Staff Picks: Genealogy Books

African American Genealogical Sourcebook. Byers, Paula. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. A comprehensive source for locating African American ancestry. Offers information on what to know before beginning research, problems that might be encountered, locating research materials, records specific to African Americans, and resources available at the federal, state and local levels. (Others in the series include Native American Genealogical Sourcebook, Asian American Genealogical Sourcebook and Hispanic American Genealogical Sourcebook.)
The Large Slaveholders of Louisiana, 1860. Menn, Joseph Karl. New Orleans: Pelican Publishing, 1964. This thesis has detailed tables slaveholders, number of slaves, crops, etc. for the 48 parishes that existed in 1860.
Black Family Research — Records of Post-Civil War Federal Agencies at the National Archives. Washington, Reginald. Reference Information Paper 108. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2010.
A genealogist's Guide to Discovering your African-American Ancestors: how to find and record your unique heritage. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 2003. Offers step-by-step instructions for researching slave and free-black ancestors.
Two resources listed under the General Resources, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives and The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy have excellent sections on African American research.

Louisiana Tombstone Inscriptions. Shreveport, LA: Daughters of the American Revolution, Louisiana Society. A multi-volume, multi-parish listing of tombstone inscriptions.
An index of old cemetery and church records in Louisiana. National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Louisiana. Historical Activities Committee. No publisher listed. Index of Louisiana cemeteries by denominations, cemeteries by Parish, and list of books available. La 929.3 Nat.

Colonial Louisiana Resources

First Settlers Of Pointe Coupee. De Ville, Winston. New Orleans, Polyanthos [c1974]. Arranged by surname, with birth, death, baptism information from Early Louisiana Church records, 1737-1750.
LA Colonials – Soldiers & Vagabonds. De Ville, Winston. Mobile : [s.n.], 1963. Gives the soldier’s name, age, place he is from, occupation, and height and hair color.
Attakapas Post - The Census of 1771. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte, La. : De Ville, c1986. A census that gives the names of the head of household, number of members in the household, number of slaves, livestock and agriculture.
French Troops In The Mississippi Valley & On The Gulf Coast, 1745. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte, La. : [s.n.], 1986. A troop listing by company with rank included.
The Acadian Families In 1686. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte, La. : De Ville, c1986. A census that includes names of family members, their ages, amount of land, livestock and agriculture.
Southwest Louisiana Families in 1777. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte, La. : De Ville, c1987. A census with head of household and family members listed with ages.
Gulf Coast Colonials. De Ville, Winston. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co.,1968. A listing of Colonials along the gulf coast. It includes occupations, birthplaces and dates, burials, and a listing of the gulf Coast Colonial priests.
Louisiana Recruits, 1752-1758 : ship lists of troops from the independent [sic] companies of the navy destined for service in the French colony of Louisiana. De Ville, Winston. Cottonport, [La.] : Polyanthos, c1973. Name of the soldier and his birthplace and profession. It also has his parent’s names, including mother’s maiden name.
Louisiana Troops, 1720-1770. De Ville, Winston. Clearfield Publishing. Alphabetical by soldier surname. Information may include soldier’s rank, why he came to Louisiana, ship he came over on, if he deserted, death and discharge information.
Louisiana Soldiers in The American Revolution. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte : Smith Books, 1991. A list of Louisiana soldiers that fought in the Revolution.
The Acadian coast in 1779: settlers of Cabanocey and La Fourche in the Spanish Province of Louisiana during the American Revolution. De Ville, Winston. Ville Platte, La. : W. De Ville, c1993. Census with the name of the head of household, number of family members, amount of agriculture, and a listing of soldiers.

The Handy Book for Genealogists: United States of America. Everton, George B. Logan, UT: Everton Publishers. Arranged by state and includes a brief state history, contact information for genealogical archives, libraries and societies, available census and printed resources, and what each county has to offer.
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Szucs, Loretto Dennis. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated. A comprehensive “how to” genealogical source with explanatory and contact information on locating a variety of genealogical records, researching ethnic ancestry, military, immigration, census, etc.
Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. Washington, D.C.: Published for National Archives and Records Service by the National Archives Trust Fund Board. Comprehensive source explaining what is available in the National Archives for genealogical research, how to obtain the records and how to use them.

Encyclopedia of Forts, Posts, Named Camps, and Other Military Installations in Louisiana, 1700-1981. Powell A. Casey. Short descriptions of over 800 forts and military installations in Louisiana between 1700 and 1981. Arranged alphabetically with an index. Includes bibliography of sources for further study. Maps and photographs are included. No longer in print
Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812. Pierson, Marion John Bennett. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society, 1963. Lists of Louisiana soldiers in the War of 1812.
Louisiana in the War of 1812. Casey, Powel A. Baton Rouge, 1968. Lists of Louisiana soldiers in the War of 1812.
Records of Louisiana Confederate Soldiers & Louisiana Confederate Commands. Booth, Andrew B. Spartanburg, SC: The Reprint Company, Publishers. A three-volume set arranged alphabetically by soldier’s surname with a summary of the soldier’s service record. Also available online at http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/military/wbts.htm.
Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865. Bergeron, Arthur W. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. A history of Louisiana military units during the Civil War with summaries of action seen and officers.

