East Baton Rouge Parish has one of the more outstanding repositories of records in this part of the United States.  They were not ravaged by war, civil anarchy, massive fires and storms.  Our office has worked diligently to save our older records from neglect, deterioration and even disappearance.  We invite you to utilize our records in your genealogical research and we hope that you experience the satisfaction that comes with success in such research.

The researcher who is visiting from another state should be aware that in all parishes in Louisiana except Orleans, the functions of a county clerk and a court clerk are combined in one office with several departments.

The Clerk of Court's Office is the repository for many records dating back to 1782 which deal with almost everyone who ever lived, died, owned property, sued or was sued in the Parish of East Baton Rouge. The focus of the holdings of the Louisiana State Archives is toward elected and appointed office holders. The focus of the Genealogy Section of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library (located on Bluebonnet Blvd.) is toward persons who have lived in many locations about whom volumes have been published. The Archives of the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court's Office, on the other hand, contains the unpublished but public records of ordinary citizens of the Parish since the creation of the Parish in 1810.

The Genealogy Department receives inquiries into old records quite often. In many cases, these inquiries involve records which this office does not have. It is the function of the Genealogy Department to recognize the type and location of the information being sought and to refer the inquiry to the proper office or agency. Referral of inquiries is often made to the Louisiana State Archives, the Office of Vital Records, the Archives of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Archives of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the Clerk's Offices of many other parishes and counties outside Louisiana. This office receives many requests for birth or death certificates.  Statewide registration of births and deaths in Louisiana began in 1920. Records which are over 50 years old are stored at the Louisiana State Archives. Records less than 50 years old are available at the Office of Vital Records in New Orleans. A Satellite Office is located in the East Baton Rouge Parish Health Unit Building at 353 N. 12 th St, Baton Rouge, La 70802 or contact them at (225) 342-1930.

Our office contains recorded documents, indexed, from 1811 to the present and filed documents, indexed, from 1808 to the present.  Additionally, the researcher will find the 19-volume Spanish West Florida Records, compiled and translated under the supervision of Stanley Clisby Arthur and covering the period 1782-1810.  The Spanish West Florida Records are the records of the Commandant of the Post of  Baton Rouge, the jurisdiction of which included the present-day parishes of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, St. Helena and Livingston.  Also the American State Papers (1789-1834) dealing with early land grants and land patents from the Federal Government; Marriage Licenses (1840-Present); Parish Judge's Books (1811-1846) dealing primarily with land transactions, however Parish Judges often acted as Notaries for certain acts; Sheriff's Sales (1813-1868) contain land seizures and any acts recorded by the Sheriff; Notarial Books (1812-1867) include any transaction by a Notary; Civil, Criminal, and Probate Records (1811-Present).

The following is a list of various records that are also available for research:

• Conveyance Books (1846-Present)
• Mortgage Judgment Books (1811-1846)
• Mortgage Books (1846-Present)
• Donation Books (1827-1984)
• Military Discharge Records (1923-1979)
• Cattle Brand Books (1950, 1955, 1960)
• Doctor's Certificates (1882-1988)
• Register of Nurses (1935-1948)
• Railroad Conditional Sales (1954-1976)
• Bearing Trees (1872)
• Petition- Oath of Witnesses (Naturalizations) (1904-1906)
• Certificates of Engineers & Architects (1908-1958)
• Abstracts of U.S. Land Entries & Selections (1830-1895)
• Tax Assessment Rolls (1871-1977)
• Original Township Maps (1872)
• Kaiser and Swensson Map (1895)
• Magnolia Cemetery Plots Map (1915)
• Revised Plan Map Records (1811-1940)
• Plantations Along the Mississippi (1858)

Anyone interested in Genealogy research is invited to contact the Genealogy Department of the Clerk of Court's Office at (225) 389-3988, or send your request by mail to: