Louisiana Census Records -  Statewide Records that exist for Louisiana are 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. After the 1803 purchase of Louisiana it became an American possession; therefore, the first federal census report taken for the state was 1810.

Caution should be used particularly with the AIS indexes for Louisiana. Many of the French and Spanish names were transcribed wrong and numerous omissions exist. Many of these population schedules have been published. See Louisiana Census Records. Volume I: Avoyelles and St. Landry Parishes, 1810 and 1820 & Louisiana Census Records. Volume II: Iberville, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, and Rapides Parishes, 1810 and 1820 by Robert Bruce L. Ardoin & The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732 by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. These books are on 1 Family Archive CD

See Also Researching in Census Records - What is the name, age, sex, color, occupation, and birthplace of each person residing in this house? Which of these individuals attended school or was married within the year? Who among them is deaf and dumb, blind, insane, “idiotic,” a pauper, or a convict? Is there anyone in the household over twenty years of age who cannot read and write? What is the name of the slave owner? How many slaves belong to the owner? What is the tribe of this Indian? What were the places of birth of the person’s parents? In what year did this person immigrate to the United States and, if naturalized, what was the year of naturalization? For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to census records......

As early as 1860 the federal government began attempts to identify Native Americans. In 1900 and 1910 it created a special Indian schedule. The first page was the same as the population census only it had “Indian Population” as its heading. The second page provided for such important information as: tribal affiliation, the tribe of each parent, the person's Indian blood quantum, and—if not full blooded —their precise racial mixture. These schedules will be found at the end of the ward or district in which the Native American resided.

  There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890.

 During the colonial period Louisiana shifted from French to Spanish control. Not until after the 1803 purchase of Louisiana did it become an American possession; therefore, the first federal census report taken for the state was 1810. But the French and Spanish were diligent scribes and many censuses exist for Louisianians. Some of the censuses for the colony's inhabitants are listed below (These are also availible for purchase on CD):

French Period

• December 1699: Census of the Inhabitants of the first settlement on the Gulf Coast, Fort Maurepas.
• 25 May 1700: Census of the Officers, petty officers, sailors, Canadians, freebooters, and others located at Biloxi as of 25 May 1700.
• 1704: List of marriageable girls who arrived aboard the Pelican at Biloxi in the year 1704.
• 1 August 1706: Census of the inhabitants of Fort Louis de la Louisianne at Mobile, taken by Nicolas de la Salle.
• 1 August 1706: Census of families and inhabitants of Louisiana, taken by Nicolas de la Salle.
• 1711: Census of Fort Louis de la Mobile from the map of 1711.
• 25 October 1713: List of officers commissioned at Fort Louis, Biloxi.
• October 1713: Persons mentioned in the colony by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
• 24 November 1721: General census of all the inhabitants of New Orleans and environs, as reported by Le sieur Diron.
• 26 June 1721: Census of the inhabitants in the area of Biloxi and Mobile, as reported by Le sieur Diron.
• 13 May 1722: Census of the inhabitants of the concessions along the Mississippi River; reported by Le Sieur Diron.
• 1 May 1722: Census of the inhabitants of Natchitoches, Fort St. Jean Baptist, taken for Sieur Diron, General of the Troops.
• 1722: Officials of the colony at Fort Louis, Biloxi, appointed in 1722.
• 8 April 1723: Some colonists of Louisiana mentioned in a letter by de La Chaise.
• 18 October 1723: Some colonists of Louisiana mentioned in a letter by de La Chaise.
• 12 November 1724: Census of inhabitants of German villages located ten leagues above New Orleans along the river, under command of D'Arensbourg.
• 20 December 1724: Census of inhabitants along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Ouacha, or the German villages.
• March 1725: Census of the inhabitants of Dauphin Island, along the Mobile River, Cat Island, and Penscagoula [Pascagoula], compiled by M. Gorty.
• 1 January 1726: General census of all the inhabitants of the colony of Louisiana, including the entire coast bordering the Gulf of Mexico, from Mobile to New Orleans, and the colonies along the Mississippi River, including the region known as Illinois.
• October 1726: List of those persons requesting Negroes from the company.
• 1 July 1727: Census of New Orleans as reported by M. Perier, commander general of Louisiana; also continuation of the census of M. Perier, being the inhabitants in the environs of New Orleans, along the river.
• 9 June 1730: List of persons massacred at Natchez, 28 November 1729, as reported by R. P. Philibert, Capuchin priest.
• 1731: List of property owners of New Orleans on the map published by Gonichon in 1731; census of inhabitants along the Mississippi River, unsigned, initialled N. S.; and list of landowners located along the Mississippi River from its mouth to the German villages, with indications of how they acquired the land. Date mentioned “after 1731.”
• January 1732: Census of the inhabitants and property owners of New Orleans; and census of the inhabitants of Illinois, both unsigned but initialled N. S.

Spanish Period

• Legajo 34 1795: Census of Baton Rouge and Manchak.
• Legajo 81 - 1770: Reports of Eduardo Nugent and Juan Kelly on the number of inhabitants and livestock in the districts of Atakapas, Natchitoches, Opelousas, and Rapides.
• Legajo 117 - 1784 (?): Census of the German Coast.
• Legajo 121 - 1790: Census of Ouachita.
• Legajo 142 - 1805: Census of Baton Rouge.
• Legajo 187-b - 1766: List of inhabitants of Pointe Coupee; census of Pointe Coupee; list of Cote des Allemands; general census of Pointe Coupee; general census of Villere at Allemands.
• Legajo 188 - 1 - 1772: Left Bank of the Mississippi from Bayou de Placaminas to Ile au Marais; 1773 Rapides; 1774 negroes and mulattoes at Natchitoches.
• Legajo 188-2 - 1771: Census of Atakapas and Opelousas.
• Legajo 189-2 - 1776 (dated wrong, 1766): Census of parish of St. Charles (Allemands).
• Legajo 193 - 1782: Census of Baton Rouge; 1786 census of Baton Rouge; 1798 census of the district of Nueva Feliciana; census of the district of la Metearie.
• Legajo 198 - 1785: Census of Avoyelles.
• Legajo 201 - 1788 and 1789: Census of Rapides; 1789 census of Natchitoches.
• Legajo 205 - 1772: Census of Rapides.
• Legajo 211 - 1795 (slaves): Census of Primer Cote des Allemand; census of the second and third wards of New Orleans; census of slaves at Allemands, Atakapas, Natchitoches; 1796 census of the Quartier de la Metairie of New Orleans.
• Legajo 212 - 1795 (slaves): General census of slaves of New Orleans and masters who contributed to indemnity for slaves lost at Pointe Coupee; 1778 census of the third ward of New Orleans; 1803 census of Pointe Coupee.
• Legajo 216 - 1799: Census of Allemands and Atakapas; general census of New Orleans.
• Legajo 218 - 1774: Census of Atakapas.
• Legajo 220 - 1803: Census of Atakapas (six documents).
• Legajo 227-r - 1790: Recensements de la Pointe Coupee et Fausse Riviere.
• Legajo 2351 - 1777: Census of Louisiana.
• Legajo 2357 - 1771: Census of Louisiana.
• Legajo 2358 - 1777: Census of Atakapas and Opelousas.
• Legajo 2360 - 1786: Census of Atakapas and Opelousas.
• Legajo 2361 - 1787: Census of Pointe Coupee.
• Legajo 2364 - 1796: Census of Opelousas.

Almost all of these censuses from the Spanish archives have been published in English.

Nuestra Señora del Pilar de los Adaes served as the Spanish capital of Texas from 1721-73. This presidio was located in present-day Natchitoches Parish, near Robeline, Louisiana. It was abandoned in 1773 and its inhabitants relocated in San Antonio, Texas. By 1779 many of these people moved back closer to their old home of Adaes and reestablished the mission at Nacogdoches, Texas. Yearly census reports exist for Nacogdoches for the years 1792-1806 and 1809. Many Louisiana ancestors can be found on these enumerations. See “Census Reports of the Village of Nuestra del Pilar de Nacogdoches,” Bexar Archives, University of Texas Archives, Austin, Texas—copies also found in the Robert Bruce Collection, Vol. 18, pages 71-284, Ralph W. Steen Library, Special Collection, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, Texas.

