
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kessler is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kessler
- Lula
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lula is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lula
- Monty
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Monty is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monty
- Sweet Home
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sweet Home is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Home
- Star
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Star is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Bruly Saint Martin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bruly Saint Martin is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruly Saint Martin
- Magnolia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Village Saint George
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Village Saint George is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Saint George
- Burtville ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Burtville is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burtville
- Oak Hills Place
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Oak Hills Place is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills Place
- Old Jefferson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Old Jefferson is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Jefferson
- Perkins Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Perkins Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins Village
- Gardere
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gardere is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardere
- Essen
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Essen is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essen
- Lynwood Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lynwood Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood Village
- Shenandoah
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Shenandoah is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
- Inniswold
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Westminster
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Westminster is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
- Woodshire Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Woodshire Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodshire Village
- Baton Rouge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Iberville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Carville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- White Castle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Gabriel
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bayou Goula
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Iberville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Iberville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberville
- Sunshine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sunshine is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Plaquemine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Morrisonville ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Morrisonville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisonville
- Indian Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Village is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Lafourche Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Chackbay
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Chackbay is located in Lafourche Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chackbay
- Kraemer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Thibodaux
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Acadia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Acadia is located in Lafourche Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acadia
- Livingston Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- French Settlement
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Port Vincent
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Port Vincent is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Vincent
- Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
- Maurepas
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Denham Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Denham Springs is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,842 people
- Former names for Denham Springs:
- Amite Springs
- Hill's Springs
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denham Springs <1>
- Clio
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clio is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
- Walker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Walker is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,302 people
- Killian
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Killian is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,337 people
- Saint James Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Chatman Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chatman Town is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatman Town
- Free Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Free Town is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Town
- Uncle Sam
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Burton Lane
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Burton Lane is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton Lane
- Convent
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Saint James
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hester is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Lagan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lagan is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lagan
- Lutcher
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Paulina
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Vacherie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Gramercy
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- North Vacherie
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- North Vacherie is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Vacherie
- Saint John the Baptist Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Wallace
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wallace is located in Saint John the Baptist Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Mount Airy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Garyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Edgard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Reserve
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Laplace
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Saint Martin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Bayou Geneve
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bayou Geneve is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Geneve
- Stephenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stephenville is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephenville
- Saint Mary Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Morgan City Beach
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Morgan City Beach is located in Saint Mary Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City Beach
- Fairville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairville is located in Saint Mary Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairville
- Morgan City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Amelia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Berwick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Terrebonne Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Schriever
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Chacahoula
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chacahoula is located in Terrebonne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chacahoula
- Donner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gibson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Magnolia Plantation
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Magnolia Plantation is located in Terrebonne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Plantation
- Minerva Plantation
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Minerva Plantation is located in Terrebonne Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva Plantation
- Gray
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Addis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Addis is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,464 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Addis <1>
- Brusly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brusly is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brusly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brusly <1>
- Port Allen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Donaldsonville, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Donaldsonville.
Cemeteries Near Donaldsonville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Donaldsonville.
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 Donaldsonville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Donaldsonville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Ascension Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Emanuel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- St. Jules Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Christ Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Phillip Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Philippian Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Orange Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Burnside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (143 more) ...
- St. Augustine Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Virginia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Donaldsonville had a population of 3,121 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Donaldsonville had a population of 8,638 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Donaldsonville, with the one closest to Donaldsonville listed first.
- Darrow
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Smoke Bend
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Smoke Bend is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Bend
- Geary ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Geary is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geary
- McCall
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- McCall is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCall
- Belle Rose
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lauderdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lauderdale is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Cofield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cofield is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cofield
- White Hall
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- White Hall is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Union
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Union is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Burnside
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Belle Helene
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Belle Helene is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Helene
- Central
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Central is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Geismar
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Paincourtville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Plattenville
(7 miles [11.3 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 Donaldsonville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Donaldsonville.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Donaldsonville ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Donaldsonville.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Donaldsonville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Donaldsonville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Donaldsonville.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4> of Donaldsonville.
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 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 Donaldsonville:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Ascension Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Assumption Parish
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- Iberville Parish
- Lafourche Parish
- Livingston Parish
- Saint James Parish
- Saint John the Baptist Parish
- Saint Martin Parish
- Saint Mary Parish
- Terrebonne Parish
- West Baton Rouge 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> | 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 Donaldsonville, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Donaldsonville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |