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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Dora. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Dora to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Dora, please Contact Us.

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 Dora (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 Dora. 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 doctors and 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Dora is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Dora. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dora:

  • Avoyelles Parish     (The home parish of Dora)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Enterprise
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Cottonport
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Evergreen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Plaucheville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Mansura
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Hessmer
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Moreauville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunkie
      (6 miles [9.7 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 <2>
    • Dupont
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Hamburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Eola
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Marksville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Concordia Parish
    • Acme
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Turkey Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Ville Platte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Reddell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Legonier
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Smithland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Williamsport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Batchelor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Echo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Whittington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
    • Lecompte
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Kolin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Moreland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Deville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Forest Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Woodworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Longleaf
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Anandale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Anandale is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Morrow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bayou Jack
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Boretta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Rosa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Immaculata
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lebeau
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Palmetto
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Elba
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Washington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Half Moon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Melville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Swayze Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Port Barre
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • West Feliciana Parish

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

Cemeteries Near Dora ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dora.

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

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

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

  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Hatfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Jersalem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mater Dolorosa Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Pythian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Snowden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Booneville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Morrow Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (181 more) ...
    • Fogleman Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Island Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Baibry Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)

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.

While we didn't find Dora in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dora.

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

  • Cottonport
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Evergreen
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Mansura
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Bunkie
    (6 miles [9.7 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 <2>
  • Moreauville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Eola
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Hamburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Haas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Haas is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
  • Morrow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Marksville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Big Cane
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Red Fish
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Red Fish is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fish
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Egg Bend
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
    • Cheneyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Barbreck
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck

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

Newspapers Published in Dora ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dora.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dora, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dora.

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 Dora:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Dora, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Dora) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.