West Feliciana Parish Obituary Records

West Feliciana Parish obituary records and death certificates span more than two centuries, with land records going back to 1811 and marriage records from 1879. The Clerk of Court in St. Francisville handles recent death certificates, while the Louisiana State Archives and Vital Records Registry cover older deaths. This page explains how to access death records across all time periods in West Feliciana Parish.

West Feliciana Parish Clerk of Court

The West Feliciana Parish Clerk of Court is at 4785 Prosperity Street, St. Francisville, LA 70775. The phone is (225) 635-3794 and the fax is (225) 635-3770. Email the office at westfelcoc@gmail.com. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1843, St. Francisville, LA 70775. The clerk's website is at westfelicianaclerkofcourt.org.

West Feliciana Parish is part of the 20th Judicial District Court, which it shares with East Feliciana Parish. The parish was created from Feliciana Parish on February 17, 1824. Records held by the clerk go back quite far. Land records are available from 1811. Marriage records date from 1879. Divorce, probate, and court records are available from 1900. This makes West Feliciana one of the more historically rich parishes in the state for genealogy research.

The clerk's office handles death certificates for deaths registered from July 7, 2012 forward. For older deaths, contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry or the State Archives depending on the year. Call the clerk's office at (225) 635-3794 to confirm current fees and what ID is required before you visit.

The West Feliciana Parish Clerk of Court website at westfelicianaclerkofcourt.org lists office services and contact details. The image below shows the clerk's official site.

The clerk's site covers the range of records services available at the St. Francisville courthouse, including probate, land, marriage, and divorce records going back to the early 1800s.

Historical West Feliciana Parish Death Records

West Feliciana Parish has an unusually long record history for a Louisiana parish. The depth of local records reflects the parish's early settlement going back to Spanish colonial times. For deaths before state registration began in 1911, the most useful sources are church registers, older courthouse archives in St. Francisville, and early probate records held by the clerk's office from 1900 onward.

For deaths between 1911 and 1974, contact the Louisiana State Archives at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Phone is (225) 922-1206. The Archives hold microfilmed death certificates for that period. Older records in this collection can be very useful for West Feliciana Parish research since the parish's early settlement predates most formal state registration systems.

For deaths from 1975 to the present that are not yet 50 years old, contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Phone is (504) 593-5100. Under R.S. 40:41, death records remain confidential for 50 years from the year of death. Only eligible family members and legal representatives can access them during that window.

Additional records resources for West Feliciana Parish are listed at publicrecords.com and genealogy sites. The image below shows a records resource page for the parish.

This records resource page outlines sources for West Feliciana Parish historical records, which can be especially useful for families tracing deep roots in St. Francisville and surrounding communities.

Note: For deaths before 1911 in West Feliciana Parish, church registers and older probate files at the St. Francisville courthouse may be the only surviving documentation.

Who Can Access West Feliciana Death Certificates

Louisiana's closed-record law restricts who may get certified death certificates for deaths in the past 50 years. Only specific people qualify. These include the surviving spouse, parents, adult children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren of the person named on the certificate. Those outside this list need a court order or must wait until 50 years pass.

Attorneys acting for eligible clients must use firm letterhead and provide their Louisiana bar roll number. Insurance beneficiaries need a signed policy copy. Succession representatives must show a certified Letter of Testamentary. Once the death record is more than 50 years old, it is public. Search the Secretary of State's online index at vitalrecords.sos.la.gov. Uncertified copies are $5.00. Certified copies are $10.00.

Under R.S. 44:19, fact of death letters are public records that close family can request at any time. This is a useful option when the full death certificate is still confidential but you need some official documentation of the death for estate or legal purposes.

Online Search for West Feliciana Obituary Records

The Louisiana Secretary of State's online index at sos.la.gov covers deaths more than 50 years old. Search by name and order copies online. This is the most convenient way to access historical West Feliciana Parish death records without a trip to Baton Rouge or New Orleans.

For recent deaths, VitalChek at 1-877-605-8562 handles phone and online orders. Extra fees apply on top of the standard death certificate cost. The full ordering process is described at ldh.la.gov. Mail-in requests follow rules set by La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § V-11707. You must state your relationship to the deceased and pay by check or money order. No cash by mail.

Genealogy and Obituary Research in West Feliciana

West Feliciana Parish is one of Louisiana's oldest settled areas. Genealogy research here often goes much further back than in most other parishes. The combination of land records from 1811, marriage records from 1879, and probate records from 1900 gives researchers multiple parallel tracks to follow when tracing family history.

Local newspapers in the St. Francisville area have covered the parish for many decades. Funeral homes in St. Francisville post current obituaries online. For older research, the Louisiana State Library and the State Archives are key resources. Church records in the area, including Catholic and Protestant parish registers from the early 1800s, can fill gaps when official records are missing. The parish's proximity to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola also means some historical death records may relate to that facility's population.

Cities in West Feliciana Parish

West Feliciana Parish is a rural parish in east-central Louisiana. St. Francisville is the parish seat. For all death certificate requests and historical records, contact the Clerk of Court at 4785 Prosperity Street in St. Francisville.

Nearby Parishes

West Feliciana Parish borders several parishes in central Louisiana. Family records may be spread across these neighboring courthouses given the parish's long history.