• Louisiana Census, 1810-90: This collection contains the following indexes: 1810 Federal Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedule; 1850-1860 Sugar Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedules; Early Census Index.

Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"

   There are numerous ways to determine the location in which to concentrate research for an ancestor. One of the most popular and productive is the census.
Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., In Ancestry’s Red Book: American State,County and Town Sources

    Since 1790, the U.S. government has taken a nationwide population count every ten years. Unique in scope and often surprisingly detailed, the census population schedules created from 1790 to 1920 are among the most used of records created by the federal government. Over the course of two centuries the United States has changed significantly, and so has the census. From the six basic questions asked in the 1790 census, the scope and categories of information have changed and expanded dramatically.

   Early censuses were essentially basic counts of inhabitants; but as the nation grew, so did the need for statistics that would reflect the characteristics of the people. In 1850, the focus of the census was radically broadened. Going far beyond the vague questions previously asked of heads of households, the 1850 census enumerators were instructed to ask the age, sex, color, occupation, birthplace, and other questions regarding every individual in every household. Succeeding enumerations solicited more information; by 1920, census enumerators asked twenty-nine questions of every head of household and almost as many questions of everyone else in the residence. (Only a very small segment of the 1890 census remains; a fire in the Commerce Department destroyed the vast majority of the original records for that year. Because of privacy considerations, census records less than seventy-two years old are not available to the general public; thus, the 1920 census is the most recent available to the public.)

   Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive “snapshots” of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Once home sources and library sources have been exhausted, the census is often the best starting point for further genealogical research. Statewide indexes are available for almost every census; they are logical tools for locating individuals whose precise place of residence is unknown. While some inaccuracies are to be expected in census records, they still provide some of the most fascinating and useful pieces of personal history to be found in any source. If nothing else, census records are important sources for placing individuals in specific places at specific times. Additionally, information found in the census will often point to other sources critical to complete research, such as court, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and vital records.

   The importance of census records does not diminish over time in any research project. It is always wise to return to these records as discoveries are made in other sources because, as you discover new evidence about individuals, some information that seemed unrelated or unimportant in a first look at the census may take on new importance.

   When you can’t find family, vital, or religious records, census records may be the only means of documenting the events of a person’s life. Vital registration—the official recording of births, deaths, and marriages—did not begin until around 1920 in many areas of the United States, and fires, floods and other disasters since have destroyed some official government records. When other documentation is missing, census records are frequently used by individuals who must prove their age or citizenship status (or that of their parents) for Social Security benefits, insurance, passports, and other important reasons.

How to Find Census Records
   All available federal census schedules (those made from 1790 to 1920) have been microfilmed and are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; at the National Archives’ regional archives; at the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) in Salt Lake City and LDS family history centers throughout North America, “The Family History Library and Its Centers”); at many large libraries; in genealogical society libraries; and through companies that lend microfilmed records. Some state and local agencies have census schedules for the state or area they serve. Generally, microfilm copies may be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Starting With the Census
   It is usually best to begin a census search in the most recently available census records (1920) and to work from what is already known about a family. With any luck, birthplaces and other clues found in these more recent records will point to locations of earlier residence.

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Louisiana 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

See Also Research In State Church & Cemetery Records - Church records rank among the most promising of genealogical records available. Indeed, for periods before the advent of civil registration of vital statistics (a very late development in many American states), church records rank as the best available sources for information on specific vital events: birth, marriage, and death. They are also among the most under-used major records in American genealogy. Part of the reason lies in the number of denominations-there are hundreds of them. Identifying and locating the records of these various churches makes even professional genealogists hesitate......

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. 

Louisiana 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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Louisiana Land Records -  One of the most fantastic real estate deals of all time was made in 1803 when the infant United States acquired 544 million acres from France for the sum of $15 million. The land of the famous Louisiana Purchase was bought for approximately three cents per acre.

