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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 Swords (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 Swords. 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 southeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

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

  • Saint Landry Parish     (The home parish of Swords)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Lawtell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Lewisburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Eunice
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Eunice is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,655 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eunice <1>
    • Opelousas
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Sunset
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunset is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunset <1>
    • Washington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cankton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
    • Grand Coteau
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Leonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Frozard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
    • Port Barre
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Boretta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Church Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Higginbotham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
    • Castille
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Castille is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
    • Ellis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellis is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Iota
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Iota is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,428 people
    • Rayne
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Crowley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Egan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Ebenezer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • Estherwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Evangeline
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Bond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Bond is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond
    • Ward
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Ward is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Canton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Canton is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Coverdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Coverdale is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coverdale
    • Lauderdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Lauderdale is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
    • Oberlin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Gold Dust
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Eola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Bunkie
      (30 miles [48.3 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>
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Chataignier
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ville Platte
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Mamou
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Reddell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Tyrone
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
    • Duralde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
    • Unatex
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
    • Pine Prairie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Basile
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Basile is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basile
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,791 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Basile <1>
    • Bayou Chicot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Saint Landry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Turkey Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson Davis Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Elton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Elton is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elton <1>
    • Jennings
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jennings is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,660 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jennings <1>
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Carencro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Ossun
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
    • Duson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Duson is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,761 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duson <1>
    • Stekey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Scott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Scott is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,787 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scott <1>
    • Lafayette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
    • Milton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Breaux Bridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cecilia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Vermilion Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swords, with the one closest to Swords listed first.
    • Indian Bayou
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
    • Andrew
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew
    • Maurice
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Leroy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy

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

Cemeteries Near Swords ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swords.

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

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

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

  • Fontenot Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Verret Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Guillory Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Manuel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Francois Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fruge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bertrand Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Chataignier Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Pitre Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Green Oak Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Chataignier Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (176 more) ...

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

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

  • Prudhomme
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Prudhomme is located in Acadia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudhomme
  • Church Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Opelousas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Plaisance
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Plaisance is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaisance
  • Shuteston
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
  • Sunset
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunset is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunset <1>
  • Grand Coteau
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Frozard
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
  • Leonville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Beggs
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Beggs is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beggs
  • Carencro
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Port Barre
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Garland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Garland is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
    • Boretta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta

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

Newspapers Published in Swords ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swords.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swords, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swords.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Swords:

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 Swords, 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 from Point A (ie- Swords) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.