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 Johnsons Bayou (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 Johnsons Bayou. 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 Johnsons Bayou ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

While the name of this community is Johnsons Bayou, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Johnsons Bayou may originally have been Johnson's Bayou.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Johnsons Bayou might be written as Johnson Bayou.

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/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.

Johnsons Bayou 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 Johnsons Bayou. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Johnsons Bayou:

• Cameron Parish     (The home parish of Johnsons Bayou)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsons Bayou, with the one closest to Johnsons Bayou listed first.
  • Cameron
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
    • Cameron is located in Cameron Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cameron <2>
  • Hackberry
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
  • Grand Lake
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
    • Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish
• Calcasieu Parish
  • Vinton
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
    • Vinton is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,211 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <2>
• Jefferson County (TX)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsons Bayou, with the one closest to Johnsons Bayou listed first.
  • Sabine Pass
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabine Pass
    • Sabine Pass is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabine Pass <2>
  • Port Arthur
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Arthur
    • Port Arthur is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,921 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Arthur <2>
  • Groves
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groves
    • Groves is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,268 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groves <2>
  • Port Neches
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Neches have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Neches
    • Port Neches is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,596 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Neches <2>
  • Port Acres
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Acres
    • Port Acres is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Acres <2>
  • Nederland
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nederland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nederland
    • Nederland is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,184 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nederland <2>
  • Central Gardens
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Gardens
    • Central Gardens is located in Jefferson County (TX)
  • Taylor Landing
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Landing
    • Taylor Landing is located in Jefferson County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
• Orange County (TX)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsons Bayou, with the one closest to Johnsons Bayou listed first.
  • Bridge City
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridge City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridge City
    • Bridge City is located in Orange County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,810 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridge City <2>
  • West Orange
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Orange have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Orange
    • West Orange is located in Orange County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Orange <2>
  • Orange
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
    • Orange is located in Orange County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,832 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orange <2>
  • Pinehurst
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
    • Pinehurst is located in Orange County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,959 people
  • Orangefield
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangefield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangefield
    • Orangefield is located in Orange County (TX)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orangefield <2>
  • Terry
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Terry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
    • Terry is located in Orange County (TX)

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

Cemeteries Near Johnsons Bayou ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Johnsons Bayou.

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 Johnsons Bayou covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

• Head of the Hollow Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Head of the Hollow Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Head of the Hollow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Pevoto Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pevoto Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pevoto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Peveto Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peveto Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peveto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Smith Ridge Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Ridge Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Pace Cemetery
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pace Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• McGaffey Cemetery
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McGaffey Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McGaffey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Calvary Cemetery
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Wakefield Memorial Cemetery
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Johnson Memorial Park
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Memorial Park
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Johnson Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Groves (TX).
  • The Johnson Memorial Park has also been known as:
  • Johnson Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987385 <5>
• Greenlawn Memorial Park
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenlawn Memorial Park
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Greenlawn Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Groves (TX).
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1801502 <5>
• Kelly - Rogers Cemetery
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Our Lady Cemetery
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Continue List   (31 more) ...
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Johnsons Bayou had a post office and no railroad service.

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

• Sabine Pass
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabine Pass
  • Sabine Pass is located in Jefferson County (TX)
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabine Pass <2>
• Cameron
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
  • Cameron is located in Cameron Parish
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cameron <2>
• Orange
  (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
  • Orange is located in Orange County (TX)
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,832 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orange <2>
• Hackberry
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
• Tulane
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulane have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulane
  • Tulane is located in Orange County (TX)
• Echo
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
  • Echo is located in Orange County (TX)
• Terry
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Terry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
  • Terry is located in Orange County (TX)
• Grand Lake
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • 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.<4>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
  • Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish

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

Newspapers Published in Johnsons Bayou ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Johnsons Bayou.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Johnsons Bayou, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Johnsons Bayou.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Johnsons Bayou:

• Websites specific to Louisiana
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the //www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources//Historical Resources/

• Pages specific to Cameron Parish
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby parishes
  • Calcasieu Parish
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Jefferson County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Orange County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Louisiana
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Louisiana
  • Cemeteries of Cameron Parish
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Louisiana
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Louisiana
  • Cemeteries of Cameron Parish

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Johnsons Bayou. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/