By the Act of March 26, 1804, Congress divided Louisiana into two parts: the territory of Louisiana and the territory of Orleans. The territory of Louisiana consisted of that area above the 33rd degree latitude, and the territory of Orleans covered that part below the 33rd latitude, or what is now basically the state of Louisiana.

See Also Researching in Land Records - Land records provide two types of important evidence for the genealogist. Prior to the Civil War, more than eighty-five percent of all Americans owned or leased land. Therefore, almost every researcher, whether a seasoned professional or weekend hobbyist, has required land records to document the existence, association, or movement of an individual or ancestral family. Most beginning genealogists underestimate the importance of using land records to pin persons to specific locales. In the South, which has far fewer vital records than New England, the land records are even more crucial to genealogical success. For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to Land records......

The governor and his legislative council used the powers granted by the act to divide the territory of Orleans into twelve counties: Acadia, Attakapas, Concordia, German Coast, Iberville, Lafourche, Natchitoches, Opelousas, Orleans, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, and Rapides.

In 1807 the territory was redivided into nineteen parishes. These boundaries followed the old ecclesiastical boundaries used by the Spaniards. When Louisiana became a state in 1812 the state constitution referred to both counties and parishes. By the time of the 1845 state constitution the term counties had been dropped and Louisiana became the only state to use the term parishes.

An act of congress of 2 March 1805 gave three important provisions:

First, it allowed individuals to obtain legal possession of their land or to acquire land. Congress appointed district land registers and opened the United Stated District Land Office in New Orleans for the eastern division of the territory of Orleans and a land office at Opelousas for the western division of the territory of Orleans. Later, for the convenience of inhabitants, other land offices were opened in Ouachita, Natchitoches, and Greensburg. These land districts are still used today for identifying land by districts.

Second, inhabitants with French, Spanish, or British land grants had to appear before a board of commissioners with their proof of ownership. If approved by the board the evidence was then forwarded on to Washington.

Third, surveyors were to go to the territory of Orleans to establish a system of subdividing the vacant public lands. By 1807 the United States surveyors had established a meridian and base line. Thus Louisiana land measurements changed from metes and bounds to section, township, and range.

Colonial grants can be found in various Louisiana parishes and in France, Spain, and England. As has been shown, after the Louisiana Purchase people had to prove their land ownership. American State Papers: Documents Legislative and Executive of the United States, 32 vols., Public Lands, 7 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Gales and Seaton, 1832-1861) is the best source for these re-patented lands. A guide to these papers is Phillip W. McMullin, Grassroots of America (Salt Lake City: Gendex Corp., 1972).

The state land office and the offices of clerks of courts in the parish courthouses have state and federal tract books listing the original landowners. These books are not in alphabetical order; the land record itself will have to be obtained from the State Land Office in Baton Rouge or from the National Archives Division, Bureau of Land Management, Suitland, Maryland.

Land records may be found in notarial records or deeds. Each of the early communities had its own notary public that drafted wills, deeds, marriage contracts, and all estate papers. These transactions were filed loosely, and numbered consecutively as they happened, regardless of the type of record. Many of these records are now in the clerk's office in the parish courthouse, some are in the state archives in Baton Rouge, and the Notarial Archives of New Orleans are in the Civil Courts Building in New Orleans. Other land records in the courthouses will be found in the conveyance books.

• Louisiana Land Records
• Land Claims in Mississippi Territory, 1789-1834
• Land Records from All States
• Search County Property Records
• Search County Land Patents

Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"

   Prior to the Civil War, more than eighty-five percent of all Americans owned or leased land. Therefore, almost every researcher, whether a seasoned professional or weekend hobbyist, has required land records to document the existence, association, or movement of an individual or ancestral family. While many researchers may feel a sense of historical excitement when finding an ancestor in a land deed, many also fail to understand the importance of such a document and how land can be used to make vital links between generations; they are not aware that it can bridge distant origins and help solve even the most difficult problems. E. Wade Hone, In Land and Property Research in the United States

U.S. House of Representative Private Claims, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 or Vol. 3

   The right to own land has always been one of the great incentives for living in the United States. Yet researchers often overlook the importance of land records as a source of family history information. Written evidence of people’s entitlement goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record family historians might use.

