New Orleans Genealogy Records

New Orleans holds some of the most layered genealogy records in the country, with documents stretching back to French and Spanish colonial rule. Researchers can find birth, death, marriage, land, probate, and court records across the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court, the Louisiana State Archives, the New Orleans Public Library City Archives, and several specialized local repositories.

New Orleans Genealogy Records at the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court

The Orleans Parish Civil District Court Clerk is the primary custodian of civil records for New Orleans. The office handles marriage licenses, land records, mortgage records, probate filings, and civil court records. If an ancestor lived or died in New Orleans, a record is very likely on file here.

The clerk holds records well beyond the typical land and court filings. The Notarial Archives Research Center, also in New Orleans, houses acts of sale, donations, wills, and other notarial records dating to the late 1700s. These notarial acts carry rich genealogical detail: names, relationships, property descriptions, and dates that simply do not appear in other record sets. The Research Center can be reached at (504) 568-8577.

Marriage licenses issued in Orleans Parish are filed through this clerk's office. Older marriage records from the 1800s are also accessible through the State Archives and the City Archives. For probate matters, the court's succession records name heirs, list assets, and often reveal family structures that birth records alone cannot confirm.

The New Orleans Public Library Louisiana Division and City Archives is another key stop. It sits at 219 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, phone (504) 596-2570, open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The City Archives holds birth and death indexes (not full records) covering 1790-1904 for births and 1804-1915 for deaths, plus marriage indexes from 1831 to 1914. These indexes point researchers to the certificate numbers needed to order copies from the right office. Staff research is $25 per hour. Self-service copies cost $0.25 per page; staff copies cost $1 per page.

Search New Orleans Genealogy Records Online

Several online systems provide free or low-cost access to New Orleans and Orleans Parish genealogy records. Start with eClerks LA, the statewide portal that gives free public index searches for land, mortgage, and some marriage records filed with the Orleans Parish Clerk. Search by name, date range, or instrument type.

The New Orleans City Archives online database is free and lets you search the historic index collections from home. Select the record type, enter the surname, and review the results. You will see the name, year, and certificate number to use when ordering copies.

The ClerkConnect platform offers document images for many Louisiana parishes including Orleans. Some images are free; others require a subscription or per-document fee. It is useful when you need to see the actual document, not just confirm that a record exists. For statewide searches and colonial-era records, the State Archives online vital records index is the best next step.

Note: The City Archives online index is a starting point. It shows you the record exists and gives you the certificate number. To get the actual document, you contact the appropriate office and pay the copy fee.

Louisiana State Archives Records for New Orleans

The Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge holds a large collection of Orleans Parish records because the city began keeping vital records earlier than the rest of the state. Orleans Parish birth records run from 1819 forward, with an index going back to 1790. Death records start in 1819, with a partial index from 1804. Orleans Parish marriage records are available from 1870, with an index covering 1831 onward. You can search this material through the Online Public Vital Records Index at the State Archives website.

Under RS 40:41, death records become publicly accessible 50 years after the event and birth records after 100 years. The Archives applies these thresholds when filling orders. Photocopies cost $5 per record; certified copies cost $10. The Archives is at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125, with about a 4-6 week turnaround. Review the full State Archives research resources before your visit.

Vital Records for New Orleans Residents

Louisiana is a closed record state. Birth certificates are confidential for 100 years after the birth date. Death certificates are confidential for 50 years. Neither can be obtained at the parish level. All requests for recent vital records go to the Louisiana Vital Records Registry, which is based in New Orleans.

Birth certificates cost $15 per copy. Death certificates are $7 per copy. Proper identification and a completed application are required. Walk-in service is available at the Benson Tower office right here in New Orleans. Mail requests take 8-10 weeks. Online ordering through VitalChek offers expedited processing for an added service fee.

Genealogy Resources in New Orleans

The City Archives and Louisiana Division of the New Orleans Public Library is the top local starting point for family history research. The library provides access to Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, and Fold3 during open hours. The Historic New Orleans Collection at 410 Chartres Street, phone (504) 598-7171, specializes in Gulf South history and holds manuscripts, photographs, and maps that name individuals and families in detail. The Archdiocese of New Orleans Archives at 7887 Walmsley Avenue, phone (504) 861-6200, holds Catholic sacramental records including baptisms, marriages, and burials stretching back to the colonial period. These church records often predate civil registration and are the only surviving evidence of an ancestor's birth or marriage.

The New Orleans notarial archives research portal is shown below, a key entry point for colonial-era genealogy records filed in Orleans Parish.

The portal above lets researchers search acts of sale, successions, and other civil instruments by date and notary name, giving direct access to documents that name New Orleans ancestors going back to the 1700s.

The Historic New Orleans Collection research center is shown below, offering access to manuscript collections covering Louisiana and Gulf South family history.

This facility complements the public archives by holding private papers and photographs that fill gaps in the official record trail for New Orleans families.

What New Orleans Genealogy Records Contain

Birth records for New Orleans document the child's full name, date and place of birth, parents' names and ages, parents' birthplaces, the informant's name, and the filing date. Death records add cause of death, marital status, spouse's name, and burial location. Marriage records name both parties, their ages and birthplaces, witnesses, parents, and the officiant. Land and mortgage records describe the property and name the buyer, seller, and any lienholders. Notarial acts can contain any of these details and more, depending on the type of transaction recorded.

Under RS 44:1, most government records in Louisiana are public, including court records, land records, probate filings, and civil court documents held by the Orleans Parish Clerk. Court records go into detail about legal relationships, debt, inheritance, and family disputes that help trace a family across many generations. Probate succession records in particular often list all heirs by name and relationship, making them one of the most genealogically useful record types available in New Orleans. Combined with the notarial archives and the City Archives index collections, the documentary record for New Orleans families is among the richest in the United States.

Orleans Parish Genealogy Records

New Orleans is in Orleans Parish, so genealogy records are filed through the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court. For full details on the clerk office, online access systems, fees, and all record types available, visit the parish page.

View Orleans Parish Genealogy Records

Nearby Cities

Researchers working on New Orleans family history may also need to check records in these nearby cities, each with its own resource page.