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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 Saint Louis (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 Saint Louis. 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 Saint Louis ...

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 Saint Louis: St. Louis

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

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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Saint Louis is located in 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 Saint Louis. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Louis:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Saint Louis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Morrow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Boretta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Rosa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Bayou Jack
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Lebeau
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Immaculata
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Washington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmetto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lawtell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Opelousas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Port Barre
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Swayze Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Elba
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • Acadia Parish
    • Church Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Bond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bond is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond
    • Pawnee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Pawnee is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee
    • Oakdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Gold Dust
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Eola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Bunkie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • 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 <1>
    • Evergreen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Hickory
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Cottonport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dupont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Plaucheville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hessmer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mansura
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Moreauville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Saint Landry
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ville Platte
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayou Chicot
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Pine Prairie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Turkey Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Reddell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Chataignier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mamou
      (18 miles [29 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 <1>
    • Duralde
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
    • Tyrone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
    • Unatex
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Legonier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Lettsworth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Innis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Batchelor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Ravenswood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
    • Williamsport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Louis, with the one closest to Saint Louis listed first.
    • Cheneyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Echo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Lecompte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Forest Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenmora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Longleaf
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Whittington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
    • McNary
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • McNary is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Moreland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Woodworth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Louis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Louis.

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 Saint Louis - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Fontenot Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lauther Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fogleman Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Soileaus Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Old Grand Prairie Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Chimleyville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (187 more) ...
    • Keller Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Fergerson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Gate of Heaven Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)

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.<3>

While we didn't find Saint Louis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Saint Louis.

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

  • Whiteville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
  • Barbreck
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck
  • Boretta
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Dubuisson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Morrow
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Eola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Garland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
  • Big Cane
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
  • Rosa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
  • Bunkie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • 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 <1>
  • Evergreen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Beggs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Haas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Haas is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
    • Plaisance
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Plaisance is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaisance
    • Washington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Louis ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Louis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Louis, 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 Saint Louis.

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 Saint Louis:

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 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.
<3>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 Saint Louis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Saint Louis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.