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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 Vatican (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 Vatican. 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 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.

Vatican is located in Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish: Acadia, Iberia, Saint Landry, Saint Martin & Vermilion.

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

  • Lafayette Parish     (The home parish of Vatican)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Ossun
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
    • Carencro
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Scott
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Stekey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Duson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Lafayette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
    • Milton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Broussard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Billeaud
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Billeaud is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billeaud
    • Youngsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Acadia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Higginbotham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Higginbotham is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginbotham
    • Castille
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Castille is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castille
    • Church Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Branch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rayne
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ebenezer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ebenezer is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • Crowley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Ellis is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Estherwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Iota
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Iota is located in Acadia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,428 people
    • Egan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Morse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Evangeline
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Evangeline Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Chataignier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Tyrone
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Tyrone is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
    • Ville Platte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Unatex
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Unatex is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unatex
    • Duralde
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Duralde is located in Evangeline Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duralde
    • Mamou
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
  • Iberia Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Derouen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Derouen is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derouen
    • New Iberia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Loreauville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Morbihan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Morbihan is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morbihan
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • East Krotz Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • East Krotz Springs is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Krotz Springs
    • Elliot City ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Cankton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Cankton is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cankton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
    • Sunset
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Frozard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
    • Lewisburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Lewisburg is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Arnaudville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Leonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Lawtell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Opelousas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Portage
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
    • Port Barre
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Washington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Eunice
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Breaux Bridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Cecilia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Parks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Parks is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parks <1>
    • Duchamp
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
    • Henderson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Cade
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Levert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Levert is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levert
    • Delacroix
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Delacroix is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delacroix
    • Saint John
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint John is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
    • Saint Martinville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Isle Labbe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Isle Labbe is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle Labbe
    • Keystone
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Keystone is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
    • Banker Plantation
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Banker Plantation is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banker Plantation
  • Vermilion Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vatican, with the one closest to Vatican listed first.
    • Maurice
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Indian Bayou
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou
    • Leroy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Andrew
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew
    • Meaux
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Meaux is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meaux
    • Abbeville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Youngs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Youngs is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs
    • Kaplan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Kaplan is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaplan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kaplan <1>
    • Erath
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Erath is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,030 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erath <1>
    • Delcambre
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Perry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Gueydan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Vatican ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vatican.

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

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

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

  • St. Peter RC Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Peter RC Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Peter RC Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Carencro.
    • The St. Peter RC Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Peter Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1965383 <2>
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Greenlawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. John - Fatima Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jewish Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Lafayette.
    • The St. John Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #640777 <2>
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • McBride Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Strauss Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (164 more) ...
    • St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Grand Coteau.
      • The St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Grand Coteau Cemetery
      • St. Charles Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #68777 <2>
    • Arceneaux Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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.<3>

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

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

  • Carencro
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Scott
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Duson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Sunset
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • Lafayette
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Grand Coteau
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Shuteston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Shuteston is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuteston
  • Church Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Frozard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
  • Rayne
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Ridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
  • Arnaudville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Breaux Bridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Leonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Indian Bayou
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Bayou is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bayou

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

Newspapers Published in Vatican ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vatican.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vatican, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vatican.

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 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 Vatican:

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 Vatican, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Vatican) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.