Facts on Local Church Records

As previously stated, the Roman Catholic church was the only church in Louisiana until the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Historian James D. Hardy, Jr., wrote that colonial Louisianians had to “be baptized, married and have their children baptized, and be buried as Catholics. A marriage performed anywhere but a Catholic Church was invalid, and the parties were living in sin. Their children were illegitimate...and their [marriage] contracts were unenforceable at law. Babies not given baptism were not people, and their births were unrecorded

  New recording requirements of the Catholic church in the early nineteenth century created a virtual goldmine of genealogical data. Not only did the priest list the names of the person or persons involved, and their parents, but he now named both sets of grandparents, place of nativity of each, and, as always, the maiden names of the females. Many church records still exist from both the French and the Spanish eras. Those of genealogical value are parish church registers and the bishops' records.

Under the French, colonial Louisiana was part of the Diocese of Quebec. During the Spanish period the Diocese of Havana served Louisiana until 1793. At this time the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas was founded, with New Orleans as its see. For most of the colonial period the genealogist need not be concerned with the bishop's records; but between 1793 and 1803 this changed, and very valuable information can be found for this decade. One of the main sets of records within the bishop's files are the dispensations. These are mostly marital dispensations which ask for the church's permission to marry even though some impediment existed, for example, if the couple were first or second cousins or if one of the intended was not of the Catholic faith.

  Most Catholic church registers are still in the local parish church. Many of them have been translated and published. 

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Facts on Local Cemetery Records

   The recording of cemetery inscriptions in Louisiana has long been a project of the DAR and numerous genealogical societies. See Lela Cullon, Louisiana Tombstone Inscriptions, 11 vols. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana DAR, 1957-60). Genealogical publications continually print these inscriptions in their issues. Indexes exist for some New Orleans cemeteries and can be found at the Louisiana State Museum Library (mailing address: 751 Chartes Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116).

   Cemetery records and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. Cemetery and other sources of information associated with death include:

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