Native American Genealogical Sourcebook. Byers, Paula. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. A comprehensive source for locating Native American ancestry. Offers information on what to know before beginning research, problems that might be encountered, locating research materials, records specific to Native Americans, and resources available at the federal, state and local levels. (Others in the series include African American Genealogical Sourcebook, Asian American Genealogical Sourcebook and Hispanic American Genealogical Sourcebook.)
Cherokee by Blood : Records of Eastern Cherokee ancestry in the US Court of Claims, 1906-1910 / compiled by Jerry Wright Jordan. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1987-1997. Nine volumes of applications. Based on the "Report of Guion Miller, Special Commissioner to the U.S. Court of Claims, 1906-1910." Includes indexes.
A Guide to Tracing American Indian & Alaska Native Ancestry. Washington, DC: Office of Public Affairs-Indian Affairs, US Department of the Interior. A guide to Tribal enrollment, membership, and researching your ancestry.
Native American Wills and Probate Records, 1911-1921. Bowen, Jeff. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1997. After discovering eight volumes of Native American wills and probate records (2568 un-microfilmed pages) in the National Archives, Jeff Bowen created this resource.
Notes: Two resources listed under the General Resources, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives and The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy have excellent sections on Native-American research.

Index to Certificates of Naturalization, 1831-1906 [microform]. Fort Worth, Texas: National Archives, Southwest Region. New Orleans District Office, 1990. Index to naturalization certificates for Louisiana covering 1831 to 1906, which may include name, address, age, date of birth, date and port of arrival, date of naturalization, address of the court issuing the certificate and volume and page number where the certificate is located.
Passenger & Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of About 500,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries and 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986-90, 1991, 1992 Supplements. Filby, William. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company. Index of immigrants arriving to America. Index is arranged by surname and includes immigration information for individuals, plus source where information was found.

Louisiana Places: A Collection of Columns. Clare D’Artois Leeper, 1976. Basic resource. A collection of short newspaper columns giving thumbnail histories and background of Louisiana towns. No longer in print.
Louisiana Post Offices. John J. Germann. Lake Grove OR: The Depot, 1990. (Box 2093, Lake Grove OR 97035). List of places with post offices since 1803, even if discontinued. Arranged by parish, post office data includes dates established and name of postmaster. Indexed. Maps show all known locations for each parish. Some photographs.
American State Papers. Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc. $750.00/set. A multi-volume set of land records, covering public lands and claims, 1832-1861.
Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana: Embracing an Authentic and Comprehensive Account of the Chief Events in the History of the State, A Special Sketch of Every Parish and a Record of the Lives of Many of the Most Worthy and Illustrious Families. Baton Rouge: Claitor’s Publishing, 1975. Reprint of the 1892 3-volume set. Sketches of state, parish and city histories, plantations and people prominent in Louisiana. The extensive index (volume 3) is in two parts-personal name (all names mentioned) and subject (bayous, newspapers, steamboats, crevasses, etc.) No longer in print. Excellent for pre-1892 subjects.
A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography. Glenn R. Conrad, editor. Lafayette: Louisiana Historical Association, 1988. About 2,500 short biographical sketches of deceased Louisianans from all chronological periods, racial, religious and ethnic groups with genealogical data, personal accomplishments, etc. All-name index. Ten-year Supplement, 1988-1998 (Lafayette: Louisiana Historical Association, 1999) has 458 biographical sketches.

Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records. Diocese of Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge: Diocese of Baton Rouge, Department of Archives. A multi-volume set of sacramental records covering 1756 to 1900 for the Diocese of Baton Rouge with information arranged by surname.
South Louisiana Records: Church and Civil Records of Lafourche-Terrebonne Parishes. Hebert, Donald J. Rayne, LA: Hebert Publications. A multi-volume set of sacramental records covering 1794 to 1903 for Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes with information arranged by surname.
Southwest Louisiana Records: Church and Civil Records of Settlers. Hebert, Donald J. Rayne, LA: Hebert Publications. A multi-volume set of sacramental records covering 1756 to 1915 for Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermillion parishes with information arranged by surname.
Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Woods, Earl C. New Orleans: Archives of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. A multi-volume set of New Orleans sacramental records covering 1718 to 1831 with information arranged by surname.
Hunting For Bears. Murray, Nicholas. (A series. Publication dates vary.) Independence, LA: Murray Publishers. A computerized index of marriages by parish. Source is published by parish and alphabetized by groom and bride, with date of marriage and spouse’s name.

Vertical Files. Available at the State Library of Louisiana and include newspaper articles, pamphlets, reports, etc. The vertical file dates to the 1920s and is still being kept.
Louisiana: A Guide to the State. (American Guide Series) Originally published in 1941 as part of the WPA Writer’s Program, includes tours of state and an excellent index to locate plantation homes (some no longer in existence) and towns. Good historical information. No longer in print but available via Google Books.
Parish Resources and Facilities: Survey. Published by individual parish development boards, 1940’s and 1950’s. Relates history, description and government of each parish (some parishes did not participate in this project). Mentions schools, hospitals, businesses. Includes index of photographs. Basic information for students’ parish reports. Not copyrighted.
County-Parish Boundaries in Louisiana. Historical Records Survey, Louisiana. Reprint of compilation of official acts of the Louisiana Legislature establishing the political boundaries between the various parishes. No longer in print.
Louisiana 1810 Census Index. Jackson, Ronald Vern. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, Inc. (Also 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 available.) Index to the 1810 Federal Louisiana census. Information is listed by head of household providing parish where he/she was living when the census was taken and page number to locate the person/family on microfilm.
Louisiana Business Directory. American Business Directories (PO Box 27347, Omaha NE 68127, 403-93-4600). Annual. Contains information on 170,000 businesses taken from Louisiana telephone yellow pages. Listed by subject heading as well as by city. Includes full contact information, owner/manager, number of employees and estimated sales. Expensive. Recommended for larger library systems.

African-American Resources

Cemetery Resources

General Genealogy Resources and Guides

Military Resources

Native-American Resources

Passenger and Immigration Resources

Places

Sacramental Records

More Resources