Search Grant Parish Genealogy Records

Grant Parish genealogy records are kept at the Clerk of Court in Colfax, Louisiana, and date from 1869 when the parish was formed. Marriage records, land conveyances, court files, and probate documents cover more than 150 years of family history in this central Louisiana parish created from Rapides and Winn Parishes.

Grant Parish Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court is located at 200 Main Street, Colfax, LA 71417. Mail can be sent to P.O. Box 320, Colfax, LA 71417. The phone number is (318) 627-3246 and fax is (318) 627-9478. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk's website at grantparishclerk.com provides current information on the office and its services.

Grant Parish was created on March 4, 1869 from Rapides and Winn Parishes. Researchers tracing families before 1869 need to check both Rapides and Winn Parish records. The 35th Judicial District Court serves Grant Parish and handles all court matters filed in the parish. Colfax is the only town of note in the parish and serves as the hub for all official record requests.

eClerks LA is the statewide free index portal for Louisiana parish records and supports name searches in Grant Parish court and land record collections.

Search Grant Parish Genealogy Records Online

eClerks LA is the primary online resource for Grant Parish records. This free statewide portal lets you search indexes for court records and land records by name. Register for a free account to begin searching. For parishes that have added full image access, a subscription fee may apply. Check the portal to see which Grant Parish document types include images versus index-only access.

FamilySearch has a wiki page for Grant Parish listing available collections and databases. Some older records may have been microfilmed or digitized and are available free through FamilySearch. The Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge may also hold microfilm of some Grant Parish records. Checking these free resources before traveling to Colfax can save time and help you plan a more focused research trip.

Note: The Online Public Vital Records Index is a free statewide search tool for historical birth and death records. Use it to identify vital records before contacting the Louisiana Department of Health for certified copies.

Genealogy Records in Grant Parish

All main parish record types begin in 1869. Marriage records, divorce records, probate and succession records, land conveyance records, mortgage records, and general court records all date from parish formation. The collection spans more than 155 years of family and property documentation in the Colfax area.

For family researchers, the most useful record categories are marriage records, which name parents and birthplaces, and succession records, which name all heirs at the time of death. Land records can show property passing through a family over generations. Court records may include guardianship filings that identify minor children and their parents when one parent was incapacitated or deceased.

Louisiana began mandatory vital records registration in 1914. Birth and death records from that year are held by the state, not the parish clerk. Under RS 40:41, birth records are sealed for 100 years and death records for 50 years. Older records are open. The Louisiana State Archives hold historical vital records collections that can be accessed when they are past the confidentiality period.

Louisiana State Archives and Grant Parish

The Louisiana State Archives at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, preserves statewide records including materials relevant to Grant Parish. Confederate pension files document men from Grant Parish who served in the Civil War. Military records, naturalization records, and other statewide collections may include Grant Parish residents. The Archives reading room is open to the public, and staff can help identify relevant record groups for your research.

Since Grant Parish was formed from Rapides and Winn, researchers looking for pre-1869 family records should also check the Rapides and Winn Parish collections at the State Archives. Microfilm of those older records may be easier to access in Baton Rouge than by traveling to the individual parish seats. The Archives holds finding aids that describe what is available from each parish.

For certified vital records now open to the public, contact ldh.la.gov/vital-records or order through VitalChek. Birth certificates are $34.00 and death certificates are $26.00.

How to Request Grant Parish Records

The most direct approach is to visit 200 Main Street in Colfax during business hours. Bring the names of the people you are researching, the approximate years, and the record type. Staff will help search the indexes and pull documents. Standard copies cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 extra per document.

Mail requests are accepted. Write to P.O. Box 320, Colfax, LA 71417. Include full names, dates, and a description of the records you need. Send payment by check or money order and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow several weeks for a response. Calling the clerk's office before mailing to confirm current fees and procedures is a good idea.

Birth and death certificates do not come from the parish clerk. Those are issued by the Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records office in New Orleans. Order online through VitalChek or by mail to the state office. Local health units in the parish can sometimes assist with requests in person.

What Grant Parish Records Contain

Marriage records in Grant Parish list both parties' full names, ages, residences, birthplaces, parents' names, and prior marital status. The ceremony date, location, officiant, and two witness names are all recorded. Because they connect a person to their parents and place of origin, marriage records are often the first step in tracing a family line backward through generations. For families with roots in the predecessor parishes of Rapides and Winn, following up on the birthplace information in a Grant Parish marriage record may lead to records in those older parishes.

Succession records lay out who owned what and who inherited it. A file typically includes the petition, an inventory of property, a list of all heirs named with their relationship to the deceased, any debts against the estate, and the distribution order. Wills are included when present. Guardianship records, sometimes found within succession files, identify minor children and name the guardian appointed to manage their share of an estate. These guardianship entries are sometimes the only record that names a child's age and parents in a period before vital records registration.

Land records document every property transfer in Grant Parish. Each conveyance or sale deed names the grantor, the grantee, the property's legal description, the price, and the date. Donation records are particularly useful because they document gifts of land, often from parent to child, and name the relationship directly. Under RS 44:1, these are open public records available to any researcher.

Louisiana GenWeb and FamilySearch list free digitized collections, transcribed records, and research guides for Grant Parish family history research.

Cities in Grant Parish

Colfax is the parish seat of Grant Parish. All genealogy records for the parish are filed and maintained at the Clerk of Court in Colfax.

Nearby Parishes

Grant Parish is in central Louisiana. Bordering parishes each maintain their own genealogy records at separate clerk offices.