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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 Thornwell (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 Thornwell. 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 northeast corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

Thornwell is located in Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis Parish: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline & Vermilion.

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

  • Jefferson Davis Parish     (The home parish of Thornwell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornwell, with the one closest to Thornwell listed first.
    • Lake Arthur
      (7 miles [11.3 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>
    • Welsh
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Roanoke
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Jennings
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
      • Jennings is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,660 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jennings <2>
    • Lacassine
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Fenton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Elton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
      • Elton is located in Jefferson Davis Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elton <2>
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornwell, with the one closest to Thornwell listed first.
    • Mermentau
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mermentau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mermentau
      • Mermentau is located in Acadia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mermentau <2>
    • Morse
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse
      • Morse is located in Acadia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 803 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morse <2>
    • Evangeline
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evangeline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evangeline
      • Evangeline is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evangeline <2>
    • Egan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Estherwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Iota
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iota
      • Iota is located in Acadia Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,428 people
    • Crowley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Ellis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
      • Ellis is located in Acadia Parish
    • Ebenezer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
      • Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornwell, with the one closest to Thornwell listed first.
    • Coverdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coverdale
      • Coverdale is located in Allen Parish
    • Kinder
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kinder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinder
      • Kinder is located in Allen Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kinder <2>
    • Lauderdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lauderdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
      • Lauderdale is located in Allen Parish
    • Indian Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Allen Parish
    • Le Blanc
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Le Blanc have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Blanc
      • Le Blanc is located in Allen Parish
  • Calcasieu Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornwell, with the one closest to Thornwell listed first.
    • Hayes
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Bell City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Iowa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Greinwich Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Lake Charles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Ararat
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
      • Ararat is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Moss Bluff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Prien
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prien
      • Prien is located in Calcasieu Parish
    • Westlake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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>
  • Cameron Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornwell, with the one closest to Thornwell listed first.
    • Grand Chenier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Creole
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Grand Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 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
  • Evangeline Parish
    • Basile
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Basile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basile
      • Basile is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,791 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Basile <2>
  • Vermilion Parish
    • Gueydan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gueydan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gueydan
      • Gueydan is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gueydan <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Thornwell ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thornwell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thornwell, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thornwell.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Thornwell:

Cemeteries Near Thornwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thornwell.

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

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

  • Foreman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foreman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foreman Cemetery
  • Lorrain Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lorrain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lorrain Cemetery
  • Andress Cove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Andress Cove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Andress Cove Cemetery
  • Broussard Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Broussard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Broussard Cemetery
  • Istre Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Istre Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Istre Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Doucet Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Indian Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Quebodaux Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quebodaux Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quebodaux Cemetery
  • Continue List   (73 more) ...
    • McFarlain Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McFarlain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McFarlain Cemetery
    • Leckett Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leckett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leckett Cemetery
    • Granger Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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

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

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

  • Mermentau
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mermentau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mermentau
    • Mermentau is located in Acadia Parish
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mermentau <2>
  • Iowa
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Estherwood
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Chloe
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Cartville ‑ Historic
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cartville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartville
    • Cartville is located in Acadia Parish
  • Grand Chenier
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Crowley
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Lake Charles
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Grand Lake
    (28 miles [45.1 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
  • Westlake
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • 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>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Thornwell. 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 '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- Thornwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thornwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.0985, Longitude: -92.7974       In this case, the coordinates for Thornwell 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 Thornwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024