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 Gonzales (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 Gonzales. 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.
Gonzales is located in Ascension 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 Ascension Parish: Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston & Saint James.
Below are the parishes that are near Gonzales. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gonzales:
- Ascension Parish (The home parish of Gonzales)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Brittany
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Weber City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Weber City is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
- Saint Amant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Duplessis
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cornerview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cornerview is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerview
- Brignac
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brignac is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brignac
- Dutch Town
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dutch Town is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Town
- Burnside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sorrento
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Galvez
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Galvez is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez
- Geismar
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Prairieville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cofield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cofield is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cofield
- Assumption Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Belle Terre
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Terre is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Terre
- Brulie Maurin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Brulie Maurin is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brulie Maurin
- Belle Alliance
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Alliance is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Alliance
- Belle Rose
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Burbank ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Burbank is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
- Freetown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Freetown is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Kessler
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kessler is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kessler
- Lula
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lula is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lula
- Monty
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Monty is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monty
- Bruly Saint Martin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bruly Saint Martin is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruly Saint Martin
- Star
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Star is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Sweet Home
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sweet Home is located in Assumption Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Home
- Magnolia
(16 miles [25.7 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 Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Old Jefferson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Old Jefferson is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Jefferson
- Shenandoah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Shenandoah is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
- Oak Hills Place
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Hills Place is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills Place
- Perkins Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Perkins Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins Village
- Village Saint George
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Village Saint George is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Saint George
- Burtville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Burtville is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burtville
- Woodshire Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Woodshire Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodshire Village
- Gardere
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gardere is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardere
- Essen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Essen is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essen
- Inniswold
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lynwood Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lynwood Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood Village
- Westminster
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Westminster is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
- Monticello
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Monticello is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Iberville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Carville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Saint Gabriel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Iberville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Iberville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberville
- Sunshine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Sunshine is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- White Castle
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bayou Goula
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Morrisonville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Morrisonville is located in Iberville Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisonville
- Plaquemine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Indian Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- 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 Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Chackbay
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Chackbay is located in Lafourche Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chackbay
- Kraemer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Thibodaux
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Livingston Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- French Settlement
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Port Vincent
(9 miles [14.5 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
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Denham Springs
(18 miles [29 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>
- Walker
(19 miles [30.6 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
- Clio
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Clio is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
- Killian
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Livingston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Watson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Holden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Springfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oldfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Oldfield is located in Livingston Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Albany
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Charles Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Gypsy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gypsy is located in Saint Charles Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gypsy
- Killona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Montz
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Montz is located in Saint Charles Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montz
- Saint James Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Free Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Free Town is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Town
- Chatman Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Chatman Town is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatman Town
- Uncle Sam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Burton Lane
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Burton Lane is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton Lane
- Convent
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hester is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Lagan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Lagan is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lagan
- Saint James
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gramercy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lutcher
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Paulina
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Vacherie
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- North Vacherie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- 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 Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Wallace
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wallace is located in Saint John the Baptist Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Mount Airy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Edgard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Reserve
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Laplace
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Frenier
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Frenier is located in Saint John the Baptist Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenier
- Saint Martin Parish
- Bayou Geneve
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bayou Geneve is located in Saint Martin Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Geneve
- Tangipahoa Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Wadesboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wadesboro is located in Tangipahoa Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadesboro
- Baptist
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Baptist is located in Tangipahoa Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baptist
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Addis
(22 miles [35.4 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
(23 miles [37 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
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lobdell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lobdell is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
- Wilbert ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wilbert is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbert
- Carey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Carey is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carey
- Devalls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Devalls is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devalls
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gonzales, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Gonzales.
Cemeteries Near Gonzales ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gonzales.
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 Gonzales - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gonzales covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Hope Haven Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Lusk Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- New St. John Baptist Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Little Zion Baptist Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Landry Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- St. Peter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Cornerview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Burnside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pelgrim Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Orange Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Richardson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Faithful Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ficklin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Gonzales had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Gonzales had a population of 11,245 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gonzales, with the one closest to Gonzales listed first.
- Saint Amant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Burnside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Dutch Town
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dutch Town is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Town
- Belle Helene
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Helene is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Helene
- Galvez
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Galvez is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galvez
- Geismar
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cofield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cofield is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cofield
- Darrow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Southwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Southwood is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood
- Hohen Solms
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hohen Solms is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hohen Solms
- Lauderdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lauderdale is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Union
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Union is located in Saint James Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- McCall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- McCall is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCall
- Geary ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Geary is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geary
- Smoke Bend
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Smoke Bend is located in Ascension Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Bend
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gonzales. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gonzales.
Newspapers Published in Gonzales ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gonzales.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gonzales, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gonzales.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Gonzales:
- 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 Charles Parish
- Saint James Parish
- Saint John the Baptist Parish
- Saint Martin Parish
- Tangipahoa 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> | 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 Gonzales, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Gonzales) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |