Find Genealogy Records in Shreveport

Shreveport genealogy records are held at the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court and supplemented by the Shreve Memorial Library's genealogy collection, one of the strongest in northwest Louisiana. Researchers can find land, marriage, probate, and court records at the clerk's office, while the library provides access to census records, city directories, and major online genealogy databases.

Shreveport Genealogy Records at the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court is the main records office for Shreveport genealogy research. The clerk maintains land records, mortgage records, marriage licenses, probate and succession filings, and civil court records for the 1st Judicial District. These records cover Caddo Parish from its early American period forward and are the primary source for most Shreveport family history searches.

Marriage licenses filed in Caddo Parish are a strong starting point for Shreveport genealogy. The clerk maintains marriage records from the parish's early years through the present. Succession and probate filings are also here. These records name all heirs, list property, and often include sworn statements from family members about their relationship to the deceased. Land records trace property ownership over time and can confirm that an ancestor was present in a specific location.

The 1st Judicial District Court handles civil matters for Caddo Parish. Court filings from divorce cases, guardianship proceedings, and debt disputes often name children, siblings, and extended family members. These secondary references can help fill gaps in a family tree when direct records are missing or incomplete.

Search Shreveport Genealogy Records Online

The Caddo Parish Clerk participates in eClerks LA, which provides free public index access to land and marriage records for the parish. Search by name and date range to find index entries, then use the document number to request copies from the clerk's office. The ClerkConnect platform also covers Caddo Parish and may offer direct image access for some record types.

The Shreve Memorial Library main branch at 424 Texas Street, phone (318) 226-5877, has a strong genealogy department with census records, city directories, family histories, and newspaper microfilm. Staff can help identify relevant collections for northwest Louisiana research.

For older vital records that have passed the access threshold, the Louisiana State Archives online index at the State Archives vital records index is searchable from home. Caddo Parish death and birth records meeting the age requirements appear in this database.

Louisiana State Archives Records for Shreveport

The Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge holds statewide vital records, including birth records more than 100 years old and death records more than 50 years old. Caddo Parish records meeting those thresholds are available through the online index at the State Archives website. Photocopies cost $5 per record and 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.

Under RS 40:41, death records open 50 years after the event and birth records open after 100 years. The Archives also holds military service records, census indexes, Confederate pension applications, and state land office records that may include Shreveport and northwest Louisiana families. Call (225) 922-1208 to speak with a genealogy researcher before making the trip from Shreveport to Baton Rouge.

Vital Records for Shreveport Residents

Shreveport residents cannot get birth or death certificates at the parish level. Louisiana is a closed record state, and all vital record requests go to the Vital Records Registry in New Orleans at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, phone (504) 593-5100. Birth certificates cost $15; death certificates are $7. Mail requests take 8-10 weeks. Walk-in service is available at that New Orleans office during weekday business hours.

Online ordering through VitalChek speeds up processing for those who need certificates quickly. The Caddo Parish Health Unit at 1035 Creswell Avenue, phone (318) 676-5222, does operate a vital records kiosk on Wednesdays, which may provide some certificate services locally; confirm availability before visiting.

Genealogy Resources in Shreveport

The Shreve Memorial Library genealogy department is the best local starting point for Shreveport family history research. The main branch at 424 Texas Street holds an extensive collection focused on northwest Louisiana families, including census records, newspaper microfilm, city directories, and family history books. Online databases available in the library include Ancestry.com and other major genealogy platforms. The Louisiana State Library in Baton Rouge provides additional statewide resources, and the National Archives at Fort Worth at archives.gov/fort-worth holds federal records relevant to Louisiana including census, military, and naturalization files.

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court website is shown below, the primary portal for searching Shreveport land and civil records online.

The clerk's site gives researchers access to index data for land, marriage, and court records filed in Caddo Parish, with links to eClerks LA for fuller search functionality.

The Shreve Memorial Library genealogy department is pictured below, offering one of the strongest northwest Louisiana genealogy collections in any public library.

The library's genealogy staff can guide researchers to the right collections for Caddo Parish and surrounding areas in the Red River Valley region.

What Shreveport Genealogy Records Contain

Birth records for Shreveport residents document the child's full name, birth date and place, parents' names, ages, and birthplaces, plus the informant's name and filing date. Death records add cause of death, marital status, spouse's name, and burial location. Marriage licenses from Caddo Parish name both parties, their ages and birthplaces, parents' names, witnesses, and the officiant. Land records describe the property transferred and name the grantor, grantee, and any witnesses. Probate filings name all heirs by name and relationship, list assets, and often include family declarations sworn before the clerk.

Under RS 44:1, most government records in Louisiana are public. Court records, land records, and probate filings at the Caddo Parish Clerk are accessible to any member of the public. Civil court records from the 1st Judicial District can be especially useful for Shreveport genealogy because they document divorces, guardianships, adoptions, and debt proceedings that name extended family members who do not always appear in vital records. Combined with the Shreve Memorial Library's newspaper archive and the State Archives vital records database, Shreveport offers solid genealogical coverage for researchers working on northwest Louisiana family lines.

Caddo Parish Genealogy Records

Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, so genealogy records are filed through the Caddo 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 Caddo Parish Genealogy Records

Nearby Cities

Bossier City is directly across the Red River from Shreveport and has its own records page for Bossier Parish genealogy research.