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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 New California (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 New California. 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 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.

New California is located in Pointe Coupee 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 Pointe Coupee Parish: Avoyelles, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, West Baton Rouge & West Feliciana.

Below are the parishes that are near New California. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to New California:

  • Pointe Coupee Parish     (The home parish of New California)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Innis
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Batchelor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Williamsport
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Lettsworth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Smithland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Legonier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Morganza
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ravenswood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Fordoche
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    • New Roads
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dupont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Odenburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Simmesport
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dupont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Hamburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Plaucheville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Moreauville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Bordelonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottonport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Enterprise
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Evergreen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Mansura
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Concordia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Acme
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Bougere
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bougere is located in Concordia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
  • East Baton Rouge Parish
    • Port Hudson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Port Hudson is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Hudson
  • Evangeline Parish
  • Iberville Parish
    • Maringouin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Elba
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Melville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bayou Jack
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Half Moon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Palmetto
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Swayze Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Immaculata
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lebeau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Morrow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Krotz Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Boretta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • West Baton Rouge Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Erwinville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Arbroth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Arbroth is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbroth
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Angola
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Tunica
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Weyanoke
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Bains
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
    • Saint Francisville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Converse ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
    • Wakefield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Rogillioville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
  • Wilkinson County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New California, with the one closest to New California listed first.
    • Artonish
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
    • Turnbull
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull

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

Cemeteries Near New California ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of New California.

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 New California - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mt. Marias Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Little Zion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mason Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Mark Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • St. Pauls Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Stephens Episcopal Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Good Faith Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Faith Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Good Faith Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the west of Williamsport.

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 New California in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of New California.

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

  • Bayou Current
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Elba
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Smithland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
  • Odenburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
  • Legonier
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
  • Viva
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Viva is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viva
  • Simmesport
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Red River Landing
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Red River Landing is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red River Landing
  • Melville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Raccourci ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Raccourci is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raccourci
  • Merrick
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Merrick is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrick
  • Ravenswood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Rowes Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rowes Landing is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Landing
    • Angola
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Fish
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 New California. See our List of 1890's Communities around New California.

Newspapers Published in New California ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around New California.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of New California, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for New California.

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 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 New California:

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- New California) 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 New California, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.