Find a Grave Louisiana by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
Your complete, practical guide to tracing Louisiana ancestors through cemetery and burial records — every free database, step-by-step instructions, official state resources, and insider tips in one place.
Louisiana’s burial traditions are unlike any other state. Above-ground tombs, French and Spanish colonial sacramental records dating to 1720, Cajun and Creole family burial grounds, Catholic parish registers in Latin, and New Orleans’ world-famous Cities of the Dead make Louisiana cemetery research uniquely challenging and uniquely rewarding. The state uses ‘parish’ instead of ‘county’ — 64 parishes — a legacy of its French and Spanish colonial heritage that carries through to how records are organized.
📄 What Louisiana Cemetery & Burial Records Contain
Louisiana’s burial records hold rich genealogical detail — from headstone inscriptions and burial dates to military service records and family connections often found nowhere else.
- ✦Full name — including maiden names on older headstones
- ✦Birth and death dates — often the only source for pre-1918 Louisiana deaths
- ✦Cemetery name, address, and plot/section/lot
- ✦Headstone inscription verbatim — Bible verses, epitaphs, military unit information
- ✦Headstone photograph — available on Find a Grave and BillionGraves for indexed graves
- ✦Spouse and family members buried nearby or cross-linked in the database
- ✦Military service indicators — branch, rank, and conflict
- ✦GPS coordinates — BillionGraves provides exact grave navigation
Pre-1918 Louisiana Deaths: Louisiana did not require statewide death registration until 1918. For ancestors who died before that date, cemetery transcriptions, church burial registers, county courthouse records, and family Bibles are your primary sources. Search Louisiana State Archives for county-level records predating statewide registration.
🔎 How to Search Louisiana Graves by Name — Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — Louisiana and enter the person’s name in the search bar.
- Use the parishe filter to narrow results — Louisiana has 64 parishes and common surnames can return hundreds of statewide results.
- Click any result to open the full burial record with cemetery address, plot information, and headstone photo.
- No results? Try maiden name for women, check alternate spellings, or proceed to Method 2.
- Visit findagrave.com — Louisiana Cemeteries. Browse by parishe or use the name search with wildcards.
- Use wildcards for uncertain spelling:
?replaces one letter,*replaces multiple — essential for variant spellings and transcription errors. - Click “More Search Options” to filter by birth year, death year, and parishe.
- No headstone photo? Click “Request Photo” on any memorial — a local volunteer typically responds within days at no cost.
- Visit https://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/ResearchHistoricalRecords/Pages/default.aspx — the official Louisiana state archives.
- Search the free online death certificate database and county-level cemetery surveys and records.
- In-person research: 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Phone: (225) 922-1208.
- Many Louisiana state archives are FamilySearch affiliate libraries — free in-person access to restricted digital collections.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search for the person’s name in Louisiana. GPS-tagged headstone photos allow direct cemetery navigation.
- Results show the headstone photo alongside the exact GPS location on a map.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting any Louisiana cemetery — it provides turn-by-turn navigation to any indexed grave plot.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org — no cost, no subscription required.
- Search “Louisiana Deaths” in the Search → Records section to find the most relevant free indexed collections for this state.
- Also search county-level cemetery collections in the FamilySearch catalog by typing the Louisiana parishe name plus “cemetery.”
- For pre-1918 records, search church burial registers available in the FamilySearch catalog for Louisiana.
Cross-referencing tip: When you find a burial record, immediately search the same name in FamilySearch census records. A census entry often reveals parents, siblings, and county of origin — significantly expanding your family tree beyond what a headstone alone provides.
📊 All Louisiana Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Louisiana cemetery burial records; name search by parishe | Free | First stop for any Louisiana burial search | |
Millions of Louisiana memorials; wildcard search; photo volunteers | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; smartphone navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location in large cemeteries | |
Louisiana death records; county microfilm; church burial records | Free | Historical death records; pre-1918 records | |
Official Louisiana historical records; county records; cemetery surveys | Free | Official records; state archives research | |
Parishe-organized transcriptions from official cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy records from original registers | |
Veterans in VA national cemeteries in Louisiana | Free | Veteran and military burial searches | |
Certified Louisiana death certificates from 1918 | $15 first copy | Legal/official proof of death |
🗺️ Search Louisiana Burial Records by Parishe
Louisiana has 64 parishes. Click any parishe below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
For all 64 Louisiana parishes: Browse Find a Grave Louisiana or use Interment.net Louisiana for parishe-organized transcriptions.
🪦 Notable Louisiana Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
Louisiana’s historic cemeteries are living documents of American history. These are the most significant and most-searched burial grounds in the state — with verified, clickable search links for each.
