Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Louisiana death notices.
Louisiana obituary records are a valuable source of information when it comes to family history documentation or other genealogy records projects. Some people still prefer to do the work in person, while others prefer working online to gather data like this. Collecting vital records, like Louisiana death certificates, is usually best if both methods are used. Utilizing both approaches tends to do away with gaps in the records you are creating.
You will find that if you can track down the county information for the obituary you are seeking, you will save time and frustration. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, though. Louisiana does have a few statewide indexes online. In fact, one has documentation for as far back as 1850. Some sites, as well as offline services, will require a fee and some are free of charge. Often times, the more detailed the documents or farther back the date, the more likely there will be a fee.
Narrowing down the search to specific counties in the state can help you track down early dates too, if needed. This is a state with much rich history, and there are many records to look through to find what you need. New Orleans, for instance, has a death index database starting from 1804. This is also an area of the state with extensive cemetery and burial records, especially after having to move graves from certain cemeteries. While some records were lost because of that or because of fires, this can be a good way to locate other data.
Also, online you can order records like birth certificates for Louisiana. Use any type of records possible when doing your genealogy record compiling. If you can, you should also do research online to locate where it is you want to visit in Louisiana to retrieve records in person. Get physical locations, contact names and numbers and even email addresses of people who may be able to help you. If possible, make contact before visiting a location so people will be expecting you and can maybe gather the data for you.
Aside from cemeteries, libraries are a great source of information in person to find out about death records. Find out if the county you are looking for in the state has the data in one main library or divided between the different branches. This will save you a great deal of trouble as opposed to driving from location to location to find what you are looking for.
If traveling to another county, or the state itself, is not possible try to enlist some help. Library employees or volunteers may be able to assist with your record retrieving. Or, check with Louisiana genealogy groups who may have volunteers willing to help find the Louisiana obituary records you need.
There are very few places in the world quite like Louisiana. It is a place where thousands of people move to from other places and retire to and it is a place that has done an excellent job of putting many newspaper and library databases online. If you are looking for Louisiana Obituaries, consider just a few of the following links.
RootsWeb has a page dedicated to the Baton Rouge area where you can look up listings from the 1950's and from 1980-1991. The USGenWeb Archives have a page dedicated to the amazing city of New Orleans. You can search listings extracted from various area newspapers, including the Times-Picayune. The Washington Parish Library offers listings from all over Washington Parish, including snippets taken from a half dozen local newspapers.
Other than these main areas, many local libraries and local newspapers have archives online that you can search through, but many charge a small fee or haven't been updated in a while. You may be better off contacting the newspaper in the area you are searching by phone to see what they can send you via snail mail. Louisiana is a place where time moves a bit slower and the locals here wouldn't want it any other way.
Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Louisiana death notices.
The Jefferson Parish Library already contains over seventy thousand Louisiana death notices as it has registered the obituaries from 1972 through 1978 from the local paper, the Times-Picayune. It is regularly updated for the years following so that it grows ever more complete toward the present day's publications, with the goal of becoming a full searchable database.
Below is a list of Louisiana newspaper obituaries to aid in genealogical research.
Local newspapers have strong roots to the community and are invaluable resources when searching for information on specific deaths. The Alexandria Daily Town Talk covers news for Alexandria, Pineville, and Central Louisiana. Obituaries contained in the Town Talk have detailed biographical information, funeral details, and room to leave tributes or comments.
The Courier features news from Houma and Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The Courier publishes obituaries for residents of the area, which appear on their Houma Today site. On the left is a list of recently archived obituaries. For older notice, a search box is located on the top of the page.
Residents of Lafourche Parish and Thibodaux in Louisiana are served by the Courier's sister paper, the Daily Comet. Obituaries are published online through the Courier's electronic version, Houma Today. In the center of the page are the current day's obituaries. To the left is a list of recently archived obituaries.
The Daily Iberian is the website to go to for those who are looking for news from New Iberia, Louisiana. The site makes it easy to gain access to obituaries, which are about people who used to live in the area or who did at the time of death, by providing a tab link at the very top of every page.
With a very French name, the L'Observateur brings a touch of the Creole heritage to its pages for those who live in southern Louisiana. Readers of the site can access obituaries on the page easily by clicking on the obituaries tab which resides at the very top of the page under the title of the site.
St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana has been graced with newspapers from the St. Tammany News for many years, and the online site offers much news and information for the area as well. Readers who are looking for obituaries can access them by clicking on the obituary tab at the very top of the page.