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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 Gordon (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 Gordon. 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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next parish to the east. 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 east 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.

Gordon 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 Gordon. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gordon:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Gordon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gordon, with the one closest to Gordon listed first.
    • Elba
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Palmetto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Jack
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Melville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Immaculata
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Half Moon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Lebeau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Swayze Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Morrow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Boretta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Krotz Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Port Barre
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gordon, with the one closest to Gordon listed first.
    • Odenburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Simmesport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Dupont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Plaucheville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hamburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Cottonport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Moreauville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bordelonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Evergreen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mansura
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunkie
      (23 miles [37 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 <1>
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gordon, with the one closest to Gordon listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Ville Platte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Iberville Parish
    • Maringouin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gordon, with the one closest to Gordon listed first.
    • Batchelor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Legonier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Williamsport
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Smithland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Ravenswood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Morganza
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • East Krotz Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Fordoche
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lottie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dupont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gordon, with the one closest to Gordon listed first.
    • Angola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Tunica
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Weyanoke
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bains
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
    • Saint Francisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Converse ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
    • Wakefield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Wilkinson County (MS)
    • Artonish
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish

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

Cemeteries Near Gordon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gordon.

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

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

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

  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Salem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Mason Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Marias Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jacoby Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Little Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (161 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.<4>

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

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

  • Bayou Current
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Elba
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Odenburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
  • Palmetto
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Legonier
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
  • Simmesport
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Melville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Smithland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
  • Viva
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Viva is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viva
  • Big Cane
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Rosa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Red Fish
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Red Fish is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fish
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Red River Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Red River Landing is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red River Landing
    • Ravenswood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Raccourci ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Raccourci is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raccourci

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

Newspapers Published in Gordon ...

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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gordon.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gordon, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gordon.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Gordon:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gordon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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>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 Gordon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.