West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Genealogy
Guide to West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Louisiana, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Louisiana in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | February 17, 1824 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | St. Francisville | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | 4785 Prosperity Street St. Francisville, LA 70775 | ||||||||
| Website: www.wfparish.org | |||||||||
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Contents
- 1 Parish Information
- 2 Parish Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places / Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 Websites
- 8 References
Parish Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Marie Félicité de Gálvez. The County has St. Francisville as its seat and the County was created 1824. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1879 | 1914 | 1900 | 1911 | 1900 | 1700s |
Parish Courthouse[edit | edit source]
West Feliciana Parish Courthouse
4789 Prosperity Street
Saint Francisville, LA 70775
Phone: 225.635.3794
Parish Clerk has marriage records from 1879, divorce, probate and court records from 1900 and land records from 1811.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent Parish[edit | edit source]
1824--West Feliciana Parish was created 17 February 1824 from Feliciana (old) Parish.
Parish seat: Saint Francisville [4]
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]
Possible record loss due to a courthouse fire on an unknown date.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
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]
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
Neighboring Parishes or Counties[edit | edit source]
- Avoyelles
- Concordia
- East Baton Rouge
- East Feliciana
- Pointe Coupee
- West Baton Rouge
- Wilkinson County, Mississippi
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana African American Griots Project
- Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- West Feliciana Parish Bible Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Index to West Feliciana Parish Biographies Surnames A-D, Surnames E-J, Surnames K-P, Surnames Q-S, Surnames T-Z (USGenWeb Archives)
- West Feliciana Parish Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on West Feliciana Parish cemeteries.
- Interment.net Louisiana cemetery records by Parish.
African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 12,732 | — |
| 1830 | 8,629 | −32.2% |
| 1840 | 10,910 | 26.4% |
| 1850 | 13,245 | 21.4% |
| 1860 | 11,671 | −11.9% |
| 1870 | 10,499 | −10.0% |
| 1880 | 12,809 | 22.0% |
| 1890 | 15,062 | 17.6% |
| 1900 | 15,994 | 6.2% |
| 1910 | 13,449 | −15.9% |
| 1920 | 12,303 | −8.5% |
| 1930 | 10,924 | −11.2% |
| 1940 | 11,720 | 7.3% |
| 1950 | 10,169 | −13.2% |
| 1960 | 12,395 | 21.9% |
| 1970 | 11,376 | −8.2% |
| 1980 | 12,186 | 7.1% |
| 1990 | 12,915 | 6.0% |
| 2000 | 15,111 | 17.0% |
| 2010 | 15,625 | 3.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- West Feliciana Parish Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- Louisiana Census Images (USGenWeb Census Images Project)
Church[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana Historical Church Information
- Directory of Churches in Louisiana, by city (Church Angel)
- West Feliciana Parish Church Records (USGenWeb Archives)
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.
- West Feliciana Parish Land Records (LAGenWeb)
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for West Feliciana 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
- West Feliciana Parish Historical Records - miscellaneous records. (USGenWeb Archives)
- West Feliciana Parish History (LAGenWeb)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
- Maps of Louisiana (1805-1990)
- USGW Digital Map Collection (USGenWeb Archives)
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
- 1st Louisiana Cavalry Regiment, Company C
- Company C: CSA West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana (USGenWeb Archives)
Regiments. Service men in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Genealogy:
- - 1st Regiment, Louisiana Cavalry (Confederate), Company C
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1920 - 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
- World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army & Army Air Forces Personnel, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana (Genealogy Trails)
Korean War[edit | edit source]
- Korean War MIA's, POW's & KIA's (USGenWeb Archives)
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 West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a West Feliciana 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]
- West Feliciana Parish Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to West Feliciana Parish Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records before 1845 were kept in probate courts. Since 1845, they have been kept by the West Feliciana 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 Indexes and 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.
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- pre-1825 West Feliciana Parish Marriage Records (Genealogy Trails)
- 1837-1957 - Louisiana, Parish Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- West Feliciana Parish Marriage Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- West Feliciana Parish Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1875, 1894-1960 - Louisiana Deaths, 1850-1875, 1894-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1860 Mortality Schedule. Persons who died during the year ending June 1, 1860 in the Parish of West Feliciana, State of Louisiana (Genealogy Trails)
- Grace Episcopal Church Death Records (Genealogy Trails)
- West Feliciana Parish Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- West Feliciana Historical Society Museum
11757 Ferdinand Street
PO Box 338
St. Francisville, LA 70775
Phone: 225-635-6330
Email: wfhist@bellsouth.net
Website - Louisiana Historical Society
Website - Louisiana Historical Association
Website
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
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- West Feliciana Parish (LAGenWeb)
- West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana (USGenWeb Archives)
- FamilySearch Catalog
- West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails)
- West Feliciana Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Feliciana_Parish,_Louisiana."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Feliciana 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., West Felicia Parish, Louisiana p 293 (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Feliciana_Parish%2C_Louisiana, accessed 10 January 2020.
