Dear old maps...

[LByles]

I hate you lol I'm trying to find a church that stopped being used around 1890. A letter I found stated in 1899, the man writing the letter had passed by and it was rotting and falling down. We've checked land survey maps for the state. Found the town, range, section, found it on the maps...but no church indicated. This area was extremely isolated and houses aren't even marked on the maps. Just rivers and creeks. I know it's within a quarter mile radius from a spot I know in that area, but can not for the life of me find it on an old map. Any hope when it comes to situations like this? Or will we just be hunting a full quarter mile radius through the woods? lol

 

[freeman]

Try google earth and see if you can detect any traces of old roads/paths/clearings. Also take a snapshot image of the screen image and put it through a graphic processor so it turns the image into a negative: you then see extra detail.

 

[danloop]

Could you tell me what you know? It's a good challenge being that far back.

 

[LByles]

Google earth shows nothing anymore. A pipe line was built behind the cemetery currently there. A road is parallel to the pipeline. This is what the letter says about a trip to the cemetery in 1899 “ At that time, the road turned left and skirted the hill as you crossed the bridge. There was no road at all up the hill to the right, the
way we began going later. At that time all that was left of the old schoolhouse
and church were the rotting, hewed oak sills.“ There are two separate “bridges”. In my post from last weekend, I posted pics of the roads we were driving down. Almost need 4 wheel drive to get through some of the spots, especially with all the rain we’ve had. Glad my “Dora” the explorer is a beast and we didn’t get stuck lol But to attempt to hunt a quarter mile around the cemetery, we will have to try to get in touch with several different land owners, which we are trying to avoid.

This is what we are looking at. The red line is the road. Below the purple line is the property we have permission for. Church location, we don’t. BUT that’s the “new” church (chapel built around 1940). Cemetery has been there since 1840 but the old church was a quarter mile from it. I’m thinking the church was down the gill, back side of the cemetery, possibly on the tree line of the pipeline. Something kept drawing me to that area, before we even knew about the old church. I stood at the fence in the cemetery looking down the huge hill onto the pipeline. Just in awe of the view, sounds, and isolation. But I found a survey map from 1881 (when the church would have still been there) but nothing is marked for a church.

 

[danloop]

How about the name of the city and state?

 

[Gene Mean]

I would start on the area you have permission for and listen for the iron. Have you asked at the church yet? They might have your answer about the old church. Around here they're built over the old ones.

 

[LByles]

How about the name of the city and state?

Can't disclose that part lol It's in Louisiana though

 

[LByles]

I would start on the area you have permission for and listen for the iron. Have you asked at the church yet? They might have your answer about the old church. Around here they're built over the old ones.

This "active" church/chapel hasn't really functioned since like 2012ish when there was a burial there. That's the most recent grave we've seen. I'll look to see if there's any phone numbers on it next time we go down that way. My husband even asked his grandma about the old one (she was born in 1924) but doesn't remember anyone ever saying anything about it when she was a kid. Her uncle helped build the new one, but of course, he has passed away. All of the names associated with the old church are families my husband knows and most are still in that area, but the people that would have answers have all passed. He reached out to the author of a book he read that knew of the church, but he also did not know the exact location. Only what he was told by old timers when he was writing it. I attempted to reach out to the lady that wrote an article which had the letters in it, she's also passed away. We detected the edge of the permission we have, but didn't hit much iron like we have on homesteads. Just the random nail or piece of farm equipment. I think our property is still a bit away.

 

[releventchair]

Have you tried asking the nearest/ local historical society if they have any old maps that indicate buildings?

 

[LByles]

Have you tried asking the nearest/ local historical society if they have any old maps that indicate buildings?

I thought about that, but I don't know if we have one around here? Especially for that area. It's a tee tiny hardly populated "town". Back when the church was up, it was used as a school also. I tried looking at school district documents too with no luck. I'll have to ask a man I know if he knows of a historical society for the area. If anyone would know, he would. Hopefully I'll see him Tuesday at a meeting. I get off early today, so I'm thinking about going to the college library to see what they may have on file as far as old documents. I didn't have much luck with the public library when I did ancestry stuff but the college one had some documents and letters filed from some of my ancestors.

 

[LByles]

Called the public library....they're clueless about if they have any maps and have to call me back Called the college library and they have a research center with tons of old maps! Unfortunately, that floor of the library is only open at certain times. So...I do believe I will be sneaking out of work Thursday after a meeting! Can't sneak out any earlier b/c I have to prep for this stupid meeting. But I do hope they have what I'm looking for, especially being that what I'm looking for is in the next parish over.

