Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy
Guide to Allen Parish, Louisiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Allen Parish, Louisiana | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Louisiana, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Louisiana in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | June 12, 1912 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Oberlin | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Address | P.O. Box 248 Oberlin, La. 70655 (337) 639-4351 Allen Parish Courthouse Website | ||||||||
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Contents
- 1 Parish Information
- 2 Parish Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places / Localities
- 5 Populated Places
- 6 Resources
- 7 Societies
- 8 Websites
- 9 References
Parish Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Henry Watkins Allen. The County has Oberlin as its seat and the County was created 1912. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]
Allen Parish, Louisiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1913 | 1914 | 1913 | 1886 | 1913 | 1700s |
Parish Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Allen Parish Courthouse
PO Box G
Oberlin, LA 70655-2007
Phone: 337.639.2803
Parish Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate
and court records from 1913 .[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Allen Parish is named for former Confederate States Army general and Governor of Louisiana Henry Watkins Allen.
Allen Parish was part of the Opelousas County after the Louisiana Territory was established in 1803. In 1807, the territory was divided into parishes and Allen was part of St. Landry Parish. Allen remained part of St. Landry Parish until 1840 when Calcasieu Parish was carved from the very large St. Landry Parish. In 1870, Cameron Parish was carved from Calcasieu Parish and also gained a piece of Vermillion Parish. Calcasieu remained the same until 1912 when it was divided into four parishes, including Allen Parish.
For more information:
- History of Allen Parish by John Berton Gremillion
Parent Parish[edit | edit source]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Louisiana Parish boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Louisiana Parish Boundary Maps" (1805-1990) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana African American Griots Project
- Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on Allen Parish cemeteries.
- Interment.net Louisiana cemetery records by Parish.
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1920 | 18,382 | — |
| 1930 | 15,261 | −17.0% |
| 1940 | 17,540 | 14.9% |
| 1950 | 18,835 | 7.4% |
| 1960 | 19,867 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | 20,794 | 4.7% |
| 1980 | 21,390 | 2.9% |
| 1990 | 21,226 | −0.8% |
| 2000 | 25,440 | 19.9% |
| 2010 | 25,764 | 1.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Allen Parish Quick Facts - U.S. Census Bureau
- Index to Allen Parish, Louisiana Census Images (USGenWeb Archives)
Church[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Louisiana denominations, view the Louisiana Church Records wiki page.
- Louisiana Historical Church Information
- Directory of Churches in Louisiana, by city (Church Angel)
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Louisiana Land and Property for additional information about early Louisiana land ownership. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse where records are also currently housed.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Allen Parish Libraries. You can access local records at the library or through Heritage Quest which is linked between all libraries.
- Three locations:
- 320 S. 6th Street
Oberlin, LA 70655
Phone: 318-491-4543
Fax: 337-639-2654 - 405 E. 6th Avenue
Oakdale, LA 71463
Phone: 318-335-2690
Fax: 318-335-4743 - 833 4th Avenue
Kinder, LA 70648
Phone: 318-491-4545
Fax: 337-738-4213
- 320 S. 6th Street
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Louisiana Local Histories. Louisiana Museums
- From Whence They Came, by J. Erwin Kelmsley (includes Irwin, Beckham, Goodbee, Rogers, and Smith families)
- Early Allen Parish, Louisiana marriage records, 1889-1942 : computer indexed marriage records
- Inventory of the parish archives of Louisiana : no. 2, Allen Parish (Oberlin)
- Family maps of Allen Parish, Louisiana : with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
- Maps of Louisiana (1805-1990)
- Family Maps of Allen Parish, Louisiana (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- USGW Digital Map Collection (USGenWeb Project)
- Allen Parish Zip Code Map
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861-1865 - Louisiana Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 - Louisiana Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1898-1950 - Louisiana Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1918 - Louisiana World War I Service Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Louisiana First Registration Draft Cards, compiled 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- Allen Parish, Louisiana World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana Newspaper List, listing by name/parish (USNPL)
- Louisiana Newspaper listing (Newslink)
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Allen Parish Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Louisiana Obituaries of Allen Parish (USGenWeb Archives)
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records before 1845 were kept in probate courts. Since 1845, they have been kept by the Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy clerk of the district court. Many of the probate records are included in the notarial records with the deeds and mortgages. In some parishes they are known as “succession” records.
See the Wiki page Louisiana Probate Records for more information about probate records in Louisiana.
Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Online Probate Records
- 1756 – 1984 Louisiana Wills and Probate Records 1756-1984 at Ancestry — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Louisiana tax records can be used in place of missing censuses and provide lists of residents during years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see Louisiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Louisiana statewide registration of birth and death records began in 1911. Births and deaths are kept by the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. Marriages were recorded by each parish, and the records are at the parish clerk of court office. See also How to order Louisiana Vital Records or order electronically online.
See Louisiana Vital Records for more information on getting Louisiana records.
- Louisiana Records and Statistics Information - where and how to order information.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- Allen County Birth Records (Genealogy Trails)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1837–1957 - Louisiana, Parish Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Death[edit | edit source]
- Allen Parish Death Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- 1850-1875, 1894-1960 - Louisiana Deaths, 1850-1875, 1894-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Societies[edit | edit source]
- Allen Genealogical & Historical Society
PO Box 789
Kinder, LA 70648-0789 - Central Louisiana Genealogical Society
PO Box 12206
Alexandria, LA 71315-2206
Website - Louisiana Historical Society
Website - Louisiana Historical Association
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Allen Parish Tourist Commission This site includes Allen Parish history as well as a Ward Map. Many of the Louisiana census records were recorded as wards.
- Allen Parish Genealogy
- Allen Parish (USGenWeb Archives)
- Allen Parish on Facebook
- Lousiana Genealogy on Facebook
- Allen Parish on Louisiana.gov
- Louisiana Archives (USGenWeb Archives)
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Allen Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Genealogy Trails: Allen Parish, Louisiana
- Allen Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Allen, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Parish,_Louisiana."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Allen Parish, Louisiana. Page 289-293 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 267-268.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed., Allen Parish, Louisiana p 289 (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Allen Parish, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Parish,_Louisiana#Communities, accessed 29 December 2019.
