St. James Parish, Louisiana Genealogy

Guide to St. James Parish, Louisiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. 

Description
The County was named for Saint James. The County has Convent as its seat and the County was created March 31, 1807. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parish Courthouse
St. James Parish Courthouse River Rd, PO Box 106 Convent, LA 70723 Phone: 225.562.7497

Parish Clerk has marriage records from 1846, divorce, probate and court records from 1809.

Parent Parish
1807--St. James Parish was created 31 March 1807 as an original parish. Parish seat: Convent

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Louisiana Parish boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Louisiana Parish Boundary Maps" (1805-1990) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Parishes or Counties

 * Ascension
 * Assumption
 * Lafourche
 * St. John the Baptist

African American

 * Louisiana African American Griots Project
 * Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy
 * African American Cemeteries, listing by county

Biographies

 * Index to St. James Parish Biographies (LAGenWeb)
 * Index to St. James Parish Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * St. James Parish Biographies (Genealogy Trails)

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on St. James Parish cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Louisiana cemetery records by Parish.
 * African American Cemeteries, listing by county

Census

 * 1810 - Census Images for St. James Parish (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1810 - Transcription of 1810 Census for St. James Parish (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1842 - Sugar Planters & Manufactures: 1842. Saint James Parish, Louisiana (LAGenWeb)
 * 1856 - St. James Sugar Planters, 1856 (LAGenWeb)
 * Louisiana Census Images (USGenWeb Census Images Project)

Church

 * Louisiana Historical Church Information
 * Directory of Churches in Louisiana, by city (Church Angel)

Local Histories

 * Louisiana Museums
 * St. James Parish History (Genealogy Trails)
 * St. James Parish Memoir (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of Louisiana (1805-1990)
 * USGW Digital Map Collection (USGenWeb Archives)

Military

 * Louisiana Military History Online

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1898-1950 - at FamilySearch — images
 * - 5th Field Battery, Louisiana Artillery (Pelican Light Artillery) (Confederate),

World War I

 * 1917-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Honor List of Dead and Missing Army & Army Air Forces Personnel, St. James Parish, Louisiana (Genealogy Trails)

Newspapers

 * Louisiana Newspaper List, listing by name/parish (USNPL)
 * Louisiana Newspaper listing (Newslink)

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as St. James Parish, Louisiana Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
 * Do a St. James Parish, Louisiana Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Obituaries

 * St. James Parish Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * St. James Parish Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate
Louisiana Probate Records

Online Probate Records
 * 1756 – 1984 Louisiana Wills and Probate Records 1756-1984 at Ancestry — index and images $

Vital Records

 * Louisiana Records and Statistics Information ~ where and how to order information.

Marriage

 * 1837–1957 -  at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1850-1875, 1894-1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries

 * German and Acadian Coast Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 3086 LaPlace, LA 70069-3086 Website
 * Louisiana Historical Society Website
 * Louisiana Historical Association Website

Websites

 * Louisiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Louisiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * St. James Parish (LAGenWeb) Records, Maps, Archives and Other Projects
 * St. James Parish, Louisiana (USGenWeb Archives)
 * St. James Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * St. James Parish, Louisiana, Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails)
 * St. James Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * St. James Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)