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Lafayette Parish History and Information |
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Lafayette Parish was created on January 17, 1823 , from St. Martin Parish and the parish was named in honor of Marquis de la Fayette . The Parish seat is Lafayette .
It is borderd by St. Landry Parish (north), St. Martin Parish (east), Iberia Parish (southeast), Vermilion Parish (south), Acadia Parish (
west) . Cites, Towns and Communities include Broussard, Carencro, Lafayette, Scott, Youngsville, Duson . The Official County Website is located at http://www.lafayettegov.org/ .
Early historians report that a few trappers, traders and ranchers were present in the region prior to the Spanish occupation of 1766. The first settlement in south-central Louisiana, known as Petit Manchac, was established by the English who used it during the Revolutionary War as an outpost. It constituted a small trading post on the banks of the Vermilion River where the Old Spanish Trail crossed the bayou (about where today's Pinhook Bridge is located). The village also came to be known as Pin Hook, a name about which many stories of origin exist.
The historical event which had the greatest cultural impact on Lafayette was the migration of the Acadians from French Canada after "Le Grand Derangement" in 1755. Most of the exiled Acadians followed the path which led to New Orleans. There they received a hostile greeting from the French aristocracy so they headed west into unsettled territory. They settled along the bayous of south central and south western Louisiana where they could live according to their own beliefs and customs. With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Louisiana then became possession of the United States.
In 1821, Jean Mouton (an Acadian) donated land for the construction of a Catholic church. On May 15, 1822 Bishop Duborg created the church parish of St. John the Evangelist of Vermilion which encompassed the area from Mouton's plantation south to the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Sabine River.
St John's Cathedral 1880
The settlement grew around the church. Mouton made a second land donation to the new community, this time for a courthouse. The town of Vermilionville became the new parish's seat. The settlement grew and the town of Vermilionville was renamed Lafayette in 1844 in honor of the French Marquis de Lafayette. See Extended History for More information.
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See Also Louisiana Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. |
Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court has Court Records from 1823 and Land Records from 1823 and Probate Records from 1823 has Marriage Records from 1823 and is located at 800 South Buchanan Street, Lafayette, LA 70501-6853, P O Box 2009, Lafayette, LA 70502-2009, (337) 291-6400.
The Clerk of Court for each parish in Louisiana performs the functions of more than one office. As the Recorder, the office of the Clerk of Court receives, files, records and indexes all mortgages, conveyances and all other instruments recorded in the Public Records for the Parish. The Clerk’s Office receives and files all pleadings, such as petitions, answers, motions and other filings in Civil and Probate matters, as well as indictments, bills of information and other filings in Criminal matters. The Clerk’s Office also handles special Juvenile matters and Criminal Neglect cases. Another function of the Clerk’s Office is the issuance of Marriage Licenses and recording their returns after the marriages are performed.
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There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include:Louisiana Marriages, 1718-1925, Louisiana Marriages to 1850, Louisiana Marriage Records, 1851-1900, New Orleans, Louisiana Marriage Records Index, 1831-1925, Louisiana Land Records. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which does cover Louisiana and does cover surrounding states. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
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Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Court Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Vital Records in Louisiana
Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
Vital Records Registry Office of Public Health, 325 Loyola Avenue, P.O. Box 60630. New Orleans, LA 70160; Tel: 504-568-5150 504- 568-5152 (automated) is the repository for all Louisiana Birth Certificates less than 101 years old and all
Louisiana Death Certificates less than 51 years old. Existing records of births which occurred in Louisiana more than
100 years ago or deaths which occurred more than 50 years ago are maintained by the Louisiana State Archives. They have the following records:
- Birth Certificates: State office has had records since July 1914. Birth records
for city of New Orleans are available from 1892. Death records
are available since 1942. Older birth, death, and marriage
records are available through the Louisiana State Archives,
P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804.
- Cost: The cost of a birth record is $15.00. Fees must be remitted by personal check, money order or Credi/Debit Card Online for the exact amount at the time the order is placed. No credit
cards are accepted except online. If the record is not on file, one fee is retained to cover the expense of the search. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
- Death Certificates: Death records maintained by Arkansas Vital Records start with February 1, 1914 through the present. Arkansas Vital Records does have a limited number of deaths occurring prior to 1914 for Little Rock and Fort Smith dating from 1881. The Arkansas History Commission has a death index of deaths occurring in Arkansas from 1914 through 1949. This is only an alphabetical listing of deaths occurring in Arkansas. The History Commission does not have copies of the death records.
