Step-by-Step Louisiana Research, 1850-1910

Louisiana Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research, 1880-present Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Louisiana Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.

Example of a death index entry.



Death Indexes

 * U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954, index ($)
 * Index only.
 * Images only. Includes death records and indexes for 1960.
 * Louisiana, Statewide Death Index, 1900-1949 ($)
 * Louisiana Death Records.
 * U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ($)
 * U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Incomplete, ($).
 * Online Louisiana Death Records Indexes
 * Online Louisiana Death Records Indexes

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Louisiana Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

 * Online Louisiana Death Records Indexes
 * Louisiana Obituaries
 * Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Find-A-Grave
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * Louisiana Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * Louisiana Cemetery Records at Interment
 * Louisiana Gravestone Photo Project
 * Louisiana Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online Louisiana Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
 * Louisiana, Orleans Parish, State Museum Historical Cntr, Cemetery Records, 1805-1944 at FamilySearch
 * Louisiana, Tombstone Inscriptions, 1812-1970 at Ancestry - index ($)

For more information, see Louisiana Obituaries and Louisiana Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1918. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.''' Example of county birth indexes. Example of an indexed county marriage entry.

Online Records
Births
 * Index only.
 * Images only. Includes Birth records and index for 1910.
 * Orleans Birth Records.
 * Alphabetical Birth Indexes for Orleans Parish 1796 - 1900
 * U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954, index ($)

Marriages
 * Louisiana Marriages, 1718-1925 Index only ($)
 * U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954, index ($)
 * Index only.
 * Index and images.
 * Louisiana Marriages to 1850 Index only ($)
 * New Orleans Justices of the Peace, Index to Marriage Records, 1846-1880, index.
 * Louisiana Marriage Records, 1851-1900 Index only ($)
 * Orleans Parish Marriage Records.
 * New Orleans, Louisiana, Marriage Records Index, 1831-1920 Index only ($)
 * Southwest Louisiana, Deaths Index, 1840-1906 Index only ($)
 * Marriage contracts of French colonial Louisiana $)
 * The New Orleans French, 1720-1733 ($)

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Louisiana Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Louisiana, see How to Find Louisiana Birth Records, How to Find Louisiana Marriage Records, and How to Find Louisiana Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Louisiana Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.

 * 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 & images ($). Incomplete.
 * For help with church records kept in Louisiana, see Louisiana Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Louisiana
 * Louisiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984, ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * Images only.
 * Louisiana, Orleans Parish Estate Files, 1804-1846, ($), index.
 * Louisiana, Orleans Parish Estate Files 1804-1846, ($), index.
 * Louisiana, Orleans Parish Estate Files, 1804-1846, ($), index.
 * Images only.

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Louisiana county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Louisiana Counties

For more information, see Louisiana Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Louisiana Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * One Step Webpages by Stephen Morse Links to free and $ online passenger lists
 * New Orleans, Louisiana, Slave Manifests, 1807-1860 Index and images ($)
 * Partial index and images.
 * New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1813-1963, index/images.
 * Images.
 * Atlantic Ports, Gulf Coasts, and Great Lakes Passenger Lists, Roll 7:1820-1835 Abstracts ($)
 * New Orleans, Passenger List Quarterly Abstracts, 1820-1875 Index and images ($)
 * New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1820-1945 Index and images ($)
 * New Orleans Ship Passenger List Online Index - January to July 1851
 * Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1903-1945, ($), index.
 * Italian Passengers to Louisiana, 1905-1910 Abstracts ($)

Louisiana Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Images.
 * Records of the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, New Orleans Division: Petitions, 1838-1861 ($)
 * , index/images.
 * Louisiana, Naturalization Records,1836-2001 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records for Louisiana - Original Documents, 1790-1974 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court at New Orleans, Naturalization Petitions, 1838-1861 ($)

For more information, see Louisiana Emigration and Immigration and Louisiana Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Louisiana
 * Pre-1908 Louisiana, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry - Abstracts ($)
 * Pre-1908 Land Patents - Louisiana, Pre-1908 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1770-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection, index
 * 1788-1960s U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management, index and some records
 * 1820-1908 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1861-1932 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection, images
 * 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management - index
 * Land Owner Search at Historygeo.com ($), index to maps of original land owners

For more information, see Louisiana Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Local histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Louisiana; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Louisiana" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Louisiana" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Louisiana. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Louisiana and the name of the county.


 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find out about local histories the library has by checking the FamilySearch Catalog. In the "place" field, type the name of your county and select it from the drop down list, then click "Search". A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, and History - Indexes.

Biographies
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * County and Town Histories, with biographies
 * Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index.
 * Old Louisiana Plantation Homes and Family Trees ($)
 * Louisiana Biographical and Historical Memoirs ($)
 * Dictionary of Louisiana Biography
 * Louisiana; comprising sketches of parishes, towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form, ed. by Alcée Fortier ... v.1, e-book, Vol. 2, Vol. 3
 * The story of Louisiana. v.1, e-book, Vol. 2, Vol. 3
 * Southwest Louisiana, biographical and historical, e-book
 * Biographical and historical memoirs of northwest Louisiana, e-book
 * Louisianians and their state, e-book
 * Who's who in Louisiana and Mississippi: biographical sketches of prominent men and women of Louisiana and Mississippi, e-book

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Louisiana, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Louisiana, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Louisiana Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Louisiana Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Louisiana Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Louisiana Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Louisiana.
This article focused more on Louisiana state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Louisiana. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.