- Established 1789 — oldest cemetery in New Orleans
- Above-ground tombs; Marie Laveau’s tomb here
- Required guided tour since 2015; reserve in advance
- One of the most visited historic sites in Louisiana
- Address: 425 Basin St, New Orleans, LA 70112
- Established 1872 on the site of a former racetrack
- 150,000+ burials; most ornate cemetery in the South
- Louisiana governors, Confederate generals, jazz musicians
- Elaborate family tombs and mausoleums throughout
- Address: 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124
- Established 1833 — New Orleans Garden District’s historic cemetery
- Yellow fever epidemic burials from the 1853 outbreak
- Historic Garden District families; above-ground vaults
- Featured in Anne Rice novels and Interview with the Vampire
- Address: 1400 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Civil War and modern veteran burials
- Established 1867 following the Battle of Baton Rouge
- Searchable free through VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- Address: 220 N. 19th St, Baton Rouge, LA 70806
- Phone: (225) 654-3767
📜 Official Louisiana Death Certificates — How to Get Them
An official Louisiana death certificate provides cause of death, attending physician, parents’ names and birthplaces, and other details not found on headstones — invaluable for genealogy research.
Access Restriction: Louisiana death certificates are restricted for 50 years. Records older than 50 years are accessible to anyone. Louisiana uses parishes (not counties) — specify the parish when requesting records.
- Visit any Louisiana county or local health department during business hours, Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM.
- Bring valid photo ID and proof of relationship if the record is under 50 years old.
- Pay $15 for the first certified copy. Certificates are typically issued while you wait.
- Download the application form from ldh.la.gov/vital-records.
- Make a check or money order payable to “Louisiana Vital Records Registry” for $15 per copy. Do not send cash.
- Mail to: Louisiana Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888 (24/7). VitalChek adds a service fee to the standard state fee.
- Select Louisiana and follow prompts. Credit and debit cards accepted.
📚 Louisiana State Archives — Official State Archives
Louisiana State Archives at www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/ResearchHistoricalRecords/Pages/default.aspx is the official Louisiana state archives. Located at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Phone: (225) 922-1208. Hours: Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM. It holds historical death records, county court records, cemetery surveys, church registers, and genealogy collections covering all 64 parishes.
Many state archives are FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — providing free in-person access to restricted digital collections not available online. Contact the archives to confirm affiliate status and plan your research visit accordingly.
🎖️ Louisiana Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans buried in any VA national cemetery in Louisiana. Covers all conflicts from the Civil War through present day.
- Find a Grave Military Filter: On Find a Grave, use “More Search Options” and check “Has Military” to filter results to veteran memorials only.
- Civil War Records: Use Fold3 (free at state archive terminals) for pension records and burial details of Civil War veterans from Louisiana.
- FamilySearch Veterans Collections: Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” on FamilySearch for free veteran burial location records from Louisiana.
🌿 Insider Tips — Louisiana-Specific Genealogy Tricks
Parishes, Not Counties
Louisiana uses ‘parish’ instead of ‘county’ — 64 parishes total. This is not just naming convention — it affects how records are organized, indexed, and requested. Always use ‘parish’ when searching Louisiana databases, contacting archives, or filing record requests.
Catholic Sacramental Records Back to 1720
Louisiana’s Catholic sacramental records (baptisms, marriages, burials) are among the oldest in North America — some dating to 1718. The Archdiocese of New Orleans Archives holds burial records predating American statehood. Contact them at archives.arch-no.org for pre-1900 Catholic burial records.
Above-Ground Tombs — Different Indexing
Louisiana’s above-ground vaults and tombs are indexed differently than below-ground burials. On Find a Grave, look for ‘above-ground interment’ in the burial type. The plot field may show tomb number rather than row/lot. Contact the cemetery office for exact vault locations.
LDAH Death Index 1804-1956 Is Free Online
The Louisiana State Archives provides the Louisiana Death Records Index 1804–1956 free online. This is one of the earliest and most extensive state death indexes available in the South. Search it at sos.la.gov before paying for third-party access.
French Names Have Many Spelling Variants
Louisiana French names appear in many forms: Fontenot/Fonteneau, Broussard/Brossard, Arceneaux/Arsenault, Tureaud/Turreaud. Always search multiple spellings. On Find a Grave, use wildcards: Brous* or Arc* to capture all variants in one search.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Requires a Tour
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 requires a guided tour since 2015 — you cannot enter alone. Book through Save Our Cemeteries (saveourcemeteries.org) before visiting. The tour includes access to research records for specific tombs not available on Find a Grave.
FamilySearch Louisiana Sacramental Records
FamilySearch’s ‘Louisiana, Sacramental Records, 1718–1895’ is a free collection covering Catholic parish burial registers from the colonial and antebellum eras. This is essential for Creole and Cajun ancestry research and covers records not available anywhere else online.
Cajun Country Has Unique Cemetery Culture
South Louisiana Cajun communities in Lafayette, St. Martin, Vermilion, and Iberia parishes often bury family members in small private family cemeteries on former homestead property. Many are not in any database. Contact the local Catholic parish priest or the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (codofil.org) for locating private family burial grounds.