Marriage Records from the City Courts
These records are currently unavailable due to an ongoing digitization project.
In 1880 a system of City Courts was substituted for the existing Justices of the Peace arrangement. Like the Justices of the Peace before them, the judges of the City Courts were authorized to issue marriage licenses and to perform marriage ceremonies.
- First City Court served the area above Canal St.
- Second City Court served the section below Canal St.
- Third City Court served Algiers
- Fourth City Court had concurrent jurisdiction with the First and Second City Courts.
The Constitution of 1898 rearranged this system by
- Doing away with the Third and Fourth City Courts and by giving the First City Court (with three judges) jurisdiction for all of the east bank of New Orleans. The sitting judges of the Third and Fourth City Courts were allowed to keep their seats until the end of their terms of office in May, 1900.
- Placing Algiers under the Second City Court.
The marriage licenses and certificates kept by the City Court judges are similar to those maintained previously by the Justices of the Peace.
Certificates, which are only for ceremonies performed by the judge, vary in appearance, but all include names and signatures of bride and groom, signatures of the judge and witnesses, and the date of the ceremony. Some have information from the marriage license issued by the Board of Health entered on the reverse. In such cases the age, place of birth, and names of parents of the bride and groom are noted.
Licenses include the names and signatures of the principal (groom) and his surety, signatures of witnesses and the judge, date of the license, and the name of the minister or other party licensed to perform the ceremony (this information is not always included). Beginning in 1889 the First City Court began to include place of birth and name of parents on its licenses (age of bride and groom was added later). Many, but not all, of the license and certificate volumes include indexes.
Request Copies
- Licenses, 1880-1921; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHA678
- Certificates, 1880-1928; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHA658
- Licenses, 1900-1923; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHA678
- Certificates, 1900-1934; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHA658
- Licenses, 1882-1916; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHB678
- Certificates, 1882-1916; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHB658
- Licenses, 1895-1901; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHC678
- Certificates, 1895-1901; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHC658
- Licenses, 1881-1900; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHD678
- Certificates, 1881-1904; available on microfilm, call number: mf VHD658