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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 Opelousas (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 Opelousas. 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 southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors were in the next parish to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the parish to the south.

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 south 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.

Opelousas is located in Saint Landry Parish and is the Parish Seat.

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 Saint Landry Parish: Acadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee & Saint Martin.

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

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Opelousas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Washington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lawtell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawtell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtell
      • Lawtell is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawtell <1>
    • Port Barre
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Leonville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lewisburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Grand Coteau
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sunset
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Frozard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arnaudville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cankton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cankton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
      • Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
    • Immaculata
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Immaculata have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Boretta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Lebeau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lebeau have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebeau
      • Lebeau is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebeau <1>
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Church Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Church Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Point
      • Church Point is located in Acadia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Church Point <1>
    • Higginbotham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Branch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
      • Branch is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Branch <1>
    • Castille
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Castille. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
      • Castille is located in Acadia Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Castille
      • From Opelousas to Castille
    • Rayne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Crowley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Iota
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ebenezer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Gold Dust
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gold Dust. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gold Dust
      • From Opelousas to Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Eola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Dupont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Bunkie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evergreen <1>
    • Hickory
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Plaucheville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plaucheville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaucheville
      • Plaucheville is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plaucheville <1>
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Chataignier
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chataignier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chataignier
      • Chataignier is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 355 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chataignier <1>
    • Ville Platte
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mamou
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mamou have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mamou
      • Mamou is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mamou <1>
    • Reddell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reddell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reddell
      • Reddell is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reddell <1>
    • Saint Landry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Landry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Landry
      • Saint Landry is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Landry <1>
    • Bayou Chicot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Duralde
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Tyrone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyrone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
    • Pine Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Prairie
      • Pine Prairie is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pine Prairie <1>
    • Unatex
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Unatex. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
      • Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Unatex
      • From Opelousas to Unatex
    • Turkey Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turkey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Creek
      • Turkey Creek is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turkey Creek <1>
  • Lafayette Parish
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • East Krotz Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliot City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Ravenswood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ravenswood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ravenswood
      • From Opelousas to Ravenswood
    • Lottie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lottie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lottie
      • Lottie is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lottie <1>
    • Fordoche
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecilia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecilia
      • Cecilia is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cecilia <1>
    • Breaux Bridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Henderson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Parks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Parks is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parks <1>
    • Catahoula Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catahoula Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catahoula Cove
      • Catahoula Cove is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Levert
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Levert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levert
      • Levert is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Levert
      • From Opelousas to Levert
    • Saint John
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint John. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
      • Saint John is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saint John
      • From Opelousas to Saint John
  • Vermilion Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opelousas, with the one closest to Opelousas listed first.
    • Indian Bayou
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Maurice
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Opelousas ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Opelousas.

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

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

  • St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Bellevue Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Montgomery - Wilkins Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montgomery - Wilkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Montgomery - Wilkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hebrew Rest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebrew Rest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebrew Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Daly Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Daly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Daly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pitre Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pitre Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pitre Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Andrews Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Andrews Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Andrews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bertrand Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bertrand Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bertrand Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Saquette Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saquette Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Saquette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Opelousas had a population of 1,572 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Opelousas had a population of 15,562 people.

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

  • Washington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Plaisance
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plaisance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaisance
    • Plaisance is located in Saint Landry Parish
  • Shuteston
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shuteston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
    • Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
  • Leonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Barre
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sunset
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Grand Coteau
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Frozard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Beggs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beggs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
  • Church Point
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Church Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Point
    • Church Point is located in Acadia Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,367 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Church Point <1>
  • Arnaudville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Garland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
    • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Carencro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Prudhomme
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudhomme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudhomme
      • Prudhomme is located in Acadia Parish
    • Dubuisson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dubuisson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
      • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Opelousas ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Opelousas.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Opelousas. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Opelousas and those printed in the larger area surrounding Opelousas.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<5> of Opelousas.

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 Opelousas:

The official website for Opelousas: www.cityofopelousas.com/

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

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>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Opelousas) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Opelousas. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.5328, Longitude: -92.0811    
<6>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 Opelousas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025