Louisiana Census

Availability

1810-1930--The Family History Library has the United States federal censuses of Louisiana.

1890-- The 1890 census was destroyed, but there is a Union veterans schedule and a published index to it that is available at the Family History Library.

1890--The census for the Ascension Parish census is at the Division of Archives, Records Management, and History, and an index has been published and is available at the Family History Library.

Historical Background

1714--The first settlement was established at Natchitoches.

1717-1722--Forced immigration from France brought a few thousand settlers. Attracted by land, German-speaking people came. The importation of African slaves began.

1718--New Orleans was founded.

1763--France ceded Louisiana to Spain.

1803--The Louisiana area was purchased by the United States from France.

1804--The territory was divided, using the 33rd parallel as the boundary. The northern portion became the District of Louisiana, and the southern portion became the Territory of Orleans.

1812--The Territory of Orleans became the state of Louisiana.

Indexes

Statewide indexes are available for the 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses in book and microfiche format. Soundex (phonetic) indexes are available on microfilm for part of the 1880 and all of the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses.

Special Censuses

Mortality schedules exist for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880, and all are indexed. The schedules and indexes are available at the Family History Library and the National Archives.

State and Colonial Censuses

Colonial and State:

In addition to the federal censuses, various military and local censuses were taken between 1699 and 1805. A special census of New Orleans was taken in 1805. The information in these censuses varies greatly. Several give the names and ages of all residents. Most of these censuses have been published and are available at the Family History Library. Two particularly helpful publications are:

Maduell,Charles R.,Jr. The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1972. (FHL book 976.3 X2pm.)

Robichaux, Alberte J., Jr. Louisiana Census and Militia Lists 1770-1789. 2 vols. Harvey, Louisiana.: A. J. Robichaux, 1973 and 1974. (FHL book 976.3 X2pr fiche 6088510-511,vols. 1-2.)

Web Sites

Ancestry: http://www.ancestry.com

Heritage Quest Online: http://www.heritagequestonline.com

Census Online: http://www.census-online.com/links/LA/

Genealogy Today: http://dir.genealogytoday.com/usa/la/census.html

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/louisiana.htm

Census Finder: http://www.censusfinder.com/louisiana.htm

Bibliographic Citations

Louisiana Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2001.

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