   Land records meet the needs of researchers in different ways and contain a variety of genealogical and historical data. They are a major source of information for many family histories and provide primary source material for local history as well. They are closely related to probate and other official court records and should be investigated in connection with them. Land and property are leading issues in the settlement of estates, and the majority of civil cases in the courts deal with real and personal property. Although land records rarely yield vital statistics, in many instances they provide the only proof of family relationships. Often they include the names of heirs of an estate (including daughters’ married names and a widow’s subsequent married name) and refer to related probates and other court cases by number and court name. In some places where other records are scarce, the land records take on extra importance. Occasionally these documents disclose former residences and more often provide the new address of the grantors or heirs at the time of the sale of the property.

   Land records provide two types of important evidence for the family historian. First, they often document family relationships. Second, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing the researcher to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups. One of land records’ most important qualities is that they are sometimes the only records that allow us to distinguish one person of a common name from another.

   The National Archives has bounty-land warrant files, donation land entry files, homestead application files, and private land claim files relating to the entry of individual settlers on land in the public land states. There are no land records for the original thirteen states or for Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Records for these states are maintained by state officials, usually in the state capital. Searching for the record of a particular land grant from the federal government requires contacting both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Archives (NARA).

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Louisiana Military Records - Many military records exist for Louisiana soldiers. For the colonial period a valuable collection is at the General Military Archives, Segovia, Spain. This voluminous archives has service records on all soldiers of the Spanish military from 1680-1920, listing much genealogical data, such as the soldier's name, rank, sometimes a description, the names of his parents, etc.

The National Archives has many original military records for Louisiana, many of which have been microfilmed, for example: War of 1812—M229, 3 rolls; Florida War of 1836—M239; War of 1836-38—M241; Confederate War Index—M378, 31 rolls; Military Service Records—M320, 414 rolls.

• Louisiana Confederate Soldiers
• Louisiana Military Records
• Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812

See Also Researching in Military Records - The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest.......

The site U.S. Wars list conflicts dating from earliest to 1865. Wars covered that are availibele are:

Search Revolutionary War 1775-83 Service Records, Rejected Pensions, Loyalists Records, 1775-1783 Pay Rolls, Courts-Martial, Officers, Pension Index, 1841 Pensioner Census

• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.

Civil War -  More than 500 battles, engagements and skirmishes occurred here. As the South's largest city and major port, New Orleans was a primary target. Possession of the city was necessary for control of the Mississippi. New Orleans was also the site of large commercial, financial and industrial firms.

In April 1862, a Union fleet under Flag Officer David G. Farragut began operations against the Crescent City. Two old masonry forts - Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River below New Orleans - were the city's first line of defense. After a brief bombardment failed to force the forts to surrender, Farragut's vessels steamed past them early on April 24 and destroyed the small Confederate fleet that supported the forts. Confederate troops evacuated New Orleans rather than submit to a bombardment. Without firing a shot, the city surrendered to Farragut, and Union troops under Gen. Benjamin F. Butler occupied New Orleans on May 1. The Confederacy had suffered a grievous blow. Lost were the major port, iron foundries, the financial center of the South, and, eventually, the Mississippi River. New Orleans served as a Union base for subsequent operations up the "Father of Waters."

Louisiana was open to invasion, but the Union high command directed its energies to the Mississippi River. When Baton Rouge fell to Farragut on May 7, the state capital was moved to Opelousas. After the union navy was turned back from Vicksburg in July 1862, the Confederates decided to try to retake Baton Rouge. On August 5, Confederates under General John C. Breckinridge (former U.S. vice-president and presidential candidate) attacked Union troops camped on the outskirts of town. Union troops were driven back to the levee where they were not protected by their gunboats. When the gunboat Arkansas did not arrive to drive the Union warships, Breckinridge's Confederates retreated to Port Hudson where they began erecting fortifications.

