Library Guides: Louisiana Information Sources: A Guide: Genealogy & Biography

Intro

Looking for information on specific historical figures or ancestors from Louisiana? Below are some key resources.

Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Provides access to family history via documents that record the lineage of individuals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and more.

The City Archives & Special Collections (New Orleans Public Library)
City Archives & Special Collections at the New Orleans Public Library's main branch includes an extensive Genealogy Collection, containing books, periodicals and microfilms with emphasis on New Orleans, Louisiana, the Southeast United States, Nova Scotia, France, and Spain.
Genealogy - Louisiana State Library
The State Library’s comprehensive collection of Louisiana materials includes genealogical resources, including census records; ship passenger lists for the Port of New Orleans; military service and parish records on microfilm; current and historical city directories and telephone books for Louisiana cities and towns; journals published by state genealogical and historical societies; and Louisiana and southeastern U.S. genealogy and family histories.
Sacramental Records of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has digitized baptism, marriage, and funeral records from 1772 to 1818--falling within Spanish colonial rule (1762-1802)--of people of African descent.
U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Includes New Orleans City Directories from 1861-1960, as well as other Louisiana cities. Use the dropdown menu to browse by city and year, or the search box to look for specific names.

City and Business Directories: Louisiana, 1805-1929 This link opens in a new window
Sourced from the Library of Congress, City and Business Directories: Louisiana, 1805-1929 contains 92 digitized directories that provide a window on the names, occupations, and addresses of people living in Louisiana in the 19th and early 20th centuries. City Directories are one of the few means available for researchers to uncover information about day-to-day life through analysis of information on churches, public and private schools, benevolent, literary and other associations, and banks.

Dictionary of Louisiana Biography
The Dictionary of Louisiana Biography is a three-volume set of books (volume I & II were published in 1988 and a supplement was published in 1998), which was a collaboration between the Louisiana Historical Association and the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This webpage includes the contents of those volumes, with a linked alphabetical index. Each biographical entry is listed by Last Name, First Name, and includes a brief synopsis of the person's life with select bibliographical references for further reading.