Louisiana Church Records

Historical Background
Before statehood in 1812 the Roman Catholic Church was dominant in Louisiana. Few Protestant churches flourished. From 1812 to 1900, the largest religious groups in Louisiana were the Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * 1695-1954 - U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1720-1734 - Louisiana (French) Civil Registration and Parish Registers, 1720-1734, index and images.
 * 1836-1938 - index and some images, incomplete - How to Use this Collection
 * Collection of Louisiana early court and church records, DAR


 * 1796-1900 - Alphabetical Birth Indexes for Orleans Parishes 1796 - 1900
 * 1811-1830; 1854-1934 - index, incomplete. - How to Use this Collection
 * Louisiana Birth Records.
 * 1718-1925, 1946-1961 - Louisiana, Compiled Marriage Index, 1718-1925, 1946-1961, index, incomplete. ($)
 * 1720-1733 - The New Orleans French, 1720-1733 ($)
 * 1718-1925 - Louisiana Marriages, 1718-1925 Index only ($)
 * 1728-1850 - Louisiana, Compiled Marriages, 1728-1850, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1816-1906 - index, incomplete. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1957 - index, incomplete. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1900 - Louisiana, Compiled Marriage Records, 1851-1900, index, incomplete ($).
 * Orleans Parish Marriage Records.


 * 1840-1906 - Southwest Louisiana, Deaths Index, 1840-1906 Index only ($)
 * 1850-1875; 1894-1956 Index only. - How to Use this Collection

Catholic

 * Digitized Sacramental Records Online, Archdiocese of New Orleans

Presbyterian

 * U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, ($). Incomplete.

Other Collections

 * The Ancestor Hunt: Free Lousiana Online Church Records

Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Louisiana.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Louisiana and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Louisiana [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Hebert, Donald J. A Guide to Church Records in Louisiana, 1720-1975. Eunice, Louisiana.: D. J. Hebert, 1975.
 * Guide to Vital Statistics Records of Church Archives in Louisiana. New Orleans, Louisiana: Louisiana State Board of Health, 1942. WorldCat

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

'''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Lutheran
ELCA Region4-South Archives 1090 Oestreich Dr. Seguin, TX 78155

Phone:(830) 379-9900 E-mail: archives@swtsynod.org
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Roman Catholic
The earliest church records were Roman Catholic marriage records that began in 1720 and baptism records that began in 1729. Most records are kept at the local churches.

The Drouin Collection
Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954 ($) (Ancestry). It is the U.S. part of the U.S. and French-Canadian Drouin Collection. For more details see "The Drouin Collection: Six Databases" The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.

Catholic Diocese Archives
Archdiocese of New Orleans Archives 7887 Walmsley Avenue New Orleans, LA 70125-3496 Phone: (504) 861-9521 Fax: (504) 866-2906
 * Genealogy Request Instructions
 * Request for Genealogical Information From Sacramental Records
 * Digitized Sacramental Records Online

The Archdiocese includes the parishes of: Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Plaquemines and Washington.

Diocese of Shreveport Archives 3500 Fairfield Avenue Shreveport, LA 71104 Phone: (318) 868-4441 Email: chancellorsoffice@dioshpt.org The Archives of the Diocese of Shreveport is the repository for materials relating to the history of the Catholic Church in north Louisiana. This area includes the sixteen civil parishes (counties) of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Jackson, Lincoln, Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Union, Webster and West Carroll. The sacramental records program of diocesan archives maintains a centralized copy of Catholic baptisms, marriages, and burials that are 72 years old or older with the earliest records dated 1856.
 * Family Genealogy Research
 * Depending upon the amount of research required, a fee may be charged. Requests may be received by email or regular mail.

Diocese of Alexandria 4400 Coliseum Boulevard Alexandria, LA 71303 Phone: (318) 445-2401 Fax: (318) 448-6121
 * Services provided by the Diocesan Archives Office
 * The Archives hold an extensive microfilm collection, old sacramental records, photograph collections, special individual collections, papers of the bishops, biographies of the bishops, documentation and photographs chronicaling parish histories and rare documents and books. The records are preserved through microfilm, mechanical copy, manuscripts, originals and digitally. Most of the early records are in French or Spanish. Microfilms and original books of sacramental records date back to: Avoyelles--beginning 1796; Natchitoches--beginning 1734; Rapides--no records available prior to 1895.


 * The diocese includes the parishes of: Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Grant, LaSalle, Madison, Natchitoches, Rapides, Tensas, Vernon and Winn.

Diocese of Baton Rouge Archives 1800 South Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Phone: (504) 387-0561 Fax: (504) 336-8789

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2028 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2028 This diocese has collected all parish registers in its area and indexed them. The diocese includes the parishes of: Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.
 * Genealogy Records Request Form
 * Sacramental Archives Access and Reproduction Policy

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Archives 205 Audubon Avenue Thibodaux, LA 70301 Phone: (985) 446-2383 E-Mail: kallemand@htdiocese.org The archives are open to the public for research. Records are considered public that are older than 100 years. The diocese includes the parishes of: Assumption, LaFourche, St. Martin, St. Mary and Terrebonne.
 * Sacramental Indexes
 * Procedures for Access to Sacramental Records

Diocese of Lafayette Archives 1408 Carmel Dr. Lafayette, LA 70501 Phone: (337) 261-5652

Mailing address: P.O. Box 3387 Lafayette, LA 70502-3387

Please forward inquiries via email: bdejean@diolaf.org / cbrunet@diolaf.org
 * Genealogical Research
 * Genealogical Research Policy

The diocese includes the parishes of: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion.

Diocese of Lake Charles 414 Iris Street Lake Charles, LA 70601 Phone: (337) 439-7400 All records are maintained at the parish level. The diocese includes the parishes of: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis.

Methodist
Centenary College of Louisiana Magale Library, Cline Room Shreveport, LA 71134-1188 Phone: (318) 869-5170 Fax: (318) 869-5004

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 41188 Shreveport, LA 71134-1188
 * The archives only has records for closed and abandoned churches. For existing churches, contact the local parish.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Louisiana Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.