West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Genealogy
Guide to West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Louisiana, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Louisiana in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 31, 1807 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Port Allen | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Address | 850 8th Street Port Allen, LA 70767 | ||||||||
| Website: wbrcouncil.org | |||||||||
| |||||||||
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 the bâton rouge, French for red stick. The County has Port Allen as its seat and the County was created March 31, 1807. The County is located in the central area of the state. [1]
West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1793 | 1914 | 1800s | 1800s | 1800s | 1700s |
Parish Courthouse[edit | edit source]
West Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse
PO Box 107
Port Allen, LA 70767-0757
Phone: 225.383.0378
Clerk Court has birth, marriage, probate and land records.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent Parish[edit | edit source]
- 1807--West Baton Rouge Parish was created 31 March 1807 from Pointe Coupee Parish.
Parish seat: Port Allen [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]
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 | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
|
|
| Census-designated places | ||
Neighboring Parishes or Counties[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- Louisiana African American Griots Project
- Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
- 1719-1820 - West Baton Rouge Parish Slave Records (Genealogy Trails)
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- West Baton Rouge Parish Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to West Baton Rouge Parish Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on West Baton Rouge Parish cemeteries.
- Interment.net Louisiana cemetery records by Parish.
- African American Cemeteries, listing by county
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1810 | 1,463 | — |
| 1820 | 2,335 | 59.6% |
| 1830 | 3,084 | 32.1% |
| 1840 | 4,638 | 50.4% |
| 1850 | 6,270 | 35.2% |
| 1860 | 7,312 | 16.6% |
| 1870 | 5,114 | −30.1% |
| 1880 | 7,667 | 49.9% |
| 1890 | 8,363 | 9.1% |
| 1900 | 10,285 | 23.0% |
| 1910 | 12,636 | 22.9% |
| 1920 | 11,092 | −12.2% |
| 1930 | 9,716 | −12.4% |
| 1940 | 11,263 | 15.9% |
| 1950 | 11,738 | 4.2% |
| 1960 | 14,796 | 26.1% |
| 1970 | 16,864 | 14.0% |
| 1980 | 19,086 | 13.2% |
| 1990 | 19,419 | 1.7% |
| 2000 | 21,601 | 11.2% |
| 2010 | 23,788 | 10.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- West Baton Rouge Parish Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- Louisiana Census Images (USGenWeb Census Images Project)
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]
- West Baton Rouge Parish Court Records (USGenWeb Archives)
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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for West Baton Rouge 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.
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]
- Louisiana Military History Online
- 1818-1872 - West Baton Rouge Pensioners, 1818-1872 (Genealogy Trails)
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]
- 1917-1920 - 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
- West Baton Rouge Enlistments, World War II (Genealogy Trails)
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 Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a West Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge Parish Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to West Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge 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]
- 1847-1853 - West Baton Rouge Parish Birth Records (Genealogy Trails)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1837–1957 - Louisiana, Parish Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- West Baton Rouge Parish Marriage Records (Genealogy Trails)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1875, 1894-1960 - Louisiana Deaths, 1850-1875, 1894-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- West Baton Rouge Parish Death Records (Genealogy Trails)
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- West Baton Rouge Genealogical Society
PO Box 1126
Port Allen, LA 70767-1126
Facebook - West Baton Rouge Museum and Historical Society
845 North Jefferson Avenue
Port Allen, LA 70767-2417
Phone: 225-336-2422 or 1-888-881-6811
Fax: 225-336-3448
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 Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (USGenWeb Archives)
- FamilySearch Catalog
- West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails)
- West Baton Rouge Parish LA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Baton_Rouge_Parish,_Louisiana."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Baton Rouge 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 Carroll 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 Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Baton_Rouge_Parish,_Louisiana, accessed 9 January 2020.
