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Louisiana, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1791-1890188,900
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820171,563
Louisiana Census Records. Volume II: Iberville, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, and Rapides Parishes, 1810 and 1820200
The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732186
Louisiana Census Records. Volume I: Avoyelles and St. Landry Parishes, 1810 and 1820106
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U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-19704,566,787
Louisiana, U.S., Statewide Death Index, 1819-19642,081,698
Louisiana, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1718-19251,585,301
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Birth Records Index, 1790-19151,082,167
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Marriage Records Index, 1831-1964834,468
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U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-194754,144,553
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 194214,501,913
U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-18652,049,383
U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865837,569
Louisiana, U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950199,883
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U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free5,810,303
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1813-19634,371,408
New Orleans, Passenger List Quarterly Abstracts, 1820-1875408,999
U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940320,331
Louisiana, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1836-2001168,027
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Louisiana, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current343,392,863
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Deaths Index, 1815-19771,098
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There are no pictures collections unique to Louisiana
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Inventory of the church and synagogue archives of Louisiana.196
The New Orleans French, 1720-1733118
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New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Arrest Records, 1866-1931Updated1,369,968
Louisiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984519,029
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820171,563
Louisiana, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-190878,869
Louisiana, U.S., State Penitentiary Records, 1866-196320,673
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Documents relating to the commercial policy of Spain in the Floridas : with incidental reference to Louisiana338
Inventory of the church and synagogue archives of Louisiana.196
Inventory of the municipal archives of Louisiana.132
The Canary Islands Migration to Louisiana, 1778-1783105
Louisiana ColonialsFree89
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There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to Louisiana
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Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820Free104,419
Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820Free6,579
History of Louisiana2,274
The winning of the West1,736
Louisiana History, 19041,325
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A genealogical history

Louisiana in brief

Statehood:  30 April 1812
Capital: Baton Rouge
Largest City: New Orleans
Counties: 64 Parishes
State motto:  Union, Justice, Confidence
State nickname: The Bayou State. The Pelican State
Neighboring states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas


Looking up Canal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, c. 1903

Interesting facts

  • The last battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans, was won by Major General Andrew Jackson troops two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent ended the war (24 December 1814). The American troops had been outnumbered, but with help from the French pirate Jean Lafitte, a group of former Haitian slaves, and frontier riflemen from Kentucky and Tennessee, they helped restore the confidence of the American people.
  • In 1755-56, when the Acadians were deported from Acadia (French colony in southeastern Canada and Maine) where they had settled in the early 17th century, many made their way to Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns.
  • In April 1862, the city of New Orleans surrendered to Union forces and it remained under Union control for the remainder of the war. There were more than twenty major battles and engagements in Louisiana during the Civil War.

     

Featured Louisiana collections

New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Arrest Records, 1866-1931
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970
Louisiana, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current
U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865

Famous people

Help and advice

Resources

Louisiana Census Research

Federal censuses for the state of Louisiana began in 1810 and were taken every ten years thereafter. They are currently available through 1920, except for the mostly destroyed 1890 census. However, caution should be used with indexes for Louisiana. Many of the French and Spanish names were transcribed incorrectly, and numerous omissions exist.

The French and Spanish were diligent scribes and many censuses exist for Louisianians, including assessments for the French Period dating 1699–1732 and for the Spanish Period dating 1766–1805. These censuses focus on specified areas or towns.

Some of the censuses for the colony's inhabitants are listed in Alice Eichholz, ed., Ancestry's Redbook: American State, County and Town Sources (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992).


 

Louisiana Vital Records

As of 1990, the state archive stores all birth records over 100 years old and death and marriage records over fifty years old. Some parish health departments have alphabetical birth and death indexes for their areas; however, they are not complete listings of all births and deaths of that parish. Those records more recent are housed at the Office of Public Health.

The Catholic churches throughout the state which kept registers of christenings, marriages, and burials and were the recorders of Louisiana's early vital records. Many of these records have been published. For marriage records for parishes other than Orleans, contact the Office of the Clerk of Court for that parish.

  • Louisiana Vital Records and Statistics: Holds records of births, marriages, and deaths.  Many records are confidential and access is restricted for 50-100 years. See the web site for specific information.
  • Louisiana State Archives: See the Vital Records page for information on the Archive’s holdings and links to online vital records indexes, including Louisiana death records and birth and marriage records for Orleans Parish. Records ordering information is provided.
  •  New Orleans Public Library: The Library’s Special Collections page includes links to several vital records indexes, including the Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index; New Orleans Justice of the Peace marriage Records,1846-1880; and the New Orleans Marriage Index from the Daily Picayne, 1837-1857. Records ordering information is provided.


 

Louisiana Research Resources

The organizations listed below provide information about Louisiana history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.


 

Statewide Research Resources

  • Louisiana State Archives: The Research Library page provides an overview of the Archives’ holdings, and includes links to online indexes of vital records, passenger lists, Confederate records, and a useful FAQ.
  •  Louisiana State Library
  •  Louisiana Historical Society: The “Resources” link contains a detailed list of research archives located in New Orleans.
  • Louisiana Historical and Genealogical Society: Publishes The Louisiana Genealogical Register. The “Links” page provides contact information for local genealogical societies.
  • Louisiana State Museum
  • Louisiana GenWeb
  • Louisiana Digital Archive
  • National Archives at Fort Worth: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Louisiana, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office Records: The BLM administers Federal Land for public land states including Louisiana, and maintains records of land patents which granted land from the Federal Government to individuals. Use the Land Patent Search to locate land grants by name. Many record images are available on the web site. See the FAQ for more information on how to locate and use land patents.


 

Specialty and Regional Research

 

  • New Orleans Public Library: The Library’s extensive genealogy collection is described on the Special Collections page, which also contains a genealogy research guide and links to online finding tools for property research, newspapers, photographs, and more.