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| Louisiana Vital Records |
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The civil recording of births, marriages, and deaths did not begin in earnest until the early twentieth century. Laws were passed in the late nineteenth century requiring that vital events be recorded, but there was little compliance until later. Prior to that time it was the responsibility of the churches to maintain this data.
The Roman Catholic church dominated Louisiana until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In fact, it was the only church in Louisiana until this time. The Catholic churches throughout the state kept registers of christenings, marriages, and burials and were the recorders of Louisiana's early vital records.
In the first part of the twentieth century many states, including Louisiana, began requiring civil registration of vital records. The earliest city in Louisiana to exact civil registrations was New Orleans in 1790, however, registrations were only randomly made until the twentieth century. It was not until 1914 that civil recording began statewide. As of 1990, the Division of Archives, Records Management and History (see Archives, Libraries and Societies) now stores all birth records over 100 years old, death and marriage records over 50 years old and will make them available to researchers for a standard fee (presently $5).
Louisiana State Archives Vital Records Collection
Also found in the research library is the state's archival vital records program. Here patrons can view selected marriage, death, and birth records for Orleans Parish and death records for the remainder of the state. Death records cover the period up to 1954 whereas information on New Orleans births is for the period through 1904. Marriage records for New Orleans like death records are at least fifty years old. These records contain information vital to ancestral research such as parents names, place of birth, cause of death, age and occupation of deceased persons, location of burial, and official performing wedding.
Researchers may obtain any of the following vital records by visiting the Louisiana State Archives Research Library or may request the records by mail. The Archives maintains the following:
- Orleans Parish birth records for 1819-1904 (births over 100 years ago)*
(Index for 1790-1818, but no records)
- Orleans Parish marriage records for 1870-1954 (marriages over 50 years ago)**
(Index for 1831-1869, but no records.)
- Orleans Parish death records for 1819-1954 (deaths over 50 years ago)*
(Index for 1804-1818)
- Statewide death records for 1911-1954 (deaths over 50 years ago)*
*The only birth records that are currently available at the Archives prior to 1904 are from Orleans Parish. The only death records currently available prior to 1911 are from Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. Records from Orleans are filed separately from the combined statewide listing of all the other parishes in the state. Records prior to the dates listed above are probably nonexistent unless the parish where the birth or death occurred kept such a record. If the person being researched was Catholic, birth and death information would probably be shown in the records of the church or diocese where that person lived.
** All marriage records, other than Orleans Parish, are maintained by the office of the Clerk of Court in the parish where the marriage license was purchased.
The Archives charges $5.00 for a certified copy which includes a three year search per surname. Fees must be retained for both successful and unsuccessful searches. Searches are processed by a given year; therefore, a name, place, and date, or a span of three years is required to research a request. Patrons can also obtain a non-certified copy for 50 cents if they conduct their own research at the Archives. Please see mail-in application form HERE.
For more recent records, contact Vital Records Registry, P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160; Phone (504)568-5152 or visit their web site at www.dhh.state.la.us for more information.
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 birth 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
- 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 In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office. If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. The office is located at 4815 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205.
Directions to Vital Statistics Office
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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Most early birth records contain very little biographical information. Typical early New England town and church records, for example, give little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth, and parents’ names. Some localities listed only the name of the father.
While early birth records can be discouragingly lacking in information, by the mid-nineteenth century birth records in the United States began to include more information. Even though births were not widely recorded during the early years of America’s existence, the records that do exist may be the only source of a birth date for an individual and should always be consulted.
Delayed births are also important vital registrations that you should consider for obtaining biographical information. When Social Security benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their birth even if the state of their birth did not require registration when they were born. Individuals who were not registered with state or county agencies at the time of their birth often applied for a delayed birth registration. Obtaining passports, insurance, and other benefits also required proof of age.
Applications were accompanied with full name, address, and date and place of birth; father’s name, race, and place of birth; and evidence to support the facts presented. The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician or midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts. Delayed birth records are usually filed and indexed separately from regular birth registrations, and it may be necessary to request a separate search for them.
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Search Louisiana Marriages from
Because of the importance of the legal distribution and control of property, most states and counties began to record marriages before births and deaths. The recording of a marriage is a two-step process. Traditionally, couples apply for a license to marry, and the applications are usually filed loose among other applications or in bound volumes. Marriage returns are filed once the marriage has taken place. The latter document is the proof of a marriage (not the license application).
Marriage applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a significant amount of genealogical information. They may list full names of the bride and groom, their residences, races, ages, dates and places of birth, previous marriages, occupations, and their parents’ names, places of birth, and occupations.
Marriage certificates are issued by counties after the marriage ceremony is completed, and these are usually found among family items. While the certificates tend to have less biographical data than the application, the name of the individual officiating at the wedding may lead you to religious records by revealing the denomination. The religious records, in turn, may reveal the names of witnesses and other useful information.
Early American records sometimes include marriage bonds, which served as a protection for the future children of the marriage. A bond obligated a prospective groom to pay the bond if he were discovered to be a bigamist or imposter or otherwise ineligible to contract a valid marriage. As long as the marriage was legal, the bond was void. Bonds generally include the groom’s name, name of the surety, the sum, and the date of the agreement.
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Early death records in the United States provide little more than the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Obituaries and cemetery, court, and other records often provide more information about the deceased than do most official death records created before the last quarter of the 1800s.
By 1900 death records included more details. They often include the name of the deceased; date, place, and cause of death; age at the time of death; place of birth; parents’ names; occupation; name of spouse; name of the person giving the information; the informant’s relationship to the deceased; the name and address of the funeral director; and the place of burial. Race is listed in some records, and modern death certificates generally include a Social Security number.
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