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Louisiana Notaries

Indexes, 1770-1966

New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Historical Notaries

The New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Historical Notaries Collection (1770–1966) is a valuable resource for genealogical and historical research. It captures legal transactions and notarial acts recorded by notaries in New Orleans over nearly two centuries, reflecting the city’s multicultural history and legal traditions rooted in French and Spanish civil law systems.

Key Features of the Collection

Types of Records Included:

  • Financial Transactions:
    • Loans, mortgages, and property sales.
  • Estate Proceedings:
    • Succession records and estate inventories.
  • Business Agreements:
    • Contracts and partnerships.
  • Property Deeds and Transfers:
    • Land sales, leases, and ownership disputes.
  • Transactions Involving Enslaved People (Pre-Civil War):
    • Bills of sale, manumission (freedom) agreements, and slave mortgages..
  • Marriage Contracts:
    • Prenuptial agreements documenting dowries and property rights.
  • Wills and Testaments:
    • Distributions of estates and inheritance details.

Historical Importance:

  • French and Spanish Legal Influence:
    • Louisiana’s legal system follows civil law traditions (unlike the common law system in most U.S. states). These records reflect Napoleonic Code practices, emphasizing detailed written contracts.
  • Multilingual Documents:
    • Records are often in French, Spanish, or English, showcasing Louisiana’s colonial heritage and multicultural identity.
  • Enslaved People’s Transactions:
    • These documents are crucial for tracing African American ancestry, identifying enslaved individuals by name, age, and occupation in transactions before 1865.
  • Cultural and Economic Insights:
    • Reveal patterns of trade, migration, and wealth distribution during Louisiana’s economic growth, including involvement in the sugarcane and cotton industries.

Limitations:

  • Indexes Only:
    • The collection primarily includes indexes rather than full documents, requiring researchers to access the original files from the Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans.
  • Handwritten Documents:
    • Many records are handwritten and may require translation from French or Spanish, especially for older entries.
  • Accessibility Challenges:
    • Original documents may need to be ordered or viewed in person at the Clerk’s office.

Value of the Records:

  • Tracing Enslaved Ancestors:
    • Identifies names, ages, physical descriptions, and relationships within sales or emancipation records.
    • Provides insight into slaveholder families and plantation locations.
  • Property and Family Connections:
    • Marriage contracts and wills document family wealth and inheritance patterns.
    • Estate settlements may clarify family relationships and migration paths.
  • Multigenerational Research:
    • Long chronological coverage allows tracing ancestry through several generations.

This records can also be found on FamilySearch, Search by notary name, date, or transaction type.

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