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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Gum Ridge to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Gum Ridge, 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 Gum Ridge (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 Gum Ridge. 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.

Name Variations for Gum Ridge ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Gum Ridge: Gum Rdg. (or less commonly used: Gum Rdge. or Gum Ridg.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Gum Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Gum Ridge.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Gum Ridge 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 Gum Ridge. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gum Ridge:

  • Avoyelles Parish     (The home parish of Gum Ridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Hickory
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Dupont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Plaucheville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottonport
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Gold Dust
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Moreauville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Bunkie
      (11 miles [17.7 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 <2>
    • Eola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Milburn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Hamburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hessmer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Ville Platte
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Turkey Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Pine Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Chataignier
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Reddell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mamou
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <2>
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Legonier
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Batchelor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Smithland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Williamsport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Ravenswood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Morganza
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • East Krotz Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Fordoche
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Echo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Ruby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lecompte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Whittington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Bayou Jack
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Morrow
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Lebeau
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Boretta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Immaculata
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Palmetto
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Washington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Elba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Half Moon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Swayze Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Melville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Barre
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gum Ridge, with the one closest to Gum Ridge listed first.
    • Angola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Tunica
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Gum Ridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gum Ridge.

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 Gum Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Morrow Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Snowden Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Spring Bluff Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Apostolic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Cason Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (173 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mater Dolorosa Catholic Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • St. Anthony Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Gum Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gum Ridge.

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

  • Big Cane
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Morrow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Rosa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Evergreen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cottonport
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Dubuisson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Whiteville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
  • Boretta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Garland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
  • Barbreck
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck
  • Moreauville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Bunkie
    (11 miles [17.7 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 <2>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Eola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Palmetto
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Red Fish
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Red Fish is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fish

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

Newspapers Published in Gum Ridge ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gum Ridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gum Ridge, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gum Ridge.

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 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 Gum Ridge:

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 Gum Ridge, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Gum Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.