Find Records in West Feliciana Parish

West Feliciana Parish genealogy records are held by the Clerk of Court in St. Francisville, with land and probate documents indexed from 1811 and marriage records from 1879. The West Feliciana Parish Library also provides online catalog access and research guides for courthouse records, making remote research easier for this small Feliciana hills parish.

West Feliciana Parish Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court for West Feliciana Parish is located in St. Francisville and manages all civil and court records for the parish. The office holds land and probate records indexed from 1811, marriage records from 1879, and court records from around 1900. Written requests to the clerk should include the specific date period for the records sought.

Online access to West Feliciana Parish records is limited. The West Feliciana Parish Library provides a guide for accessing courthouse records through FamilySearch catalog, which offers a limited online option. For land and probate records, written requests to the clerk with a specific date period are required, along with a nominal fee. The library at 5114 Burnett Rd., St. Francisville also offers free genealogy research assistance.

Online genealogy resources for West Feliciana Parish include the LAGenWeb project and FamilySearch catalog guides available through the parish library.

Search West Feliciana Parish Genealogy Records Online

The West Feliciana Parish Library provides guidance for accessing courthouse records through the FamilySearch catalog online. Their page at wfplibrary.org/post/accessing-west-feliciana-parish-courthouse-records-online gives step-by-step instructions for this limited online access option. This is one of the more useful remote research starting points for this small parish.

For broader online searching, the Louisiana State Archives Online Vital Records Index provides free name searches for older birth, death, and marriage entries. Statewide platforms eClerks LA and ClerkConnect may have some West Feliciana Parish records indexed. The Louisiana State Archives holds Spanish West Florida records covering this area from 1782 to 1810 through the East Baton Rouge Parish Genealogy Department.

Genealogy Records in West Feliciana Parish

West Feliciana Parish was created in 1824 when Feliciana Parish was divided into East and West. The area was previously part of Spanish West Florida, so pre-1824 records for the West Feliciana area come from that colonial system. Land and probate records in the clerk's current collection are indexed from 1811, and marriage records begin in 1879.

Land records indexed from 1811 trace property ownership in the Feliciana hills region. Probate and conveyance records are indexed from the same year. These document early estate settlements and property transfers in what was then a prosperous cotton-growing area. Written requests to the clerk with the specific date period are required, along with a nominal fee per document. This is a different process from most parishes, so it is worth calling ahead to understand the procedure.

Marriage records from 1879 are public records and available through the clerk's office. Court records begin around 1900 for the 20th Judicial District. For Spanish West Florida records covering West Feliciana before 1810, contact the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk at P.O. Box 1991, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-1991. Those records cover the broader West Feliciana area from 1782 to 1810. Modern vital records go through the Louisiana Vital Records Registry.

Louisiana State Archives and West Feliciana Parish

The Louisiana State Archives holds materials relevant to West Feliciana Parish, particularly for the colonial period before 1824. The Spanish West Florida records, covering the West Feliciana area from 1782 to 1810, are held through the East Baton Rouge Parish Genealogy Department and at the State Archives.

The Archives' online vital records index provides free name searches for older birth, death, and marriage entries. Some West Feliciana Parish records from the late 1800s may appear in this database. The Archives also holds microfilm and other historical collections from the Feliciana region. Birth and death certificates restricted under RS 40:41 can be found through the Archives for older periods and through the Vital Records Registry for more recent records.

Note: The West Feliciana Historical Society at 11757 Ferdinand St. in St. Francisville maintains historical records and research resources specific to this area and may be contacted for research assistance.

How to Request West Feliciana Parish Records

West Feliciana Parish genealogy records can be requested in person at the St. Francisville courthouse, by mail, or through limited FamilySearch online access. Mail requests for land and probate records require specific date periods.

For in-person research, visit the Clerk of Court at 4789 Prosperity St., St. Francisville during regular business hours. The clerk can assist with locating records in the indexed collections. The library at 5114 Burnett Rd. provides free research assistance and can help plan your visit. The Historical Society at 11757 Ferdinand St. is another local resource. Call (225) 635-3794 before your visit.

Mail requests for land and probate records should go to P.O. Box 1843, St. Francisville, LA 70775. Include the full name of the subject, the specific date period, and the type of record requested. A nominal fee applies for land and probate record copies. Extensive research may incur an additional fee. Under RS 44:1, Louisiana's Public Records Act, public records must be provided upon request.

What West Feliciana Parish Records Contain

West Feliciana Parish records provide good coverage for the Feliciana hills region, especially for land and probate research going back to 1811.

Marriage records from 1879 include both spouses' names, dates, and witness names. They confirm family connections and maiden names. Land conveyances indexed from 1811 trace property in this antebellum cotton-growing region. Early conveyances may reflect large plantation holdings and family land divisions across generations. The Feliciana hills area was home to some of the most prosperous plantation families in antebellum Louisiana, and land records from this period can be detailed and revealing.

Probate and succession records indexed from 1811 document estate settlements that name heirs and describe property. In antebellum records, these may include inventories of enslaved individuals, significant for African American genealogy research in West Feliciana Parish. Court records from the 20th Judicial District cover civil and criminal matters from around 1900. Spanish West Florida records from 1782 to 1810 through East Baton Rouge extend the research back further into the colonial period. Copy fees are nominal and governed by RS 44:20. The parish seat is St. Francisville, which is the center for all courthouse records, library resources, and historical society research.

Nearby Parishes

West Feliciana Parish borders several parishes in the Feliciana hills area of south-central Louisiana. Researchers tracing Feliciana families may need to check records in adjacent jurisdictions.