Accessing West Feliciana Parish Courthouse Records Online

#genealogy

Not everyone has the ability to travel to West Feliciana Parish to research historical records or is able to take off work to research when the Clerk of Court is open. I recently discovered that early West Feliciana records were scanned in the 1960's and are online through FamilySearch.org BUT here is the catch, you cannot access them from your home, they are only available at a FamilySearch Center OR a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Luckily, the West Feliciana Parish Library IS an affiliate library!

These records are NOT indexed, which means you cannot search by name. You basically have to "flip" through them like you would a book.

To access these hidden records:

1. Go to FamilySearch.org

2. Click on Search at the top of the site and click on Catalog

3. Make sure you are searching by Place and search for "West Feliciana Parish"

4. Under Availability, chose Online and click Search
   

The records available are as follows:

Donation, deeds of gift, 1842-1913

Notarial records, 1811-1901, with index

Probate records, including sales book and inventory record, 1811-1914

Marriage records, 1837-1904

Click on the camera icon to the right of the record set you want to view to see the images.

Each set of images has its own "setup" if you will. You'll have to learn that record set and keep notes so you can quickly navigate it in the future.

In many cases these records include names and ages of those enslaved. For example, in the "T" section of the index at the beginning of the Donation, deeds of gift, 1842-1913 image set shows us a donation from Daniel Turnbull and Martha H. Barrow to William B. Turnbull on page 55 & 56. After a few tries we find pages 55 & 56 are actually IMAGES 62 & 63 of the image set. Here we find that on June 7th 1854 Daniel Turnbull and his wife Martha H. Barrow donated to their son William B. Turnbull land and the following persons:

NAME	RECORDED GENDER	ASSUMED GENDER	AGE IN 1854	ESTIMATED BIRTH YEAR
Anthony	Not Recorded	Male	45	1809
Elenda	Not Recorded	Female	30	1824
Celia	Not Recorded	Female	16	1838
Sam	Not Recorded	Male	14	1840
Jane	Not Recorded	Female	10	1844
Lydia	Not Recorded	Female	4	1850
Nancy	Not Recorded	Female	4	1850
Ransy	Not Recorded	Unknown	25	1829
Rose	Not Recorded	Female	9	1845
Jenny	Not Recorded	Female	7	1847
Len	Not Recorded	Male	6	1848
Caroline	Not Recorded	Female	2	1852
Hannah	Not Recorded	Female	6	1848
Dave	Not Recorded	Male	34	1820
Milly	Not Recorded	Female	26	1828
Theodore	Not Recorded	Male	8	1846
Nat	Not Recorded	Male	3	1851
Jack	Not Recorded	Male	28	1826
Anna	Not Recorded	Female	25	1829
Amanda	Not Recorded	Female	4	1850
Alfred	Not Recorded	Male	30	1824
Letty	Not Recorded	Female	45	1809
Isabella	Not Recorded	Female	15	1839
P Henry	Not Recorded	Male	30	1824
Kizzy	Not Recorded	Female	27	1827
Henrietta	Not Recorded	Female	9	1845
Jim	Not Recorded	Male	7	1847
Clem	Not Recorded	Male	25	1829
Varise	Not Recorded	Female?	3	1851
Miander	Not Recorded	Female	10	1844
Tosco	Not Recorded	Male	30	1824
Hetty	Not Recorded	Female	13	1841
Reuben	Not Recorded	Male	11	1843
Celeste	Not Recorded	Female	8	1846
Joe	Not Recorded	Male	40	1814
Hannah	Not Recorded	Female	32	1822
Peggy	Not Recorded	Female	12	1842
Francesca	Not Recorded	Female	8	1846
Haria	Not Recorded	Female	6	1848
Monday	Not Recorded	Male	60	1794
Charlotte	Not Recorded	Female	50	1804
Nace	Not Recorded	Male	27	1827
Sucky	Not Recorded	Female	18	1836
Horace	Not Recorded	Male	10	1844
Balin	Not Recorded	Male	35	1819
Judy	Not Recorded	Female	22	1832
Angelica	Not Recorded	Female	8	1846
Hester	Not Recorded	Female	6	1848
Little Ben	Not Recorded	Male	33	1821
Linda	Not Recorded	Female	37	1817
Levi	Not Recorded	Male	9	1845
Big Henry	Not Recorded	Male	35	1819
Susan	Not Recorded	Female	26	1828
Donias	Not Recorded	Male?	18	1836
Isaac	Not Recorded	Male	47	1807
Rachel	Not Recorded	Female	32	1822
Fanny	Not Recorded	Female	65	1789
Abram	Not Recorded	Male	60	1794
Celia	Not Recorded	Female	47	1807
Johnekey	Not Recorded	Male	20	1834
Matilda	Not Recorded	Female	18	1836
Charity	Not Recorded	Female	14	1840
Rachel	Not Recorded	Female	9	1845
Tinny?	Not Recorded	Female?	60	1794
Big Ned	Not Recorded	Male	50	1804
Bachelor	Not Recorded	Male	19	1835
Little Ned	Not Recorded	Male	15	1839
Willis	Not Recorded	Male	13	1841
Elisha	Not Recorded	Male	11	1843
Nanny	Not Recorded	Female	43	1811
Amy	Not Recorded	Female	4	1850
August	Not Recorded	Male	6	1848
Phil	Not Recorded	Male	40	1814
Eliza	Not Recorded	Female	35	1819
Henrietta	Not Recorded	Female	16	1838
Setty	Not Recorded	Female	8	1846
Mariller	Not Recorded	Female	5	1849
Jerry	Not Recorded	Male	1	1853
Big Sam	Not Recorded	Male	30	1824
Nancy	Not Recorded	Female	30	1824
Jack	Not Recorded	Male	7	1847
Sidney	Not Recorded	Male?	5	1849
Davidson	Not Recorded	Male	20	1834
Mary	Not Recorded	Female	21	1833
Pyionas	Not Recorded	Female?	1	1853
Delphe	Not Recorded	Female	30	1824
Sabria	Not Recorded	Female	14	1840
Bazil	Not Recorded	Male	28	1826
Margaret	Not Recorded	Female	24	1830
Little Sam	Not Recorded	Male	26	1828
Lovey	Not Recorded	Female	21	1833
Ben	Not Recorded	Male	30	1824
Pink	Not Recorded	Male	28	1826
Treadwell	Not Recorded	Male	19	1835
Old Henry	Not Recorded	Male	28	1826
Old Harry	Not Recorded	Male	60	1794
Old Priss	Not Recorded	Female	55	1799
Wilson	Not Recorded	Male	11	1843
Saul	Not Recorded	Male	23	1831
Old Maria	Not Recorded	Female	60	1794
Aggy	Not Recorded	Female?	7	1847
George	Not Recorded	Male	40	1814
Nathan	Not Recorded	Male	2	1852
Lydia	Not Recorded	Female	10	1844

While tedious, knowing how to access these records is a must!