Genealogical Research in Louisiana

Louisiana’s history is filled with intrigue, adventure, and ethnic culture. Beginning in 1541 when Hernando de Soto claimed the area for Spain, Louisiana was ruled under ten different flags. The region was subsequently claimed by France, and was at one time or another subject to the Lone Star flag of the Republic of West Florida, the Union Jack of Great Britain, and the fifteen stars of the United States. Six weeks before joining the Confederacy, Louisiana became an independent republic, but joined the southern cause at the outbreak of the Civil War.

Before that, in 1803, Louisiana had joined the United States as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. Because the region was so vital to the security and trade of America, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of land that would include the future states of Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

With the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase, the sixe of the United States nearly doubled, propelling it forward as a world power. Louisiana was very much a trading and financial center during its early days, and its fertile land which encouraged the growth of crops such as sugar, indigo, and cotton, made it one of the |United States’ richest regions. The owners of Louisiana plantations were at the time some of the richest men in the world.

The Civil War shattered the plantation economy, but the state managed to maintain its status as a powerful agricultural force. Sulphur was discovered in 1869, and in 1901, the first oil strike occurred on the "Mamou Prairie" in the community of Evangeline near Jennings. Coupled with the success of a forestry program, Louisiana prospered and went on to become a major producer of natural gas and oil, and a major center for the production pf petrochemicals and oil refining.

Famous Battles Fought in Louisiana

Several Civil War battles were fought in Louisiana, and the War of 1812 brought the Battle of New Orleans. Below you fill find a list of the major battles that took place on Louisiana soil along with links to websites where you can learn more about them.

These battle accounts can be very effective in uncovering the military records of your ancestor. They can tell you what regiments fought in which battles, and often include the names and ranks of many officers and enlisted men.

Battle of Donaldsonville, 1863 – Civil War

Battle of Baton Rouge, 1862 – Civil War

Battle of St. John’s Bluff, 1862 – Civil War

Battle of Georgia Landing, 1862 – Civil War

Battle of Kock’s Plantation, 1862

Battle of New Orleans, 1815 – War of 1812

Boundary Changes: Boundary changes are a common obstacle when researching Louisiana ancestors. You could be searching for an ancestor’s record in one county when in fact it is stored in a different one due to historical county boundary changes. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can help you to overcome that problem. It provides a chronological listing of every boundary change that has occurred in the history of Louisiana.

Name Changes: Surname changes, variations, and misspellings can complicate genealogical research. It is important to check all spelling variations. Soundex, a program that indexes names by sound, is a useful first step, but you can't rely on it completely as some name variations result in different Soundex codes. The surnames could be different, but the first name may be different too. You can also find records filed under initials, middle names, and nicknames as well, so you will need to get creative with surname variations and spellings in order to cover all the possibilities. For help with surname variations read our instructional article on How to Use Soundex.

Genealogical resources include not only records, but the organizations that house them, or can direct you to them. These institutions include: Archives, Libraries, Genealogical Societies, Family History Centers, Universities, Churches, and Museums.

Louisiana Archives

Louisiana Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are internet based facilities that use email to distribute a single message to all who subscribe to it. When information on a particular surname, new records, or any other important genealogy information related to the mailing list topic becomes available, the subscribers are alerted to it. Joining a mailing list is an excellent way to stay up to date on Louisiana genealogy research topics. Rootsweb have an extensive listing of Louisiana Mailing Lists on a variety of topics.

Louisiana Message Boards

A message board is another internet based facility where people can post questions about a specific genealogy topic and have it answered by other genealogists. If you have questions about a surname, record type, or research topic, you can post your question and other researchers and genealogists will help you with the answer. Be sure to check back regularly, as the answers are not emailed to you. The message boards at the Louisiana Genealogy Forum are completely free to use.

Louisiana Newspapers and Periodicals

Many genealogy periodicals and historical newspapers contain reprinted copies of family genealogies, transcripts of family Bible records, information about local records and archives, census indexes, church records, queries, land records, obituaries, court records, cemetery records, and wills.

