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Home >> State of Louisiana >> Saint Landry Parish >> Second Lake >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

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

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 Second Lake: Second Lk.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Second Lake 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 Second Lake. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Second Lake:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Second Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake 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
    • Swayze Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
    • Melville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Elba
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Palmetto
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Krotz Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Lebeau
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Barre
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Immaculata
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • 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)
    • Leonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Acadia Parish
    • Church Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake 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
      (22 miles [35.4 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)
    • Gold Dust
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Enterprise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Milburn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Moreauville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunkie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 <2>
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Ville Platte
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Saint Landry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Iberville Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Maringouin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosedale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Grosse Tete
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Stekey
      (26 miles [41.8 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 Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Ravenswood
      (6 miles [9.7 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 east)
    • 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)
    • 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>
    • Innis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 northeast)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Lettsworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Breaux Bridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Parks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Parks is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parks <2>
  • West Baton Rouge Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Erwinville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Arbroth
      (28 miles [45.1 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
  • West Feliciana Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Second Lake, with the one closest to Second Lake listed first.
    • Angola
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Tunica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Francisville
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Second Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Second Lake.

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 Second Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Midway Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Zion Travelers Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Atchafalaya Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • McBride Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Saquette Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • De Viller Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Goudeau Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (151 more) ...
    • Bright Morning Star Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Mark Baptist Church Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Morning Star Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

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

  • Melville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ravenswood
    (6 miles [9.7 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
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • 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
  • Viva
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Viva is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viva
  • Port Barre
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fordoche
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • 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>
  • Raccourci ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Raccourci is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raccourci
  • Beggs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Washington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Big Cane
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Big Cane is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cane
    • Leonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Second Lake ...

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 Second Lake.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Second Lake:

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