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St. John the Baptist Parish

A brief history of St. John the Baptist Parish

    In 1805, two years after the Louisiana Purchase, "Louisiana" only consisted of the current land west of the Mississippi River and the Isle of Orleans (the land on the east bank of the Mississippi River and south of Bayou Manchac). Our state was known as the Territory of Orleans and it's governing body, the Legislative Council, divided the territory into twelve counties: Acadia, Attakapas, Concordia, German Coast, Iberville, Lafourche, Natchitoches, Opelousas, Orleans, Ouachita, Pointe-Coupée, and Rapides.   German Coast County included the Catholic Church parishes of St. Charles Borromeo and St. John the Baptist, commonly called the first and second German Coasts.
    On March 31, 1807 the Legislative Council of the Territory of Orleans redivided the original twelve counties into nineteen parishes, based on the ecclesiastical boundaries of the period of Spanish government.
    At this point German Coast county was divided into St. Charles Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. The courthouse was established on the west bank at Bonnet Carré Point at what would be present day Lucy. The Territory of Orleans along with the West Florida Republic became the state of Louisiana in 1812. By 1861 the current boundaries of St. John the Baptist Parish were in place. The parish seat and courthouse were moved to Edgard a few miles upriver from Bonnet Carré Point.

COURTHOUSE

St. John the Baptist Parish Clerk of Court
Eliana DeFrancesch
2393 Highway 18 (River Road)
P.O. Box 280
Edgard, Louisiana 70049
(985) 497-3331 Phone
(985) 497-3972 Fax

More info about researching in the courthouse soon!

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CHURCHES

By understanding the history of the Catholic Church in St. John the Baptist Parish, tracing your genealogy can be rather easy. This section will provide you with the information needed to research your St. John the Baptist Parish ancestors.
Please note that Genealogical research for Catholic Sacramental Records can be found for 1718-1825 in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Sacramental Records books which can be ordered from the Archives Department of the Archdiocese of New Orleans or found in most local libraries. For periods 1826-1900 you must write to the Archdiocese Archives for information. The procedure is listed on their website. For records from 1900-current you must write to the individual churches below. Please use P.O. Boxes where given for mailing purposes. Each church establishes it's own procedures for genealogical research.
In the near future this information will be updated to give specific holdings of each church and the records available for that parish.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 2361 Hwy 18 (River Road) Edgard, Louisiana 70049-9101 (985) 497-3412
St. Peter Catholic Church 1550 Hwy 44 (River Road) P.O. Box 435 Reserve, Louisiana 70084-0435 (985) 536-2887
St. Hubert Catholic Church 176 Anthony F. Monica Street P.O. Box K Garyville, Louisiana 70051-0851 (985) 535-2828	St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church 529 West 5th Street (Hwy 44/River Road) LaPlace, Louisiana 70068-3941 (985) 652-9100	Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church 772 Hwy 44 (River Road) P.O. Box 464 Reserve, Louisiana 70084-0464 (985) 536-2613
	Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church 799 Fairway Drive LaPlace, Louisiana 70068-2007 (985) 652-2615

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LIBRARIES

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH LIBRARY
HEADQUARTERS 2920 Highway 51 LaPlace, LA 70068 985-652-6857 Fax: 985-652-2144 E-Mail: admin.s1jb@pelican.state.lib.la.us Mr. Randy DeSoto, Director M-TH 8:30 am-9:00 p.m. F,Sat 8:30 am-5:30 p.m.
FRAZEE-HARRIS MEMORIAL BRANCH P.O. Box 870 - 493 Historic Main Street Garyville, LA 70051 985-535-6868 M-F 8:30-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-5:30 p.m. Sat 8:30-12:30 p.m.	RESERVE BRANCH 170 West 10th Street Reserve, LA 70084 985-536-4107 M,TH 8:30 am-8:00 p.m. T,W,F,Sat 8:30-5:30 p.m.
ROLAND BORNE - WEST BRANCH P.O. Box 166 - 149 East 3rd Street Edgard, LA 70049 985-497-3453 M-F 8:30-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-5:30 p.m. Sat 8:30-12:30 p.m.

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PLANTATIONS

Evergreen
Wallace, Louisiana

Reserve-Godchaux
Reserve, Louisiana

San Francisco
Garyville, Louisiana

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TOWNS

In this section we hope to provide as much history and some photos from throughout the communities in this parish. Local landmarks, old buildings, schools, and business with local German-Acadian Coast names. More information will be provided soon.

Edgard Columbia Sugar House Edgard Levee E. J. Caire & Co. Store	Frenier (photos coming soon)	Garyville Gary State Bank Garyville Timber Museum
LaPlace C. Alexander & Bro. Store John L. Ory School Old St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church (now a Day Care Center)	Lions (photos coming soon)	Lucy (photos coming soon)
Mount Airy (photos coming soon)	Reserve Becnel Law Firm Cox's Meat Market Godchaux No. 3 St. Peter School (as seen from St. Peter Cemetery) Weber's Super Market	Wallace (photos coming soon)
Lac des Allemands

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