Historical Louisiana Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are an integral part of genealogical research. They help us to locate landmarks, towns, cities, parishes, states, provinces, waterways and roads and streets. They also help us to determine when and where boundary changes might have taken place, and give us a visualization of the area we’re researching in.

For locating place names, a gazetteer is the best possible resource for any genealogist. Gazetteers are also sometimes called “place name dictionaries”, and can help you to locate the area in which you need to conduct research.

Louisiana City Directories

City directories are similar to telephone directories in that they list the residents of a particular area. The difference though is what is important to genealogists, and that is they pre-date telephone directories. You can find an ancestor’s information such as their street address, place of employment, occupation, or the name of their spouse. A one-stop-shop for finding city directories in Louisiana is the Louisiana Online Historical Directories which contains a listing of every available historical directory related to Louisiana.

Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records – Also known as vital records, birth, death, and marriage certificates are the most basic, yet most important records attached to your ancestor. The reason for their importance is that they not only place your ancestor in a specific place at a definite time, but potentially connect the individual to other relatives. Below is a list of repositories and websites where you can find Louisiana vital records

Louisiana began recording official records of births and deaths in 1911. Marriage licenses were required starting in 1867, but not filed at state level until 1913.

Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriages prior to May 1913 were recorded in the district county courts where the marriage took place. Louisiana marriage licenses did not include the names of the parents unless the bride or groom was underage. Records can be found at:

Divorce records from 1861 until July 1951 were recorded in the Louisiana District Courts.

Copies of official divorce records after July 1951 can be ordered from the Louisiana Office of Vital Statistics.

Census Reports

Census records are among the most important genealogical documents for placing your ancestor in a particular place at a specific time. Like BDM records, they can also lead you to other ancestors, particularly those who were living under the authority of the head of household.

Louisiana Church Records

Church and synagogue records are a valuable resource, especially for baptisms, marriages, and burials that took place before 1900. You will need to at least have an idea of your ancestor’s religious denomination, and in most cases you will have to visit a brick and mortar establishment to view them.

Most church records are kept by the individual church, although in some denominations, records are placed in a regional archive or maintained at the diocesan level. Local Historical Societies are sometimes the repository for the state’s older church records.

Central Repositories for Denominational Records

Most of the records of individual denominations are kept in central repositories.

Louisiana Military Records

More than 40 million Americans have participated in some time of war service since America was colonized. The chance of finding your ancestor amongst those records is exceptionally high. Military records can even reveal individuals who never actually served, such as those who registered for the two World Wars but were never called to duty.

Louisiana Cemetery Records

As convenient as it is to search cemetery records online, keep in mind that there are a few disadvantages over visiting a cemetery in person. They are:

• Tombstone information is not always accurately transcribed
• The arrangement of the graves in a cemetery can be crucial as family members are often buried next to each other or in the same grave. This arrangement is not always preserved in the alphabetical indexes that are found online.

Louisiana Obituaries

Obituaries can reveal a wealth about our ancestor and other relatives. You can search our Louisiana Newspaper Obituaries Listings from hundreds of Louisiana newspapers online for free.

Louisiana Wills and Probate Records

The documents found in a probate packet may include a complete inventory of a person’s estate, newspaper entries, witness testimony, a copy of a will, list of debtors and creditors, names of executors or trustees, names of heirs. They can not only tell you about the ancestor you’re currently researching, but lead to other ancestors.

Most of these records must be accessed at a county court or clerk’s office, but some can be found online as well. You can obtain copies of the original probate records by writing to the county clerk.

Louisiana probate records have been recorded by the probate division clerks of the Louisiana District Courts and include dockets, wills, oaths, inventories, letters, bonds, appraisements, accounts, court orders, claims, and final settlements.

