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Louisiana Genealogy

Louisiana Genealogy Facts

Early Spanish explorers were Alvárez Piñeda, 1519; Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, 1528; and Hernando de Soto in 1541. Sieur de la Salle reached the mouth of the Mississippi and claimed all the land drained by it and its tributaries for Louis XIV of France in 1682.

Louisiana became a French crown colony in 1731 but was ceded to Spain in 1763 after the French and Indian Wars. (The portion east of the Mississippi came under British control in 1764.) Louisiana reverted to France in 1800 and was sold by Napoleon to the U.S. in 1803. The southern part, known as the territory of Orleans, became the state of Louisiana in 1812.

  • Louisiana was Organized as territory on March 26, 1804.
  • Louisiana entered the union as the 18th state on April 30, 1812.
  • Louisiana has 64 Parishes.
  • Louisiana’s capital is Baton Rouge.
  • Louisiana is bordered by Arkansas (north), Mississippi (east), Texas (
  • Louisiana has a land area of 51,843 square miles making it the 31st largest state.
  • Louisiana’s 2010 population was 4,533,372
  • Louisiana  largest cities (2010) are New Orleans, 343,829; Baton Rouge, 229,493; Shreveport, 199,311; Metairie, 138,481; Lafayette, 120,632; Lake Charles, 71,993; Kenner, 66,702; Bossier City, 61,315; Monroe, 48,815; Alexandria, 47,723.
  • Louisiana was named by the French explorer Sieur de La Salle in 1682 to honor King Louis XIV of France.
  • Louisiana State Nickname is “Sportsman’s Paradise” (formally Pelican State)
  • Louisiana State Motto is “Union, Justice, and Confidence ” .

Louisiana County Genealogy

Parishes, not counties, are the political jurisdictions for recording land (conveyances), probate (successions), marriage, and court records in Louisiana. Parish clerks hold the majority of these records, while some cities have these functions divided among register of conveyances and district court clerks. The Louisiana Section of the State Library of Louisiana provided some of the information on parish formation. Select a Parish from the table below to to view more information on genealogical information & records pertaining to each county.

Select a County Below

PARISH PAGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Louisiana has parishes that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these parishes were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states. These counties need to be looked at when doing genealogy research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was abolished or combined with another parish.

  • Baton Rouge Parish: Created in 1792 in the West Floridas area. The land was divided into East & West Baton Rouge Parishes in 1810.
  • Carroll Parish: Formed from in Ouachita and Concordia Parishes 1832, it was split into East Carroll and West Carroll Parishes in 1877
  • Feliciana Parish: Formed in 1810 from Spanish West Florida, it was split into East Feliciana and West Feliciana in 1824

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Louisiana Genealogy Links

See Louisiana Parish Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.

Louisiana State History

Louisiana, state in the southern United States, on the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. The French were the original European colonizers of Louisiana, beginning in the early 18th century. After a period of Spanish control it reverted to France. During this colonial period other European and African cultures were introduced into the area. Most of Louisiana was bought by the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase; the rest came as a result of the West Florida Rebellion of 1810. Louisiana entered the Union on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state. Louisiana (New France) was named after Louis XIV, one of France’s greatest and most powerful kings. When René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France, he named it La Louisiane, meaning “Land of Louis”. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana. The state’s three principal cities are New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport.

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