Louisiana Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Louisiana online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Louisiana Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Louisiana statewide beginning in 1911, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. Church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
- 1900-1964: Louisiana, Orleans Parish Vital Records at FamilySearch; index & images
Births
- 1695-1954: US French Catholic Church Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1811-1830, 1854-1934: Louisiana Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- Louisiana Birth Records at Louisiana Secretary of State
Marriages
- 1695-1954: US French Catholic Church Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1718-1925: Louisiana Compiled Marriage Index at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1720-1733: The New Orleans French at Ancestry; images only ($)
- 1728-1850: Louisiana Compiled Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1816-1906: Louisiana Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1837-1957: Louisiana Parish Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1851-1900: Louisiana Compiled Marriage Records at Ancestry - index only ($)
Deaths
- 1695-1954: US French Catholic Church Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1819-1964: Louisiana Statewide Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1850-1875, 1894-1956: Louisiana Deaths Index at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1861-1905: Southwest Louisiana Deaths Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1936-2007: US Social Security Applications Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1962-2014: US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
- Louisiana Death Records at Louisiana Secretary of State
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Louisiana, see How to Find Louisiana Birth Records, How to Find Louisiana Marriage Records, and How to Find Louisiana Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1911. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1809-1947 Louisiana Obituaries at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1825-2021 Louisiana, Ouachita Parish Obituary Records at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1899-2012 United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 at FamilySearch — index & images
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 — index & images
- Online Louisiana Death Records Indexes
- Louisiana Obituaries
- Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- BillionGraves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Louisiana Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Louisiana Cemetery Records at Interment
- Louisiana Gravestone Photo Project
- Louisiana Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Louisiana Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Louisiana, Orleans Parish, State Museum Historical Cntr, Cemetery Records, 1805-1944 at FamilySearch
- Louisiana, Tombstone Inscriptions, 1812-1970 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Jewish Cemeteries in Louisiana at Find-A-Grave
- Hebrew Cemeteries in Louisiana at Find-A-Grave
- Louisiana Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Louisiana Obituaries and Louisiana Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Louisiana, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Louisiana, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Louisiana Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Louisiana Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.