Louisiana Immigration and Naturalization Records

The naturalization process generated many types of records, including petitions, declarations of intention, and oaths of allegiance. These records can provide family historians with information such as a person's birth date and place of birth, immigration year, marital status, spouse information, occupation, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

Most overseas immigrants came to Louisiana through east coast ports such as New, and then traveled by railway to Louisiana. Earlier immigrants landed at New Orleans and then traveled by steamboats upriver to Louisiana. The U.S. National Archives has passenger lists or indexes of American ports for 1820 to 1940, as well as immigration and naturalization records for the entire United States. These records can also be accessed at the National Archives Regional Branch in Louisiana City

Louisiana Native American Records

Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriages have been recorded in county records since the creation date of individual counties. State-wide registration began in 1958. The first divorces were granted by the Louisiana State Legislature, though from 1849-1959, county courts held jurisdiction. Additional records to those listed previously which may be of assistance are:

Bibliographies

• French and Spanish Records of Louisiana: A Bibliographical Guide to Archives and Manuscript Sources, Henry Putney Beers (Louisiana State University Press, 1989)
• Women and New Orleans: A History, Mary Geham (Margaret Media, 1988)
• The New Orleans Guide to Collections on Women, Susan Tucker (Tulane University, 1989)

Selected Resources for Louisiana Women’s History

Hill Memorial Library
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

The Newcomb Archives
Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University
Contact: Susan Tucker
Curator of Books and Records
Caroline Richardson Building
62 Newcomb Place, #203
New Orleans, LA 70118
Tel: 504-865-5239
Email: susannah@tulane.edu

New Orleans Public Library
Louisiana Division
219 Loyola Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70140

Common Louisiana Surnames

The following surnames are among the most common in Louisiana and are also being currently researched by other genealogists. If you find your surname here, there is a chance that some research has already been performed on your ancestor.

