Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy
Guide to Ouachita Parish, Louisiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Ouachita Parish, Louisiana | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Louisiana | |||||||||
 Location of Louisiana in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | April 10, 1805 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Monroe | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Address | 300 St John Street Monroe, LA 71201 | ||||||||
| Website: oppj.org | |||||||||
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Contents
- 1 Parish Information
- 2 Parish Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places / Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 Websites
- 8 References
Parish Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for the Ouachita people. The County has Monroe as its seat and the County was created March 31, 1807. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.[1]
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1800s | 1914 | 1900 | 1790s | 1900 | 1700s |
Parish Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Ouachita Parish Courthouse
300 St John Street
Monroe, LA 71201
Phone: 318.327.1444
Parish Clerk has marriage records from 1800s, divorce, court and probate records from 1900, land records from 1790s and some military records.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent Parish[edit | edit source]
1805--Ouachita Parish was created 10 April 1805 as an original parish.
Parish seat: Monroe [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Louisiana Parish boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Louisiana Parish Boundary Maps" (1805-1990) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1864, 1882 Courthouse was destroyed or partially destroyed, with probable record loss.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
Neighboring Parishes or Counties[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Oachita Parish Bible Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- Oachita Parish Family Bibles and Records (Genealogy Trails)
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Oachita Parish Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on Ouachita Parish cemeteries.
- Interment.net Louisiana cemetery records by Parish.
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 2,896 | — |
| 1830 | 5,140 | 77.5% |
| 1840 | 4,640 | −9.7% |
| 1850 | 5,008 | 7.9% |
| 1860 | 4,727 | −5.6% |
| 1870 | 11,582 | 145.0% |
| 1880 | 14,685 | 26.8% |
| 1890 | 17,985 | 22.5% |
| 1900 | 20,947 | 16.5% |
| 1910 | 25,830 | 23.3% |
| 1920 | 30,319 | 17.4% |
| 1930 | 54,337 | 79.2% |
| 1940 | 59,168 | 8.9% |
| 1950 | 74,713 | 26.3% |
| 1960 | 101,663 | 36.1% |
| 1970 | 115,387 | 13.5% |
| 1980 | 139,241 | 20.7% |
| 1990 | 142,191 | 2.1% |
| 2000 | 147,250 | 3.6% |
| 2010 | 153,720 | 4.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Church Records (USGenWeb Archives)
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Court Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Ethnic and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- Contributors of Oqachita Parish: a History of Blacks to Commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States of America; research and compilation by the Black Bicentennial Committee of Ouachita Parish. Monroe. La. : The committee, 1976. 42 p.: ill. F377.078 B58 1976.
- Louisiana African American Griots Project
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Land[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Louisiana Land and Property for additional information about early Louisiana land ownership. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse where records are also currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Early History of Ouachita Parish (Genealogy Trails)
- Ouachita Parish Historical Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
- Maps of Louisiana (1805-1990)
- Family Maps of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Military[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861-1865 - Louisiana Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 - Louisiana Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1898-1950 - Louisiana Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Regiments. Service men in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy:
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1920 - Louisiana World War I Service Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Louisiana First Registration Draft Cards, compiled 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Newspaper Articles (USGenWeb Archives)
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Ouachita Parish Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records before 1845 were kept in probate courts. Since 1845, they have been kept by the Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy clerk of the district court. Many of the probate records are included in the notarial records with the deeds and mortgages. In some parishes they are known as “succession” records.
See the Wiki page Louisiana Probate Records for more information about probate records in Louisiana.
Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1756 – 1984 Louisiana Wills and Probate Records 1756-1984 at Ancestry — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Louisiana tax records can be used in place of missing censuses and provide lists of residents during years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see Louisiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Louisiana statewide registration of birth and death records began in 1911. Births and deaths are kept by the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. Marriages were recorded by each parish, and the records are at the parish clerk of court office. See also How to order Louisiana Vital Records or order electronically online.
See Louisiana Vital Records for more information on getting Louisiana records.
- Louisiana Records and Statistics Information ~ where and how to order information.
- Index to Ouachita Parish Vital Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Birth[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Parish Birth Records (Genealogy Trails)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1837–1957 - Louisiana, Parish Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1875, 1894-1960 - Louisiana Deaths, 1850-1875, 1894-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Ouachita Genealogical Society
221 Riverbend
West Monroe, LA 71292-3627
Website - Louisiana Historical Society
428 Hector Ave
Metairie, La. 70005-4412
Website - Louisiana Historical Association
101 LSU Student Union
LSU Box 25435
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Facebook
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Ouachita Parish, Louisiana (USGenWeb Archives)
- Ouachita Parish (LAGenWeb)
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails)
- Ouachita Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Ouachita, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouachita_Parish,_Louisiana."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. Page 289-293 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 267-268.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed., Ouachita Parish, Louisiana p 291 (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Ouachita Parish, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouachita_Parish,_Louisiana#Communities, accessed 5 January 2020.