Breckinridge's attack frightened Gen. Butler. Anxious for New Orleans's safety, Union forces evacuated Baton Rouge on August 21, and it was not reoccupied until December 17 when Butler's successor, Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, arrived. This hiatus from August until December proved pivotal, allowing the Confederates to complete their river batteries and trenches at Port Hudson.

In October 1862, a Union force under Gen. Godfrey Weitzel conducted a destructive raid from Donaldsonville down Bayou Lafourche. On October 27, the Federals brushed aside a small Confederate army under Gen. Alfred Mouton in the Battle of Labadieville. Mouton's troops evacuated the region, falling back to the lower Bayou Teche. After occupying the area, Weitzel's men laid waste to the sugar industry along the Lafourche.

Military activities subsided until spring of 1863. Urged by the government in Washington, D.C., to attack the stronghold at Port Hudson, Banks and Farragut finally moved against the fortification. On the night of March 14, the Confederates turned back Farragut's naval attack. Banks realized Port Hudson could be claimed only with a lengthy siege. Before attempting this task, he decided to clear south Louisiana west of the Mississippi of Confederate troops that might threaten his supply lines on that river.

Gen. Richard Taylor's small Confederate army was entrenched at Fort Bisland on Bayou Teche. Banks moved most of his army to Brashear (now Morgan City) to attack Fort Bisland. After successfully holding their fortifications on April 12 and 13, Taylor's men were outflanked and had to retreat. On April 14, the Battle of Irish Bend allowed Taylor's army to escape capture. Banks' forces pursued the Confederates, capturing Opelousas and Alexandria and forcing the state capital to move one last time to Shreveport.

Acting in conjunction with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi, Banks turned from Alexandria to move against Port Hudson. The siege of Port Hudson ensued, lasting from May 23 to July 9, 1863, the longest siege in American military history.

Two unsuccessful Union assaults occurred May 27 and June 14. On May 27, black troops faced Confederates in battle for the first time and performed admirably. During the protracted siege, Confederates were forced to eat mules and horse meat and even rats, on occasion. They were said to prefer mule to horse. Vicksburg fell on July 4. When Confederate Gen Franklin Gardner received this news, he surrendered to Banks. Port Hudson was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. Now the river was completely under Union control and the Confederacy was split in two. Valuable supplies - primarily beef and salt - from the Trans-Mississippi states were cut off from Confederate armies in the east.

Through the fall and winter of 1863, Union forces along the Gulf of Mexico turned their attention to Texas. In Louisiana, Confederates were victorious in much of the occasional fighting. On September 29, Gen. Taylor's men surprised and routed a small union force in the Battle of Stirling Plantation. In October, the Federal campaign from Brashear to Opelousas was turned back, and on November 3, the Confederates won another victory at the Battle of Bayou Bourbeau.

In mid-March 1864, the Red River campaign was launched to drive Taylor's army from Louisiana and plant the Union flag in the interior of Texas. Taylor's outnumbered army retreated as Gen. Banks' superior forces pursued. At Mansfield, Taylor received reinforcements. On April 8, he attacked the nearby Union army and inflicted a severe defeat. During the night, Banks retreated to Pleasant Hill. Taylor attacked again the next day, April 9. The Battle of Pleasant Hill was a draw. These were the last important battles fought on Louisiana soil. Banks retreated to Alexandria and there his accompanying fleet became trapped when the waters of the Red River fell. On May 13, the vessels were freed by Bailey's Dam. Banks continued his retreat to New Orleans by was of Simmesport and Morganza. Taylor's success in the Red River Campaign delayed Union victory in the war by several months.

Only small skirmishes occurred in Louisiana after the Red River Campaign. As word of Robert E. Lee's surrender spread through Confederate camps in Louisiana in 1865, soldier morale fell. Demoralization continued as armies east of the Mississippi River surrendered. Men began deserting and going home. In mid-May, General Edmund Kirby Smith contacted Union Gen. Edward R.S. Canby to negotiate the surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department. Terms were worked out and signed by Kirby Smith's subordinates on May 26, by which most of Louisiana's Confederate units had disbanded.