 

[Bum Luck]

Try eBay or a Google Search for old maps by parish.

http://Loc.gov is also a great source.

Maybe the parish courthouse too.

People have been mapping your place for a couple of hundred years; you just have to find them.

 

[LByles]

Try eBay or a Google Search for old maps by parish.

http://Loc.gov is also a great source.

Maybe the parish courthouse too.

People have been mapping your place for a couple of hundred years; you just have to find them.

Thanks I'll try out that website. If the library fails, I'll try the courthouse in that parish. I've found the area on a map, even the current cemetery. Just not the old church. Current cemetery was there at the same time as the old church. But I'm feeling determined and not giving up!

 

[danloop]

I had luck with just doing a search on the town for platts. Something similar to YourTown, State plat books. Or YourTown, State platt books.

 

[LByles]

I had luck with just doing a search on the town for platts. Something similar to YourTown, State plat books. Or YourTown, State platt books.

The only thing I can find is just property owners. I have the On X app, I’ve looked on Sonris, maps on doa.la.gov. I just googled “yourtown” but found some random site lol

But this is the best I can find. Still not showing what I need. The black dot next to "Ch Cem" is where the cemetery is. Maybe one of the blue dots could be the old church? It marks old water wells.

 

[Hubbard]

I have a few thoughts.

It might be a long shot but, Google Sanborn Insurance Maps.

Contact genealogy/historical societies in the area. Genealogists are researchers by nature and have some of the most detailed public and private records.

If the church has a denomination affiliation (esp. Methodist), check with a local church of the same denomination for regional records.

You mentioned an old schoolhouse. Was it the same building as the church or a separate building? Researching the school may hold clues to the church, including its location.

The cemetery, if it is related to the church, is another resource. If not adjacent to, it should have been within a short walk from the church.

Let me know if you want more brain storming. I am a family historian and currently researching for ancestor homesteads from the early 1800s in TN. Currently have permissions on 1,000 acres, so, using research to close in on forgotten homesteads is much faster than walking!

Best of luck and happy hunting!

Hubbard

 

[Ecominer]

At the Parrish Court House. go to the county records and look up the plat maps for the surrounding farms. In the old days they used to mark home sites (church) when selling land. (If the records go back that far,) It should also show the cemetery.

 

[Bum Luck]

Yeah, they don't move dead people often.

The parish tax maps would likely have a parcel of land that still exists next to the cemetery that used to be the church. Parcel boundaries usually don't go away. That could be the easy way.


FYI:

It seems the consensus of posts on here that detecting cemeteries is a no-no. I don't. The closest I've come is picking up brass blanks after Memorial Day as a kid.

With no church there anymore, be careful that you're not perceived as doing that.

 

[whistler84]

Highest nearest elevation perhaps?

 

[LByles]

I have a few thoughts.

It might be a long shot but, Google Sanborn Insurance Maps.

Contact genealogy/historical societies in the area. Genealogists are researchers by nature and have some of the most detailed public and private records.

If the church has a denomination affiliation (esp. Methodist), check with a local church of the same denomination for regional records.

You mentioned an old schoolhouse. Was it the same building as the church or a separate building? Researching the school may hold clues to the church, including its location.

The cemetery, if it is related to the church, is another resource. If not adjacent to, it should have been within a short walk from the church.

Let me know if you want more brain storming. I am a family historian and currently researching for ancestor homesteads from the early 1800s in TN. Currently have permissions on 1,000 acres, so, using research to close in on forgotten homesteads is much faster than walking!

Best of luck and happy hunting!

Hubbard

So I have looked at insurance maps, I think Sanborn Fire Insurance maps? But it only shows the closest town. The one building was used for both church and school. I want to say it actually was a Methodist church. I'll have to double check and see about contacting the closest/oldest Methodist church around there. The current cemetery is within a quarter mile from where the old church was, but the letter doesn't state in which direction. I called the library today and they are pulling 1800s maps from that area for me as well as some CW maps.

I have NO intention of metal detecting the cemetery though lol We are wanting to find the church so we can kinda pin point the path troops took through that area and possibly where they would have camped. All resources are there...bluffs, water, bridges, intersection...and from what we read, churches were used as safe houses and hospitals. We thought we had the church until we learned it wasn't built until later, and there was the old church.

The research is fun but sooo hard! I've been working so much that I haven't had as much time to dig. I love the old homesteads. Digging in the field and knowing you're there when you hit pottery and glass and nails. Hubby gets frustrated with the nails, but I keep going lol I may have to pick your brain some more though Hubbard if I can't get any results at the library!