- Cost: The cost of a death record is $7.00. Fees must be remitted by personal check, money order or Credi/Debit Card Online for the exact amount at the time the order is placed. No credit
cards are accepted except online. If the record is not on file, one fee is retained to cover the expense of the search. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
- Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
- Marriage Certificates: Orleans Parish records only from Vital Records Registry or the Louisiana State Archives. For other parishes, certified copies are available from the Clerk of the Court in the parish where the license was issued.
- Divorce Certificates: Divorce records are available from Clerk of Court in parish where divorce was granted. Fees vary. Call Civil District Court, (504) 592-9100.
Order By Mail: SUBMIT APPLICATION, COPY OF STATE OR FEDERAL PHOTO ID AND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: Vital Records Registry, P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Please do not send cash in the mail.
IF NO RECORD IS FOUND, YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED AND FEES WILL BE RETAINED FOR THE SEARCH PER R.S. 40:40.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
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There are a few online marriage databases which include:Louisiana Statewide Death Index, 1900-1949, New Orleans, Louisiana Birth Records Index, 1790-1899, New Orleans, Louisiana Marriage Records Index, 1831-1925, New Orleans, Louisiana Death Records Index, 1804-1949 and New Orleans Deaths, 1840-1970 |
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Census Records
Parishwide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Lafayette Parish, Louisiana are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
Statewide Records that exist for Louisiana are 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. After the 1803 purchase of Louisiana it became an American possession; therefore, the first federal census report taken for the state was 1810.
Caution should be used particularly with the AIS indexes for Louisiana. Many of the French and Spanish names were transcribed wrong and numerous omissions exist. Many of these population schedules have been published. See Louisiana Census Records. Volume I: Avoyelles and St. Landry Parishes, 1810 and 1820 & Louisiana Census Records. Volume II: Iberville, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, and Rapides Parishes, 1810 and 1820 by Robert Bruce L. Ardoin & The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732 by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. These books are on 1 Family Archive CD
As early as 1860 the federal government began attempts to identify Native Americans. In 1900 and 1910 it created a special Indian schedule. The first page was the same as the population census only it had “Indian Population” as its heading. The second page provided for such important information as: tribal affiliation, the tribe of each parent, the person's Indian blood quantum, and—if not full blooded —their precise racial mixture. These schedules will be found at the end of the ward or district in which the Native American resided.
There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Census Records by clicking the link below:
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Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Louisiana and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Louisiana showing all the parish boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in parish boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Louisiana showing all the parish boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in parish boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Maps. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Louisiana
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Military Records by clicking the link below:
- Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
- Southern Claims Commission from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
- Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Louisiana units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
- Louisiana Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
- Louisiana Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
- National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
- Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Military Books at Amazon.com
- Louisiana Confederate Soldier Burial Database
- Louisiana Confederate Soldiers
- Louisiana Military Record
- Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812
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See Also Research In Tax Records
Tax records are a valuable but little-used source. Almost everything was taxed: household and personal goods, livestock, slaves, and property. Tax lists can be used as a substitute census, to create complete neighborhoods for a neighborhood study, establish relationships, locate land, and so on. Unfortunately, most of these lists no longer exist in Louisiana, but those that are extant are usually found in the tax assessor's office in the Lafayette Parish courthouse.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Other Louisiana Genealogical Addresses
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- National Archives and Records Admin, 501 W Felix Str, Building 1, P.O. 6216, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-3405,
817-334-5515, E-mail: archives@ftworth.nara.gov, Fax: 817-334-5511
- Local Louisiana Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
- Louisiana State Archives , 3851 Essen Lane, PO Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125; (225) 922-2012
- Louisiana Historical Society, 5801 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115; 504/866-3049, [EMAIL]
- Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society, P.O. Box 82060, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70884-2060-60
- National Archives and Records Admin, 501 W Felix Str, Building 1, P.O. 6216, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-3405; archives@ftworth.nara.gov, Fax: 817-334-5511
- Louisiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
- Louisiana Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Louisiana
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Click Here to Search Louisiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. |
There are many churches and cemeteries in Lafayette Parish. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lafayette Parish Tombstone Transcription Project.
Most Catholic church registers are still in the local parish
church. Many of them have been translated and published.
The recording of cemetery inscriptions in Louisiana
has long been a project of the DAR and numerous genealogical
societies. Genealogical
publications continually print these inscriptions in their issues.
Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Lafayette Parish Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Lafayette Parish Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
- Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
- Sites on USGenweb: [ Lafayette Parish ] [ Louisiana ] [ Main Page ]
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
- Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
- Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- Louisiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
- Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
- Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Family Books at Amazon.com
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Lafayette, the heart of Acadiana and the unofficial capital of Cajun Country, with its gleaming present belies an exciting and captivating past. Lafayette is a metropolis which displays an extraordinary mixture of tradition and progressiveness. Having a rich French heritage blended with Spanish, American, Indian and African influences, the city represents a colorful combination of lifestyles.