Rather than surrender, Kirby Smith, Governor Henry W. Allen, numerous military and civilian leader and hundreds of soldiers went into exile in Mexico.

In Louisiana, the war took a heavy toll, out of proportion to the extent of the fighting. Only three states suffered as much or more: Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina. Approximately one-fifth of the state's able-bodied white males and hundreds of black soldiers were killed in battle or died of disease. Thousands of whites and blacks were maimed or permanently disabled.

The end of slavery cost Louisiana over one-third of her assessed pre-war wealth. More than half the state's 1860 livestock had been killed or confiscated. And much other the countryside was desolated, with sugar plantations hit the hardest, losing close to $100 million without including the value of the slaves.

Overall, Louisiana emerged from the war with less than half its former wealth. In 1860, she ranked second in the nation and first in the South for per capita wealth. By 1880, she ranked 17th in the nation and last in the South. Louisiana entered the war wealthy. At its close she was ruined, devastated and poverty-stricken.

Most Louisiana Johnny Rebs marched off to war with their feet firmly planted in the clouds. They were ready for a fight and worried that it would all be over before they got to take part. But ordinary soldier hardships soon jolted such optimists back to reality.

Search Civil War Soldiers, Service Records, Regiments, General Officers, Battle Summaries, Pension Index: 1861-1934, CSA Field Officers and the War of the Rebellion

Below is a list of online resources for Louisiana in the Civil War. Email us with websites containing information on Louisiana in the Civil War by clicking the link below:

• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Louisiana units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
• Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67 from the State of Louisiana (The National Archives): NARA M1003. View, Print Copy & Save Original Applications for pardon submitted to President Andrew Johnson, 1865-67, by former Confederates excluded from earlier amnesty proclamations.
• Louisiana Confederate Soldier Burial Database

Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"

   Military and pension records are among the most useful sources available to genealogists because of the detail they offer. These records are important because they may provide an ancestor’s date of birth, place of residence, the names and addresses of family members, and other details that can round out a picture of his or her life. Judith Prowse Reid, Head, Local History and Genealogy, Library of Congress

   Military records have originated at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether created in time of war or in time of peace, these records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the military forces of the United States. Almost every American family, in one generation or another, has seen one or more of its members serve in America’s armed forces. From regimental histories, which provide blow-by-blow accounts of a unit’s participation in military actions, to the personal details contained in the service and pension files of individual men and women, military records provide valuable information concerning a large and significant portion of the American population. And because military records have been preserved and made available at and through a number of research institutions, much information awaits the well-prepared researcher.

How to Find Military Records
   To locate military records for any individual, it is essential to know when and where in the armed forces he or she served and whether that person served in the enlisted ranks or was an officer. (If you don’t have that identifying information, some potential solutions are discussed below.)
As in any research project, it is important to study carefully whatever is already known about the subject of interest. Families and communities frequently pass down stories of military heroes from generation to generation. In most cases, these stories retain some fact, but, with the passage of years and in the process of retelling, accuracy fades. At any rate, family stories should not be overlooked for clues at the start of a military search.

   When and where did the individual live? Did the family keep evidence of military service? Certificates, letters, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, medals, swords, and other memorabilia kept in private collections may provide the basic facts needed to begin searching in military record collections.

Military Time Lines
   Creating a historical time line can be especially useful for determining if and when the subject might have served in the military. By compiling a chronological list of the known dates and places of residence of an individual from birth through adulthood, it is frequently easy to discover the possibility of military service. Was the individual the right age to be eligible for the draft or to serve voluntarily in the Civil War? Is it likely that the person served on the Northern rather than the Southern side, or vice versa? For records from the colonial period to more recent military engagements, the place of residence is key to finding an individual’s records.

Evidence of Military Service in Hometown Records
   There are a number of public records that are potentially valuable in discovering the military history of a veteran. It has been a long-standing American tradition to foster patriotism by honoring local sons and daughters who have defended the ideals of their country. Hometown military heroes are frequently noted on public monuments, and local newspaper files may yield surprisingly detailed accounts of a community’s well-known and less-famous military personnel.

