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The
Archivist
is
Ann Wakefield.
The Notarial Archives
established its Research Center in September, 1998, to provide a
safer location for historical records formerly housed in the
basement of the Civil District Courts Building. The Research
Center allows access to records in a controlled, supervised
environment with stacks and plat cabinets closed to the public.
Experienced staff members serve the research community by
providing guidance in architectural, historical, and genealogical
searches.
Records date from
1733 to 1970, during the time of Civil Law notarial practice when
notaries archived their own records. The records are arranged the
way they were created – by notary and then by date. Annual indexes
maintained by the notaries are bound into their volumes.
Because New Orleans
was once a French and a Spanish colony, records prior to the
Louisiana Purchase (1803) are in French or Spanish. After the
Louisiana Purchase, many 19th century records continued to be
written in French. English eventually replaced French as the
language of choice later in the century.
While there is no comprehensive index to the records, a companion
office to the Notarial Archives, the Register of Conveyances,
maintains party-name indexes to property transfers back to 1827.
The Conveyance indexes are annual, and are divided into "Vendor
(seller)" and "Purchaser." The Conveyance indexes are extremely
useful in locating notaries – essential data in accessing notarial
records created before 1970.
Other useful research
tools include indexes of family records, 1770-1840, created by
genealogist Charles R. Maduell, Jr.; a building-contract index,
1767-1970, created by Samuel Wilson and Robert J. Cangelosi, Jr.;
and a corporate-charter index, 1852-1904, all of which are
available at the Research Center.
In addition to
textual records, tens of thousands of which contain site surveys,
the Research Center houses thousands of oversize watercolor
architectural drawings of 19th century properties known as Plan
Book plans.
Also at the Research
Center are 19th century city directories, and
The
Robinson’s Atlas of the City of New Orleans, 1883.
Research Center Location, Hours and Telephone
The Research Center
is located at 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 360, in downtown New
Orleans. Hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Our
telephone number is (504) 680-9604.
Copies
Legal-size
black-and-white copies are available for $1 per page. Mail-order
copies cost $15 per act or document. Certifications cost $25 per
document, in addition to copy charges.
Architectural
drawings – Copy Prices
-
8.5” x 11”
unmounted: $10
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11” x 14” unmounted:
$20
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13” x 19” unmounted:
$30
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44” (height) image
on 48” x 32” paper unmounted: $250
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44” (height) image
on 48” x 32” paper mounted: $350
Mailing
Charges
Online Resources
List of
Notaries to 1970
Document Types
Robinson’s Atlas, 1883
Guide to French
colonial records, 1733 - 1767
Introduction to Louis Martinet Records, 1888-1917
Historical Notaries' Indexes (Selected)
Annual indexes maintained by the notaries were bound into their volumes. In the 1930s, Works Progress Administration workers created
typescript versions of some notaries' indexes and bound them into volumes. In 2007, the Notarial Archives embarked on an index scanning project.
Images will be added online as they are completed and formatted.
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