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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

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

Although our information shows that the community of Purvis is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Purvis. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Purvis:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Purvis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Half Moon
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
    • Melville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Swayze Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Elba
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Palmetto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Krotz Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Immaculata
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Port Barre
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lebeau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Rosa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Bayou Jack
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Washington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Odenburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
    • Dupont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Simmesport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Plaucheville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Hamburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Cottonport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Evergreen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Enterprise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Gold Dust
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Moreauville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Milburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
  • 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
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Ville Platte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Saint Landry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Iberville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Maringouin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosedale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Grosse Tete
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Stekey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Carencro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Ravenswood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • East Krotz Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
    • Fordoche
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lottie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Morganza
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Batchelor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Innis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Livonia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Livonia is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Livonia <2>
    • Williamsport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Dupont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Smithland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Breaux Bridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • West Baton Rouge Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Erwinville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Arbroth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Arbroth is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbroth
    • Carey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Carey is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carey
    • Devalls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Devalls is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devalls
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purvis, with the one closest to Purvis listed first.
    • Tunica
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Angola
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Francisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Bains
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
    • Weyanoke
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Converse ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
    • Wakefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Purvis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purvis.

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

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

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

  • Midway Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Zion Travelers Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Bright Morning Star Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • McBride Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (151 more) ...
    • Saquette Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • De Viller Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Mark Baptist Church Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)

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

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

  • Melville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ravenswood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
  • Elba
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Palmetto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Viva
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Viva is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viva
  • Bayou Current
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
  • Fordoche
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Barre
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Raccourci ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Raccourci is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raccourci
  • Rosa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Livonia
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Livonia is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,399 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Livonia <2>
  • Washington
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Beggs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
    • Leonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Cane
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane

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

Newspapers Published in Purvis ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Purvis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Purvis, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Purvis.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Purvis:

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 Purvis, 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 '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- Purvis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.