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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 Garland (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 Garland. 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 and hospitals 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.

Garland is located in Saint Landry 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 Landry Parish: Acadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee & Saint Martin.

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

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Garland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Boretta
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Rosa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Lebeau
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Immaculata
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Morrow
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Washington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Palmetto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Bayou Jack
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Opelousas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Port Barre
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Swayze Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Lawtell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Church Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Higginbotham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
    • Branch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Castille
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Castille is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Gold Dust
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Evergreen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Hickory
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Dupont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Eola
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Bunkie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Cottonport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Plaucheville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Odenburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Moreauville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Ville Platte
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Saint Landry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Chataignier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mamou
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Mamou is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mamou
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mamou <1>
    • Pine Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Reddell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Turkey Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Duralde
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
    • Tyrone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Carencro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Stekey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Ravenswood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Legonier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • East Krotz Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Batchelor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lettsworth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Williamsport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Smithland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Fordoche
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Morganza
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lottie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Garland, with the one closest to Garland listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Echo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • Cecilia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Garland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Garland.

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

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

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

  • Chimleyville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Whipp Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Old Grand Prairie Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cason Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Hebrew Rest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (174 more) ...

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 in 1895, Garland had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Dubuisson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Boretta
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Beggs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Rosa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Whiteville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
  • Washington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Big Cane
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Morrow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Plaisance
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Plaisance is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaisance
  • Palmetto
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Barbreck
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck
  • Opelousas
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Port Barre
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Eola
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Evergreen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Garland ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Garland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Garland, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Garland.

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 either 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 Garland:

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