Louisiana Colonial Records

History
Louisiana was claimed by France in 1682. Fort Mississippi was built in 1699, but there was little European settlement until after 1713. Louisiana was owned by private companies from 1712-1731, when the colony reverted to the French Crown. Upper and Lower Louisiana, west of the Mississippi, were ceded to Spain in 1762, while the rest of Louisiana was ceded to Great Britain and became parts of East and West Florida. Britain ceded the Floridas back to Spain in 1780, and the government was administered by the Captaincy General of Cuba. In 1802, Louisiana transferred back to the French, and then sold to the United States in 1803.

Ecclesiastical Records and Sources
Catholic church records in Louisiana date back to 1720, with the first church having been founded in 1700. The Diocese of New Orleans (previously called the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas) was organized in 1793. The diocese covered French territory from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the original records are available at the Notre Dame Archives, Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana, and the Archivo Nacional de Cuba in Havana, Cuba.