AIME, ADAMS, ALLAIN, ALLY, ALLEMAND, ALLISON, ALSANDOR, ALCINDOR, AMAT, AMAUD, AMEDEE, AMIRATI, ARSCENEAUX, ARCHIE, ARMONT(d) , AYBRY, AUGUST, AVRILLE, BACQUIE, BAHAM, BAPTISTE, BARBARIN, BARRETT, BASQUEZ, BATIER, BAYON, BEAUREGARD, BECNEL, BELHOMME, BELL, BENOIT, BERGERON, BERIDON, BERLECHEAU, BERNARD, BERTON, BERTRAND, BLACHE, BLANBIN, BLOOM, BOCAGE, BOSSIERRE, BORAS, BORSKI, BOUDREAUX, BONEE, BORDENAVE, BOUCREE, BOUGERE, BOUTTE, BRAUD, BREAUX, BRIDAY, BRICOUD, BROUSSARD, BROYARD, BRUNEL, BUSH, BUSTAMENTE, BUJEAU, CAZENAVE, CAMP, CARMOUCHE, CHAISSON, CHAMPAGNE, CHARLES, CHENEVERT, CHESSE, CHEVAL, CHAVALIER, CHRISTOPHE, COFFEY, COLLINS, COMEAUX, CONDOLL, CORBERT, CORBET, COIBERT, CORBETTE, COULON, COURTADE, COUSIN, COUSTANT, CRAIG, CROCKER, DAIGLE, DALFERES, DARCANTEL, DARENSBOURG, DAUPHIN, DAUTERIVE, DAVE, DAVID, DAVIS, DEGRUY, DELAHOSSAY, DESARZANT, DECUIR, DESLANDES, DESSALLES, DEVEZIN, DEVILLE, DOBARD, DOMINQUE, DOUCET, DOUCETTE, DUBOURG, DUFFEL, DUPONT, DUTREUIL, DUVAL, DIAS, DEMAZILLIERE, DOBARD, DREUX, DUBREUIL, DUBUCLET, DUGAS, DUMING, DUPAIN, DUPLANTIER, DUPONT, EBERT, EDWARDS, ELLSWORTH, ESTORGE, EWELL, FERNANDEZ, FERRAND, FETTE, FIETEL, FLETCHER, FLOT, FONTENETTE, FONTRNOT, FORSTALL, FORTIER, FOSTER, FOULONE, FOULON, FRANCIS, FRANCOISE, FRICK, GABRIEL, GALBRETH, GALLE, GARCIA, GLAPION, GARNIER, GAUTHIER, GAY, GAYAUT, GUILLOT, GALLOT, GEDDRY, GYRON, GODEAU, GORDON, GOUDEAU, GRANT, GRAVES, GREEN, GUIDRY, GUILLACOME, GUILLORY, GUYAL, HARRIS, HART, HAINS, HARLEAUX, HASTINGS, HAYDEL, HEISSER, HENNET DIT SASCHAGRIN, HERBERT, HEBERT, HIRSCH, HODGE, HONORE DIT DESTREHAN, HUBBARD, HUGON, JACKSON, JAMES, JORDOIN, JARREAU, JEANJACQUES, JEANNE, JEFFRION, JETER, JOLIVERE, JONES, JOSEPH, JOUBERT, JUGE, JULES, KINDLER, LABAT, LABOT, LABEAU, LABO, LABEAUD, LAVEAU, L'HERISSE, LABOSTRIE, LACOUR, LACROIX, LADMIRAULT, LADNIER, LAFRERE, LAGARDE, LAGAUX, LALANDE, LALONIER, LANDRY, LAMOTHE, LOMOTTE, LASTRATES, LAURANT, LAVEAU(X), LEBLANC, LEBEAU, LECLAIRE( C), LEDE, LEDET, LEDAY, LEDEE, LEDUFF, LEFEBVRE, LEFRERE, LEGENDRE, LEGER, LEGGETT, LEJEUNE, LE'OBIA, LEOBIA, LEOBIE, LETORY, LORREINS, MAGNON, MAIGNET, MARANT, MARCELLE, MARCELL, MARCHAND, MARTEL, MARIGNY, MATEOS, MATHE, MATHER, MAETHER, MATHIEU, MAUK, MAUCK, MANK, MAURICE, MAURY, MAVEAUX, MAYEAUX, MAXENT, MAZET, MCCARTHY, MCCUE, MEILLEUR, MENDOZA, MERRITT, METEYE, MILLER, MILLOT, MOMTREUIL, MONIER, MEUNIER, MONROE, MONTEILH, MONTGOMERY, MOORE, MORET, MOUTON, MUJOR, MUSE, NABA, NACOSTE, NELSON, NICHOLAS, OFFRAY, OLIVER, OLIVIER, ORY, OZENNE, PAPILLION, PASCAL, PATIN, PELLERIN, PELLESSIER, PEREZ, PERRAULT, PERALT, PHILIPPI, PHILLIPS, PHICHON, PIERRE, PIZERO, PLEASANT, PLAISSANCE, PLICQUE, PLOUNT, POIRRIER, POPULUS, PORCHE, POREE, PORTER POTTER, POURCIAU, POYDRAS, PRADIER, PRADIA, PRADE, PRILLION, RABY, RAMOND, RAMON, RANDOLPH, RATLEFF, RAYMOND, REINE, REYNAUD, REYNES, RICARD, RICHARD, RICKET, RIDEAU, RIPOLL, ROBERT, ROBERTSON, ROBINSON, ROGERS, ROMAN, RONDENO, ROUSSEAU, ROYAL, ROQUES, SAUCIER, SAINT LOUIS, SCOTT, SERF, SHEDRICK, SHEFFIELD, SIGG, SIMEON, SIMIEN, SIMON SORAPURU, SOULE, ST. AMANT, ST. ANDRE, ST. ANDREW, ST. CYR, STANLEY, TACHERT, TAYLOR, TERNOIR, THOMAS, THRUHILE, TIRCUIT, TOUNOIR, TOUSSAINT, TREGRE, TREVIGNE, TROULLIER, TUREAUD, TURNOIR, TOUNOIR, VENTRESS, VEROT, VIGNAUD, VIGNE, VILLAVASSO, VAUCRESSON, WALKER, WEBB, WELSH, WALSH, WHILLEY, WILEY, WILLIAMS, WILLOZ, WILTZ, XAVIER, ZENON, ZENO