Military History
   Commercial enterprises and historically oriented groups and institutions have regularly published local histories. As a rule, these histories will include glowing accounts of the area’s involvement in military activities. Some volumes provide biographical sketches of military leaders, while others attempt to list all of the community’s participants in various military conflicts. Locally focused histories have been published at various times for virtually every state and county in the United States. Do not overlook them as an important research aid. P. William Filby’s A Bibliography of American County Histories is a list of five thousand such sources.

   In addition to the standard histories, local public libraries and historical societies usually preserve and make available other types of publications that document the military history of the geographical areas they serve. Historical agencies collect biographies, letters, diaries, journals, and all sorts of memorabilia from military units and servicemen and -women. The personal accounts found in some collections are a fascinating means of stepping back in time. Firsthand accounts afford a better understanding of the day-to-day drudgery, loneliness, fears, and satisfactions of military life.

Evidence of Military Service in Cemeteries
   Cemeteries provide yet another local source of information regarding individuals who served in the armed forces. Almost every cemetery in the United States contains some evidence of military events and veterans. Cemetery records and grave markers frequently identify military dead by name, rank, and unit designation. If a man or woman died elsewhere while in the service, the body was frequently brought home for burial; cemetery records often note the place and date of death.

Evidence of Military Service in Court Records
   Court records are yet another potential source for identifying those who served in the military. Most counties formally recorded and indexed the names of their citizens who were discharged from the military. In some local courts, “military discharges” will be found indexed separately, and in others the military records may be oddly interspersed with deeds, naturalizations, or other categories of documents. The contents of military records may vary greatly from one courthouse to another. Some will provide biographical information, while others may simply list names and the event or names and date of certificate issue.

Military Records in the National Archives
   Federal military documents that have been classified as archival material are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration. Not all records created by military agencies are judged to be permanently valuable. Generally, only records of historical or administrative importance are kept.

   A wonderful array of federal military records are available in major libraries and archives and through microfilm rental programs. (Heritage Quest, a division of AGLL, Inc., PO Box 329, Bountiful, UT 84011-0329, is a source of rental microfilms.) With sufficient identifying information, you may request a search of the registers of enlistments or the compiled military service records. The minimum information required for a search is (1) the soldier’s full name, (2) the war in which he or she served or period of service, and (3) the state from which he or she served. For the Civil War, you must also indicate whether the person served in Union or Confederate forces. A separate copy of the form must be used for military service, pension, and bounty-land warrant applications. Submit requests for information about individuals who served in the military before World War I on NATF form 80 (Order for Copies of Veterans Records). Write to the National Archives and Records Administration, General Reference Branch, Washington, DC 20408 to obtain copies of NATF form 80. Always ask for “all records” for an individual.

   Make requests for information about U.S. Army officers separated from the service after 1912 on standard form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records) and send it to the Military Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132.

U.S. Military Records
   By far the most comprehensive study of military records and how to use them is found in James C. Neagles’s U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Neagles’s guide addresses primary and secondary military sources and accessibility, including the following information-rich sources:

Records of state militias and the National Guard
Records of the army, navy, and other branches of the U.S. military
Records of the military academies
Post-service records
Pensions
Bounty-land grants
Bonuses and family assistance
Soldier’s homes
Military burials
Military installations
Censuses of veterans
Conscription
Civilian affairs

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Louisiana Vital Records - 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.

See Also Researching in Vital Records - Vital records, as their name suggests, are connected with central life events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are available only for relatively recent periods. These records, despite their recent creation in the United States, are critically important in genealogical research, often supplying details on family members well back into the nineteenth century.......

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.

Ordering Vital Records Online - Getting documents by mail can take a long as six weeks or more. Through VitalChek Express Certificate Service you can get Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed, Sealed, & Delivered in as few as three business days!

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Facts on Birth Records - 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.

• New Orleans, Louisiana Birth Records Index, 1790-1899
• Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Search County Birth Records