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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 Turkey Creek (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 Turkey Creek. 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 Turkey Creek ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Turkey Creek: Turkey Crk. (or less commonly used: Turkey Ck. or Turkey Cr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Turkey Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Turkey Creek.

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 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 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.

Turkey Creek is located in Evangeline 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 Evangeline Parish: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Jefferson Davis, Rapides & Saint Landry.

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

  • Evangeline Parish     (The home parish of Turkey Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Turkey Creek, with the one closest to Turkey Creek listed first.
    • Bayou Chicot
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayou Chicot is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chicot
    • Pine Prairie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Saint Landry
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Reddell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Ville Platte
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mamou
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Chataignier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Duralde
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
    • Tyrone
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
    • Unatex
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
    • Basile
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • 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>
  • Allen Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Turkey Creek, with the one closest to Turkey Creek listed first.
    • Pawnee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Pawnee is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee
    • Oakdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Bond
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bond is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond
    • Ward
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ward is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Mab
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Mab is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mab
    • Elizabeth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Canton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Canton is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Marionville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Marionville is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marionville
    • Oberlin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Reids
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Reids is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reids
    • Tenmile
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tenmile is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile
    • Elder
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Elder is located in Allen Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
  • Avoyelles Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Turkey Creek, with the one closest to Turkey Creek listed first.
    • Eola
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Gold Dust
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Gold Dust is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Dust
    • Milburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Milburn is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Bunkie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Evergreen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Enterprise
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Hessmer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cottonport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Egg Bend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Egg Bend is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Bend
    • Hickory
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Mansura
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Plaucheville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Marksville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Rapides Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Turkey Creek, with the one closest to Turkey Creek listed first.
    • Glenmora
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Loyd
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
    • Cheneyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Longleaf
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • McNary
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • McNary is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Forest Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lecompte
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Woodworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Echo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Whittington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Whittington is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittington
    • Moreland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Moreland is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
    • Ruby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Turkey Creek, with the one closest to Turkey Creek listed first.
    • Boretta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
    • Morrow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Rosa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
    • Eunice
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Bayou Jack
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
    • Lebeau
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Washington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Immaculata
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
    • Lawtell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Opelousas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Vernon Parish
    • Dido
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Dido is located in Vernon Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dido

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

Cemeteries Near Turkey Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Turkey Creek.

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 Turkey Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Johnson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • McCormack Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Dehany Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Vanburg Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Chaney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Peters Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Keller Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Griffin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (200 more) ...
    • Fontenot Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Murdock Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Fergerson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Haas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Haas is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
  • Eola
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Eola is located in Avoyelles Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Cheneyville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Loyd
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Loyd is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
  • Barbreck
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Barbreck is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barbreck
  • Bunkie
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Lecompte
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Whiteville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Whiteville is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
  • Lamourie
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Lamourie is located in Rapides Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamourie
  • Boretta
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Boretta is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boretta
  • Evergreen
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Dubuisson
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Dubuisson is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuisson
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Morrow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Melder
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Poland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Poland is located in Rapides Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland

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

Newspapers Published in Turkey Creek ...

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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Turkey Creek.

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

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 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 Turkey Creek:

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>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 Turkey Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Turkey Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.