RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Louisiana >> Saint Landry Parish >> Sunset >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Louisiana

The Commemorative Quarter for Louisiana





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 Sunset (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 Sunset. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Sunset is located in Saint Landry Parish.

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 Sunset. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sunset:

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Sunset)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset, with the one closest to Sunset listed first.
    • Grand Coteau
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Frozard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Cankton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Leonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lewisburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Arnaudville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Opelousas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lawtell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Portage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
      • Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Port Barre
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Washington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Krotz Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Krotz Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krotz Springs
      • Krotz Springs is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Krotz Springs <1>
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset, with the one closest to Sunset listed first.
    • Higginbotham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Church Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Castille
      (11 miles [17.7 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 Sunset to Castille
    • Branch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Rayne
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Crowley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ebenezer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Iota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Egan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Estherwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estherwood
      • Estherwood is located in Acadia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Estherwood <1>
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset, with the one closest to Sunset listed first.
    • Chataignier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mamou
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 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>
    • Tyrone
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Unatex
      (27 miles [43.5 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 Sunset to Unatex
    • Duralde
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Lafayette Parish
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset, with the one closest to Sunset listed first.
    • East Krotz Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Lottie
      (27 miles [43.5 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>
    • Ravenswood
      (28 miles [45.1 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 Sunset to Ravenswood
    • Fordoche
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset, with the one closest to Sunset listed first.
    • Cecilia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Henderson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Parks
      (19 miles [30.6 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>
    • Levert
      (22 miles [35.4 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 Sunset to Levert
    • Duchamp
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duchamp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
      • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Saint John
      (23 miles [37 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 Sunset to Saint John
    • Cade
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cade have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cade
      • Cade is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cade <1>
    • Catahoula Cove
      (24 miles [38.6 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
    • Isle Labbe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isle Labbe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle Labbe
      • Isle Labbe is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Saint Martinville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Banker Plantation
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Vermilion Parish

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

Cemeteries Near Sunset ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunset.

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

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

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 in 1895, Sunset had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Sunset had a population of 2,962 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Sunset ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunset.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunset, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunset.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Sunset:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sunset. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sunset) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunset. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.4121, Longitude: -92.0673    
<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 Sunset, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025