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New Orleans (Orleans Parish) Louisiana Civil Marriage Records In the19th century, New Orleans was one of the largest cities in the United States. As such, it had a sophisticated system of recording vital records, including births, marriages, and deaths. Fortunately for historians and genealogists, these records have been preserved. In Louisiana, all marriage records are public documents; there are no time restrictions. The marriage license system in Orleans Parish has changed a few times over the years. Information on the marriage record systems used can be found on the website of the Louisiana Division of the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL): http://nutrias.org/guides/genguide/marriagerecords.htm 1846-1880 The Justice of the Peace license system was in use from 1846 to 1880. For this time period, the only records that are available are the licenses. These rarely include the names of the parents, but occasionally the father is included, especially if the bride was underage. The originals of these records are today held by the City Archives in New Orleans. Read more about this system here: http://nutrias.org/~nopl/inv/neh/nehva.htm#va6 Indexes -- One index of these records is a card index at the Louisiana Division of the NOPL. That complete card index is now available online here: http://nutrias.org/~nopl/inv/jpmarrindex/jpmarrindex.htm Note: This index is useful as it allows a user to see all of the names in order. These records are also in an index created by FamilySearch.org: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1674881 Note: This index can be more useful than the NOPL index since it allows the use of wildcards (*). With a "call number" and page numbers (obtainable from the NOPL index), a copy of the license, recorded on one or two large pages, can be ordered from the Louisiana Division of the NOPL. See: http://nutrias.org/info/louinfo/louinfo2.htm#marriages Note: As would be expected, the NOPL index and the FamilySearch index often interpret the same name in quite different ways, so it is important to check both indexes. 1870-1974 Marriage Records from the New Orleans Board of Health was the system in use from 1870 to 1974. Per the Louisiana Division: "In 1974, responsibility for registering marriages in Orleans Parish was assumed by the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources (now Department of Health and Hospitals)." An explanation of this system can be found here: http://nutrias.org/guides/genguide/marriagerecords.htm Note: Between 1870 and 1880, both systems were apparently in use, as some marriages are recorded in both systems. For the “Board of Health” period (1870-1974), three different records may be available: 1a. The contracting parties would be granted a marriage license by the Recorder of Births, Marriages and Deaths, which gave permission to a clergyman, justice of the peace, etc. to perform the marriage. A typical marriage license from the 1930s can be seen here (the top document of the four): http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~neworleans/marriage/ 1b. Either during or immediately after performing the marriage, the officiant would complete the reverse side of the license and have the parties and witnesses sign it. This completed license would be returned to the Recorder’s office within ten days after the marriage. This is sometimes referred to as a “return.” The completed reverse side of a license is the second document at the above link. 2. After the license was returned, the Recorder’s office would record the information in a register, certifying that the marriage had indeed taken place. A sample of this certification is the third document at the above link. 3. The contracting parties received a certificate. These would have been kept by the families, but most are generally lost over the years. A sample of a certificate is the fourth document at the above link. After 1870, the register generally shows the names of the parents. Occasionally, however, the names were misspelled. Researchers often stop at just the Register entry. However, from the sample posted, it can be seen how much more information is available on the returned license: names of parents and signatures of the parties and witnesses. Indexes -- There are several indexes to these marriage records, both free and fee-based: (Free) Louisiana State Archives (1870 through current year minus about 50 years) http://goo.gl/hcLJ2P Original URL -- combine two lines below: http://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/ResearchHistoricalRecords/ LocateHistoricalRecords/Pages/OrleansParishMarriageRecords.aspx (Free) USGenWeb Archives Project, Orleans Parish, Louisiana (1870-1914) Search grooms by year: http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/orleans/marriage-gi.htm Search brides: http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/orleans/marriage-bi.htm (Fee-based) Ancestry.com (1870-1920) Note: 1920 is incomplete. http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6500 Copies of the original records can be ordered by mail for $5.00 from the Louisiana State Archives. When a record is found, click on "Order." Copies can be made in person at the Louisiana State Archives or the Louisiana Division of the NOPL. 1974-present In Louisiana, marriage records are public records. Recent marriage records (less than 50 years old) can be ordered from the Vital Records Registry: http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/643 Note: Occasionally New Orleans residents were married in one of the adjacent Louisiana parishes or nearby Mississippi: Jefferson Parish St. Bernard Parish Hancock County, Mississippi Return to previous page |
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