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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 Vida (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 Vida. 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 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.

Vida is located in Iberia 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 Iberia Parish: Assumption, Iberville, Lafayette, Saint Martin, Saint Mary & Vermilion.

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

  • Iberia Parish     (The home parish of Vida)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Loreauville
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Morbihan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Morbihan is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morbihan
    • New Iberia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Lydia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jeanerette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Patoutville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Patoutville is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoutville
    • Derouen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Derouen is located in Iberia Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derouen
    • Avery Island
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Iberville Parish
    • Indian Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Indian Village is located in Iberville Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
  • Lafayette Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Billeaud
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Billeaud is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billeaud
    • Broussard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Youngsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lafayette
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Milton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Scott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Stekey is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stekey
    • Carencro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Ridge is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
    • Ossun
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Ossun is located in Lafayette Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossun
    • Duson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
  • Saint Landry Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Portage
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
    • Arnaudville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Frozard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Frozard is located in Saint Landry Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozard
  • Saint Martin Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Coteau Holmes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Coteau Holmes is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coteau Holmes
    • Bankers
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Bankers is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankers
    • Banker Plantation
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Banker Plantation is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banker Plantation
    • Keystone
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Keystone is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
    • Delacroix
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Delacroix is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delacroix
    • Saint Martinville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Isle Labbe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Isle Labbe is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle Labbe
    • Saint John
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint John is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
    • Levert
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Levert is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levert
    • Catahoula Cove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Catahoula Cove is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catahoula Cove
    • Cade
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Duchamp
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
  • Saint Mary Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Adeline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Adeline is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
    • Home Place
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Home Place is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Place
    • Ashton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ashton is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
    • Bodin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bodin is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodin
    • Caneland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Caneland is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caneland
    • Charenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glencoe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Glencoe is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
    • Florence
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Florence is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Baldwin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypremort
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Cypremort is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypremort
    • Katy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Katy is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katy
    • Cote Blanche Landing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Cote Blanche Landing is located in Saint Mary Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cote Blanche Landing
  • Vermilion Parish
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vida, with the one closest to Vida listed first.
    • Delcambre
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Erath
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Youngs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Youngs is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs
    • Abbeville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Maurice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Perry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Leroy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Leroy is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Meaux
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Meaux is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meaux
    • Intracoastal City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Andrew
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Andrew is located in Vermilion Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrew

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

Cemeteries Near Vida ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vida.

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

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

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

  • #1 Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Peter's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bunk Johnsons Grave
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Memorial Park Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Boynton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Holy Family Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bayside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Joseph Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • McGowen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (80 more) ...
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Broussard Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sorrel Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 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.<3>

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

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

  • Loreauville
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • New Iberia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Segura
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Segura is located in Iberia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Segura
  • Jeanerette
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Saint Martinville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Delacroix
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Delacroix is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delacroix
  • Patoutville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Patoutville is located in Iberia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoutville
  • Burke
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Burke is located in Iberia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
  • Derouen
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Derouen is located in Iberia Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derouen
  • Cade
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Sorrel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sorrel is located in Saint Mary Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorrel
  • Duchamp
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Duchamp is located in Saint Martin Parish
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duchamp
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Bayou Chene
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayou Chene is located in Saint Martin Parish
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Chene
    • Charenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Broussard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Vida ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vida.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vida, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vida.

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 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 Vida:

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 Vida, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vida) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.