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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 Sweet 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 Sweet 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 Sweet 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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sweet Lake: Sweet 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/Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest 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 north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring parishes/counties 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/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Sweet Lake is located in Cameron 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 Cameron Parish: Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Jefferson (TX) & Orange (TX).

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

  • Cameron Parish     (The home parish of Sweet Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Lake, with the one closest to Sweet Lake listed first.
    • Grand Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
      • Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish
    • Creole
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creole have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creole
      • Creole is located in Cameron Parish
    • Hackberry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Hackberry is located in Cameron Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackberry <2>
    • Grand Chenier
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Chenier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Chenier
      • Grand Chenier is located in Cameron Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Chenier <2>
    • Cameron
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Calcasieu Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Lake, with the one closest to Sweet Lake listed first.
    • Bell City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell City
      • Bell City is located in Calcasieu Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell City <2>
    • Greinwich Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greinwich Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greinwich Village
      • Greinwich Village is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Hayes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
      • Hayes is located in Calcasieu Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayes <2>
    • Lake Charles
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Prien
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prien
      • Prien is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Iowa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa
      • Iowa is located in Calcasieu Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
    • Carlyss
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlyss
      • Carlyss is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Westlake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
      • Westlake is located in Calcasieu Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,873 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westlake <2>
    • Ararat
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
      • Ararat is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Moss Bluff
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
      • Moss Bluff is located in Calcasieu Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Bluff <2>
    • Sulphur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgerly
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerly
      • Edgerly is located in Calcasieu Parish
  • Jefferson Davis Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Lake, with the one closest to Sweet Lake listed first.
    • Lacassine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacassine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacassine
      • Lacassine is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacassine <2>
    • Welsh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welsh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh
      • Welsh is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,195 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welsh <2>
    • Lake Arthur
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Arthur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Arthur
      • Lake Arthur is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,736 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Arthur <2>
    • Roanoke
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roanoke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanoke
      • Roanoke is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roanoke <2>
    • Fenton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
      • Fenton is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fenton <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Sweet 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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sweet Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sweet Lake, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sweet 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 Sweet Lake:

Cemeteries Near Sweet Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweet 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.

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

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

  • Granger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Granger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Granger Cemetery
  • Grand Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • The Grand Lake Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Big Lake Cemetery
    • Grand Lake Community Cemetery
    • Hebert Cemetery
    • Herbert Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Lake Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #67747 <4>
  • Pujol Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pujol Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pujol Cemetery
  • Duhon Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duhon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duhon Cemetery
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • La Bove Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Bove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Bove Cemetery
  • Highland Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
  • Benoit Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benoit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benoit Cemetery
  • Little Chenier Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • First Baptist Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Baptist Cemetery
  • Consolata Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Prien Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (33 more) ...
    • Burleson Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burleson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burleson Cemetery
    • Dutch Cove Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dutch Cove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dutch Cove Cemetery
    • Our Lady Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Lady Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Lady Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • Grand Lake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Lake
    • Grand Lake is located in Cameron Parish
  • Hackberry
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
    • Hackberry is located in Cameron Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackberry <2>
  • Lake Charles
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Cameron
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Grand Chenier
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Chenier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Chenier
    • Grand Chenier is located in Cameron Parish
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Chenier <2>
  • Chloe
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chloe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chloe
    • Chloe is located in Calcasieu Parish
  • Iowa
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa
    • Iowa is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
  • Westlake
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
    • Westlake is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,873 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westlake <2>
  • Edgerly
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerly
    • Edgerly is located in Calcasieu Parish

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Sweet Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sweet Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9841, Longitude: -93.1293       In this case, the coordinates for Sweet Lake have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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 Sweet Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024