Lafayette lies 15 miles west of the Atchafalaya Basin and 35 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico and exhibits the subtropical climate typical of South Louisiana. The city is situated in a geographical area of forests and prairies
interlaced with bayous, swamps and marshes.
Early historians report that a few trappers, traders and ranchers were present in the region prior to the Spanish occupation of 1766. The first settlement in south-central Louisiana, known as Petit Manchac, was established by the English who used it during the Revolutionary War as an outpost. It constituted a small trading post on the banks of the Vermilion River where the Old Spanish Trail crossed the bayou (about where today's Pinhook Bridge is located). The village also came to be known as Pin Hook, a name about which many stories of origin exist.
The historical event which had the greatest cultural impact on Lafayette was the migration of the Acadians from French Canada after "Le Grand Derangement" in 1755. Most of the exiled Acadians followed the path which led to New Orleans. There they received a hostile greeting from the French aristocracy so they headed west into unsettled territory. They settled along the bayous of south central and south western Louisiana where they could live according to their own beliefs and customs. With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Louisiana then became possession of the United States.
In 1821, Jean Mouton (an Acadian) donated land for the construction of a Catholic church. On May 15, 1822 Bishop Duborg created the church parish of St. John the Evangelist of Vermilion which encompassed the area from Mouton's plantation south to the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Sabine River.
St John's Cathedral 1880
The settlement grew around the church and on January 17, 1823, the Louisiana Legislature created Lafayette Parish from the western portion of what was St. Martin Parish. Mouton made a second land donation to the new community, this time for a courthouse. The town of Vermilionville became the new parish's seat. The settlement grew and the town of Vermilionville was renamed Lafayette in 1844 in honor of the French Marquis de Lafayette.
Year-long attractions include two recreations of early Cajun settlements (Acadian Village and Vermilionville), the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve/Acadian Culture Center, the Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium, the Lafayette Museum/Alexandre Mouton House, and numerous fine restaurants. Seasonal attractions include the Azalea Trail in spring, Festival International de la Louisiane in April, La Fête des Acadiens and the Summer Music Festival, both in August, Festivals Acadiens in September, and Christmas on the Bayou and Christmas Comes Alive (the latter at Acadian Village). Lafayette is home to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (enrollment about17,000), which operates the Center for Louisiana Studies, the Acadian and Creole Folklore and Folklife Center, and the Southwestern Archives. The school’s athletic teams are called the "Ragin’ Cajuns" and "Lady Cajuns." Lafayette also boasts professional hockey and soccer teams (the IceGators and the Swamp Cats), both of whom play in the Cajundome civic arena. Lafayette has a population of 108,635 (1995 estimate).
Acadiana
Acadiana (or Cajun Country) is the popular term given to an eight-parish region.
Lafayette Parish is at the heart of Acadiana and is surrounded by the remaining seven
parishes: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, and
Vermilion. (Unlike other states, Louisiana has parishes rather than counties.)
Louisiana History
No other state has a more varied or colorful past than Louisiana. The state has been governed under 10 different flags beginning in 1541 with Hernando de Soto's claim of the region for Spain. La Salle later claimed it for Bourbon France and over the years Louisiana was at one time or another subject to the Union Jack of Great Britain, the Tricolor of Napoleon, the Lone Star flag of the Republic of West Florida and the fifteen stars and stripes of the United States. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Louisiana became an independent republic for six weeks before joining the Confederacy.
Earlier, in 1803, Louisiana had become a part of the United States because of the region's importance to the trade and security of the American mid-west. New Orleans and the surrounding territory controlled the mouth of the Mississippi River down which much of the produce of the mid-west traveled to reach market. To get the vital region in American hands, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon.
With the acquisition of Louisiana, Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the fledgling U.S. and made it a world power. Later, 13 states or parts of states were carved out of the Louisiana Purchase territory. (They are as follows: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and Montana.)
Through much of its early history Louisiana was a trading and financial center, and the fertility of its land made it one of the richest regions in America as first indigo then sugar and cotton rose to prominence in world markets. Many Louisiana planters were among the wealthiest men in America.
The plantation economy was shattered by the Civil War although the state continued to be a powerful agricultural region. The discovery of sulphur in 1869 and oil in 1901, coupled with the rise of forestry sent the state on a new wave of economic growth. Eventually, Louisiana became a major American producer of oil and natural gas and a center of petroleum refining and petrochemicals manufacturing, which it remains to this day.
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