Rapides Parish
Louisiana Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Rapides Parish LAGHN

Welcome to the Rapides Parish Louisiana Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Rapides Parish, Louisiana genealogy or history information, send an email to laghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Louisiana Parishes, visit the Louisiana Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate parish.

About Rapides Parish, Louisiana...

Pierre Baillio secured the land grant for the Kent House off Bayou Rapides in 1795, but it wasn’t until years later that the town of Alexandria was officially laid out on a map and incorporated. Industrialist Alexander Fulton requested the town’s first land survey in 1805, according to records at the Louisiana History Museum on Washington Street. That museum sits directly in the center of the 91-block area plotted out by Fulton.

As the Union Army retreated down the Red River in 1864, Union soldiers plundered downtown Alexandria, population 5,000. First-person written accounts describe a chaotic scene of destruction and heartbreak as area residents watched their businesses and homes be burnt to the ground.

The soldiers decimated 90 percent of the town. Courthouse records and valuable library volumes were destroyed, taking some of the parish’s history with it. “If that had not happened, you might wonder what kind of historical buildings we’d have from the antebellum period,” said Jerry Sanson, history professor at Louisiana State University in Alexandria. “The Kent House is about the only one left, because it was located a little further away from the path of destruction.”

In the mid-19th century, Rapides Parish was poised to be the scholarly center of the state with the new land grant university located near Pineville. The institution, now known as Louisiana State University, opened Jan. 2, 1860, with 19 cadets and five professors. However, another unfortunate fire in 1869 changed the destiny of the state’s premier institute of higher learning. Classes were moved out the charred building in Pineville and resumed in Baton Rouge, where the main campus remains today with more than 34,000 students and faculty. “If LSU had stayed here -- oh, my gosh -- that would have made a tremendous difference in Rapides Parish,” Sanson said. He explained that could have largely shifted the state’s economy into Central Louisiana with the creation of a more-educated workforce and the need for businesses to serve so many students and faculty. “There would be a large difference in quality   ....READ MORE

Rapides Parish, Louisiana Records

Birth Records - The Louisiana State office maintains records for 100 years after the date of birth. Birth records are considered confidential for the first 100 years. For current information on who may obtain a birth record as well as how to submit a request visit the Office of Public Health, Vital Records Registry website or write to them at PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Birth records older than 100 years are available through the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Death Records - The Louisiana State office maintains records for 100 years after the date of death. Death records are considered confidential for the first 100 years. For current information on who may obtain a death record as well as how to submit a request visit the Office of Public Health, Vital Records Registry website or write to them at PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Death records older than 100 years are available through the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Marriage Records - For current information on how to submit a request for a certified copy of a Parish marriage record less than 50 years old, see the Louisiana Office of Public Health Director, Vital Records and Statistics website or write to PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Certified copies for the parish are issued by Clerk of Court. For the address of the parish Clerk of Court visit the Rapides Parish Important Addresses page. Marriage records over 50 years are stored by the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Divorce Records - To obtain current information on how to submit a request for a certified copy of divorce records contact the Clerk of Court. For the address of the parish Clerk of Court visit the Important Parish Addresses page.