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Louisiana State...
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Louisiana Parishes
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Louisiana Parishes
Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United
States are divided into counties (Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas).
On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature divided the state into 19 parishes, without getting rid of the
old counties (which continued to exist until 1845).
In 1811, a
constitutional convention organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of
parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the term, as did the 1845 constitution. Since then,
the official term has been parishes. |
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Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Marksville
Year Organized: 1807
Square Miles: 832 |
Court House: 312 North Main Street
Parish Courthouse
Marksville, LA 71351-2450
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Etymology - Origin of Parish Name
The parish was named in honor of the Avoyel Native American people.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Avoyelles Parish was created on 1807, as an Original Parish and the parish was named in honor of the Avoyel Native
American people. The Parish seat is Marksville. There was records destruction in 1856? from Unkown causes.
Native Americans were the first residents of the part of Louisiana now known as Avoyelles Parish. When the first white
man arrived he found a friendly tribe, ready to barter with him. There is some disagreements as to the meaning of the
word Avoyelles. Iberville, sent by Louis VIV to establish a colony in Louisisna, said that the word Avoyelles meant
"Flint People". Iberville's historian said if meant "People of the Rocks". Bienville, successor to Iberville, met Native
Americans on January 21, 1718. These were of the tribe Tamoucougoula, otherwise called "anoy"(sic). On January 28, 1718
his group was able to obtain corn from the Tunica tribe. It is reasonable to assume that the Avoyelles and the Tuinicas
were neighbors. A chain of mounds along Red River and in the vicinity of Marksville, the remains of the early residents
of the area, were thoroughly explored in the 1930s.
According to family legend the first white man to settle in what is now Avoyelles Parish was Joseph B. RABALAIS. This
legend had been repeated many times, and has come to be believed. However there are no known documents to prove it. Mr.
RABALAIS was an early settler, possibly one of the earliest. An early Avoyelles colonial document in which he is
mentioned is dated 8 Sep 1783. However, it must be remembered that there are no parish records which pre-date 1783. Mr.
RABALAIS was born at Pointe Coupee about 1736. He died at Avoyelles Post about 1788. Mr. RABALAIS was a resident of the
area at the time that it was part of Natchitoches district.
Many of the first settlers of Avoyelles Indians area were French "coureurs de bois" [literally, 'Woods runner'] and
Indian traders who were living in the area by 1720. One such resident was Jacques CHALIN whose daughter Marie Therese,
was born "aux Avoyelles" in 1722, and is believed to the one of the first, if not the first, white child born at
Avoyelles.
Neighboring Parishes:
- North: La Salle Parish; Catahoula Parish
- Northeast: Concordia Parish
- Southeast: West Feliciana Parish; Pointe Coupee Parish
- South: St. Landry Parish
- Southwest: Evangeline Parish
- Northwest: Rapides Parish
Cities and Towns:
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- Bunkie |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Cottonport |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Evergreen |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hessmer |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mansura |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Marksville
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Moreauville |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Plaucheville |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Simmesport |
town |
Incorporated Area |
Parish Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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