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 Gibbstown (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 Gibbstown. 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/Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.
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/counties 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/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Gibbstown is located in Cameron Parish.
To see how the shape of Louisiana's parishes have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of Cameron Parish: Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Jefferson (TX) & Orange (TX).
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Gibbstown. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gibbstown:
- Cameron Parish (The home parish of Gibbstown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gibbstown, with the one closest to Gibbstown listed first.
- Creole
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Creole. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creole
- Creole is located in Cameron Parish
- Grand Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grand Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
- Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish
- Grand Chenier
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Chenier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Chenier
- Grand Chenier is located in Cameron Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Chenier <3>
- Hackberry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
- Hackberry is located in Cameron Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackberry <3>
- Cameron
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Calcasieu Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gibbstown, with the one closest to Gibbstown listed first.
- Bell City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell City
- Bell City is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell City <3>
- Hayes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
- Hayes is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayes <3>
- Greinwich Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greinwich Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greinwich Village
- Greinwich Village is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Prien
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prien
- Prien is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Iowa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa
- Iowa is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
- Lake Charles
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Carlyss
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlyss
- Carlyss is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Westlake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
- Westlake is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,873 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westlake <3>
- Ararat
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
- Ararat is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Moss Bluff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
- Moss Bluff is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Bluff <3>
- Sulphur
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gibbstown, with the one closest to Gibbstown listed first.
- Lacassine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacassine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacassine
- Lacassine is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacassine <3>
- Lake Arthur
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Arthur have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Arthur
- Lake Arthur is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,736 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Arthur <3>
- Welsh
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welsh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh
- Welsh is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,195 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welsh <3>
- Roanoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roanoke have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanoke
- Roanoke is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roanoke <3>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gibbstown, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Gibbstown.
Cemeteries Near Gibbstown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gibbstown.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gibbstown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gibbstown, with the one closest to Gibbstown listed first.
- Granger Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Granger Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Granger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Duhon Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duhon Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duhon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sacred Heart Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the east of Creole.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1258517 <5>
- Little Chenier Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- La Bove Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Bove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Bove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Grand Lake Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Lake Cemetery
- The Grand Lake Cemetery has also been known as:
- Big Lake Cemetery
- Grand Lake Community Cemetery
- Hebert Cemetery
- Herbert Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #67747 <5>
- First Baptist Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Baptist Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pujol Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pujol Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pujol Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Kelly - Rogers Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kelly - Rogers Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kelly - Rogers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Our Lady Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Lady Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Lady Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- McCall Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (32 more) ...
- Wakefield Memorial Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wakefield Memorial Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wakefield Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lorrain Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lorrain Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lorrain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Benoit Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benoit Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benoit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<6>
While we didn't find Gibbstown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gibbstown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gibbstown, with the one closest to Gibbstown listed first.
- Grand Chenier
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Chenier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Chenier
- Grand Chenier is located in Cameron Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Chenier <3>
- Grand Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grand Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
- Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish
- Hackberry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
- Hackberry is located in Cameron Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackberry <3>
- Cameron
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Charles
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Iowa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa
- Iowa is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
- Chloe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chloe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chloe
- Chloe is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Westlake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
- Westlake is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,873 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westlake <3>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gibbstown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gibbstown.
Newspapers Published in Gibbstown ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gibbstown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gibbstown, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gibbstown.
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 Gibbstown:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Cameron Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Calcasieu Parish
- Jefferson Davis Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gibbstown. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gibbstown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gibbstown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9344, Longitude: -93.0765 In this case, the coordinates for Gibbstown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<5> | 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. |
<6> | 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 Gibbstown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |