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 Viva (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 Viva. 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.
Viva is located in Pointe Coupee 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 Pointe Coupee Parish: Avoyelles, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, West Baton Rouge & West Feliciana.
Below are the parishes that are near Viva. For each of these parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Viva:
- Pointe Coupee Parish (The home parish of Viva)
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Morganza
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Ravenswood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
- Batchelor
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Fordoche
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Innis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Williamsport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
- Dupont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- New Roads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Smithland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
- Elliot City ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Elliot City is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot City
- Lottie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Jarreau
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Avoyelles Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Odenburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
- Simmesport
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dupont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dupont is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
- Plaucheville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hamburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Moreauville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cottonport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bordelonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Port Hudson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Port Hudson is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Hudson
- Zachary
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Zachary is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zachary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zachary <1>
- Baker
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Baker is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,999 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baker <1>
- Tristian Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tristian Village is located in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tristian Village
- East Feliciana Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Lindsay
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Lindsay is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsay
- Jackson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bells Store ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bells Store is located in East Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Store
- Slaughter
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Ethel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Iberville Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Maringouin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rosedale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Grosse Tete
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Landry Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Melville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Elba
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Half Moon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Half Moon is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Moon
- Swayze Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Swayze Lake is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swayze Lake
- Krotz Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Palmetto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Immaculata
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Immaculata is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immaculata
- Lebeau
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bayou Jack
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bayou Jack is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Jack
- Rosa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rosa is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
- Port Barre
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Portage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Portage is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
- Saint Martin Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Henderson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cecilia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Erwinville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Arbroth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Arbroth is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbroth
- Carey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Carey is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carey
- Devalls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Devalls is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devalls
- Wilbert ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wilbert is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbert
- Lobdell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lobdell is located in West Baton Rouge Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
- West Feliciana Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Tunica
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Saint Francisville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Angola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Bains
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
- Weyanoke
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Converse ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
- Wakefield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rogillioville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
- Wilkinson County (MS)
- Turnbull
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Viva, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Viva.
Cemeteries Near Viva ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Viva.
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 Viva - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Viva covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Bright Morning Star Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St. Ann Catholic Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Ann Catholic Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Ann Catholic Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southwest of Morganza.
- The St. Ann Catholic Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Ann Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1982886 <3>
- St. Marys Episcopal Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mt. Airy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zion Travelers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- St. Mark Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lower Latenache Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sixth Ward Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Little Rock Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (166 more) ...
- Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Mt. Marias Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- New Light Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Viva had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Viva, with the one closest to Viva listed first.
- Raccourci ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Raccourci is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raccourci
- Ravenswood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Ravenswood is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
- Melville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Elba
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Fordoche
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Bayou Current
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bayou Current is located in Saint Landry Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Current
- New Roads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pointe Coupee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pointe Coupee is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pointe Coupee
- Smithland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
- Livonia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rowes Landing
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Rowes Landing is located in West Feliciana Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Landing
- Ventress
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Angola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Red River Landing
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Red River Landing is located in Pointe Coupee Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red River Landing
- Palmetto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Viva. See our List of 1890's Communities around Viva.
Newspapers Published in Viva ...
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 Viva.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Viva, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Viva.
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 Viva:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to Pointe Coupee Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Avoyelles Parish
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- East Feliciana Parish
- Iberville Parish
- Saint Landry Parish
- Saint Martin Parish
- West Baton Rouge Parish
- West Feliciana Parish
- Wilkinson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Viva) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Viva, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |