Richland Parish, Louisiana Genealogy

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

Parish Courthouse
Richland Parish Courthouse 108 Courthouse Square; PO Box 119; Rayvillle, LA 71269 Phone: 318.728.4171

Parish Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1869.

History
Richland parish was organized by an act of the state legislature in 1868, out of Ouachita, Franklin, Carroll and Morehouse parishes.

Rayville was at once selected as the parish seat of justice, and a California plank house was immediately erected to serve for court purposes. This frame building was used for several years, until a substantial two-story brick building was completed. A strong, two-story brick jail also occupied a site beside the courthouse in courthouse square.

The parish has an area of 578 square miles, nearly all of which is susceptible of cultivation, and the remainder is covered with a thick growth of valuable timber, comprising many varieties of oak, hickory, ash, cypress, red gum and many others.

Rayville, Delhi, and Mangham are its only incorporated towns. Delhi and Rayville were incorporated under the act of the statelegislature of 1882.

When Rayville was selected as the site for the seat of justice it was "in the timber." As the parish site it soon grew into a flourishing village and secured a charter of incorporation about 1884. It was visited by a very destructive fire in the fall of 1890, when one-half or more of the business portion of the town was consumed. Again, in 1891, it was visited by a similar disaster.

The first newspaper published in Richland parish was the "Richland Beacon," established at Rayville about 1869 by Thomas J. Mangham. The first sheriff and clerk of the parish was A.J. Lidell and J. Newt Pitts, respectively.

Parent Parish

 * 1868--Richland Parish was created 29 September 1868 from Ouachita, Carroll (Old), Franklin, and Morehouse Parishes. Parish seat: Rayville

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

 * Alto, LA
 * Archibald, LA
 * Delhi, LA
 * Dunn, LA
 * Holly Ridge, LA
 * Mangham, LA
 * Rayville, LA
 * Start, LA

Neighboring Parishes or Counties



 * Caldwell
 * East Carroll
 * Franklin
 * Morehouse
 * Ouachita
 * West Carroll

African American

 * Louisiana African American Griots Project ~  USGenWeb Project
 * Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy

Cemeteries

 * LA Tombstone Transcription Project ~  partial records and photos  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Interment.net ~ LA cemetery records by county
 * African American Cemeteries ~  listing by county
 * FindaGrave.com ~  cemetery records with search by cemetery, by surname

Census

 * Louisiana Census Images  ~  USGenWeb Census Images Project

Church

 * Delhi Presbyterian Church, Delhi, LA
 * First Baptist Church, Delhi, LA
 * First Baptist Church, Rayville, LA
 * Mangham Baptist Church, Mangham, LA
 * Start Baptist Church, Start, LA
 * Louisiana Historical Church Information
 * Directory of Churches in Louisiana ~  by city  ~  Church Angel

Local Histories
Louisiana Museums

Maps

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

Military

 * Louisiana Military History Online

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1898-1950 - at FamilySearch — images

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Richland Beacon News, Rayville, LA
 * Louisiana Newspaper List ~  listing by name/parish  ~  USNPL
 * Louisiana Newspaper ~ listing  ~  Newslink

Probate
Louisiana Probate Records ~  information on.

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

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

Marriage

 * 1837–1957 -  at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of Louisiana Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies


 * Richland Parish Library
 * Louisiana Historical Society
 * Louisiana Historical Association

Websites

 * Richland Parish, LA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Louisiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Louisiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Richland Parish GenWeb
 * Richland Parish GenWeb Archives
 * RichlandRoots.com - Personal Blog on Richland History
 * LAGenWeb -  Louisiana State Records
 * USGenWeb ~  Records, Maps, Archives and Other Projects
 * Richland Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Richland Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)