The 20th century brought a change to the Cajuns' way of life. Cajun children,
by act of the legislature, had to attend school and speak English. Wars
carried them to other places and they got to travel. Oil industry brought
in new people and jobs. Today's Cajun may be indistinguishable from any
other American; though you can still find Cajuns who live much as their
ancestors did. The sections discusses:
Census
Records | Church Records | Courthouse
Records | Compiled Works | Other
Resources
CENSUS
RECORDS
The
1900, 1910, and 1920 census and soundex records are available in microfilm.
They have not been indexed as a set. However, there are some indices of
smaller areas; for example, the Terrebonne Parish 1900 and 1910 censuses
have been indexed and published.
You are getting into a time
when the population is getting larger, so there are more records to search
through. If the census hasn't been published in the area you are
looking at (and most haven't), your best bet is to start with the soundex.
CHURCH
RECORDS
Rev.
Hebert's works (South Louisiana Records and Southwest
Louisiana Records) extend into the beginning of the century. For
the years following his work, succeeding years (to the 1920's) for Terrebonne
Parish and the surrounding area are covered by TGS's
South
Louisiana Vital Records. Some other records are published in various
books and periodicals. Since we are now reaching a time where some individuals
contained in the records are still living, there are fewer records published.
For the past 70 years, you'll most likely have to go to the church where
the record was created (this applies to both Catholic and Protestant records).
COURTHOUSE
RECORDS
Documents
filed in the courthouse often list family members and relationships. As
mentioned earlier, the courthouse is the repository for marriage records,
successions, land records, and a variety of other records. There are often
indices available that make it easier to locate someone.
A more
detailed discussion of courthouse records is at Cajun
Genealogy in the 19th Century.
COMPILED
WORKS
Again,
the books now cover smaller areas and time periods. The total number of
Acadian descendants in Louisiana reaches tens of thousands and even hundreds
of thousands. You need to look at the specific area (person, place,
surname) in which you are interested to find information.
Check out the Book List page, though it
is by no means complete.
OTHER
RESOURCES
-
NEWSPAPERS:Newspapers
are good sources for obituaries, birth notices, and marriage information.
Some have had their information indexed, especially the obituaries.
-
PEOPLE:The
best and easiest resource is often the older members of the family. They
can often give information that will take you back to the 1800's.
-
FAMILY
DOCUMENTS:
Your family (and
that includes collateral relatives ... aunts, uncles, cousins) may have
copies of marriage licenses, oral history, birth certificates, etc.
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