Search Terrytown Genealogy Records
Terrytown genealogy records are maintained by the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court, as Terrytown is an unincorporated community on the west bank of Jefferson Parish. All land, marriage, probate, and court records for the Terrytown area are filed at the clerk's office in Gretna, with older vital records available through the Louisiana State Archives online database.
Terrytown Quick Facts
Terrytown Genealogy Records at the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court
The Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court in Gretna is the primary records office for Terrytown genealogy research. As an unincorporated community, Terrytown has no city government records. The clerk holds all land and mortgage records, marriage licenses, succession and probate filings, and 24th Judicial District Court records for the west bank of Jefferson Parish, which includes Terrytown.
| Office | Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 200 Derbigny Street, Suite 5600, Gretna, LA 70053 |
| Phone | (504) 364-2900 |
| Website | www.jpclerkofcourt.us |
| Nearby Library | Gretna Regional Library, 102 Willow Drive, Gretna, LA 70053 |
| Library Phone | (504) 368-6933 |
Marriage licenses filed in Jefferson Parish name both parties, their ages, birthplaces, witnesses, parents, and the officiant. Records go back into the 19th century. Succession and probate filings name all heirs and include estate inventories that often contain sworn declarations about family relationships. Land records trace property ownership on the west bank of Jefferson Parish, confirming when families arrived in and around the Terrytown area.
The 24th JDC civil court records document divorces, guardianships, adoptions, and civil disputes that can name children and other relatives not found in vital records. Court records are held at the clerk's office and are part of the public record under Louisiana law.
Search Terrytown Genealogy Records Online
Jefferson Parish participates in eClerks LA, the statewide free index for land, mortgage, and marriage records. Search by name and date range to find index entries for Jefferson Parish. The ClerkConnect platform provides additional document image access for Jefferson Parish, with some records available free and others behind a paid account. Both can be searched from home before visiting the Gretna courthouse.
The Gretna Regional Library at 102 Willow Drive, Gretna, phone (504) 368-6933, is part of the Jefferson Parish Library system and is the closest branch to Terrytown. The library provides in-library database access and holds local history materials relevant to the west bank of Jefferson Parish. The Jefferson Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 961, Metairie, LA 70004, focuses specifically on Jefferson Parish family history and is a useful community resource for researchers working on Terrytown and west bank families.
Note: Terrytown is adjacent to Gretna, the parish seat. The clerk's office and the Gretna Regional Library are both just minutes away from the Terrytown community.
Louisiana State Archives Records for Terrytown
The Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge holds Jefferson Parish vital records that meet the access thresholds under RS 40:41: death records open 50 years after the event and birth records open after 100 years. The online index at the State Archives vital records index is free to search. The full range of State Archives research resources describes the broader collections. The Archives is at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Photocopies cost $5; certified copies are $10.
Jefferson Parish families with roots in the west bank area will often find that their ancestors appear in both Jefferson Parish records and Orleans Parish records at the Archives, since many west bank families originated in New Orleans before relocating across the river. Checking both parishes in the Archives index can expand the documentary record considerably.
Vital Records for Terrytown Residents
Louisiana is a closed record state. Birth and death certificates for Terrytown residents are not available at the parish clerk level. All requests go to the Vital Records Registry in New Orleans at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, phone (504) 593-5100, open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Birth certificates cost $15; death certificates are $7. Because Terrytown is close to New Orleans, walk-in service at the Vital Records Registry is a practical option. Mail requests take 8-10 weeks.
Online ordering through VitalChek provides expedited processing for residents who prefer to handle requests online rather than driving to New Orleans or mailing in an application.
Genealogy Resources in Terrytown
The Gretna Regional Library is the most convenient local genealogy resource for Terrytown residents. The library is part of the Jefferson Parish Library system and provides access to online databases and local history materials. The West Bank Regional Library in Harvey is another option within the system. For broader Louisiana research, the Louisiana State Library and the National Archives at Fort Worth at archives.gov/fort-worth provide federal census, military, and naturalization records for Louisiana families. The Jefferson Genealogical Society is a community resource specifically focused on Jefferson Parish family history and can connect researchers with others working on the same west bank family lines.
The Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court website is shown below, the main portal for searching Terrytown and all west bank Jefferson Parish genealogy records.
The clerk's site provides contact information and connects to eClerks LA for free searches of land, mortgage, and marriage records filed in Jefferson Parish covering the Terrytown area and the full west bank.
What Terrytown Genealogy Records Contain
Birth records for Terrytown area residents list the child's full name, birth date and place, parents' names, ages, and birthplaces, plus the informant and filing date. Death records add cause of death, marital status, spouse's name, and burial location. Marriage licenses from Jefferson Parish name both parties, their ages and birthplaces, witnesses, parents, and the officiant. Land records describe the property transferred and identify the grantor, grantee, price, and date. Succession and probate filings name all heirs and typically include detailed inventories of personal property that shed light on how families lived and what they owned.
Under RS 44:1, most Louisiana government records are public. Land, court, and succession documents at the Jefferson Parish Clerk are accessible to any researcher. The 24th JDC civil records are useful for tracing extended family connections through civil proceedings. Terrytown and the west bank of Jefferson Parish have been home to many New Orleans-area families since the mid-20th century, and the Jefferson Parish Clerk's records combined with the State Archives collections provide solid genealogical coverage for the community.
Jefferson Parish Genealogy Records
Terrytown is in Jefferson Parish, so genealogy records are filed through the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. For full details on the clerk office, online access systems, fees, and all record types available, visit the parish page.
Nearby Cities
These nearby cities in Jefferson Parish and the greater New Orleans metro area each have their own genealogy record pages.