There are two requirements in qualifying for a First Families Certificate:
     * The candidate must descend from a colonial Louisianian.
     * You must demonstrate your skills as a genealogist by producing a properly documented lineage application.

     1. Find a present-day map of Louisiana. Check to see whether any of your ancestors lived within these boundaries before December 1803. This includes the area that is often called "Spanish West Florida." It does not include other states which were part of the Louisiana Purchase.

If you haven’t found a qualifying ancestor, keep working. The steps described below are designed to help ensure the success of your future research.

     2. Learn to write citations (also called footnotes). It is important that you always record the source of your information and that you learn to evaluate the facts you uncover. The First Families program is also designed to help you practice these skills.

There are several standard books that can be used as a guide to properly-written citations. Evidence!, by Elizabeth Mills, is written specifically for genealogists and is highly recommended. Several of the others are commonly used by high school and college students in writing papers. You may find that someone in your family already has a copy.

     3. Gather your documents. You must have documentation to prove your relation to your parent, your parent’s relation to your grandparent, etc. Documentation must be submitted for each generation. Each document submitted must have a proper citation written on it. (see #2, above)

Assess the quality of your documentation. Your aim should be to get as close as possible in your citations to the original sources. Much of what has been published in books, journals, and (especially) web sites is simply "hearsay" and is not acceptable as documentation.

Good documents include birth certificates, baptism certificates, and succession records or wills. Family traditions or newspaper articles are not usually acceptable as evidence.

     4. Find a document that proves that your colonial ancestor was a resident of Louisiana during the stated time period. The ancestor does not have to have been born in Louisiana, but he must have lived here.

Good documents for this would include census lists, militia lists, succession records, and other legal documents that show the subject’s residence. Remember to write a complete source citation.

If you cannot find a document that directly states that your ancestor was a resident, you probably can prove your case indirectly. For example, you might be able to show that your ancestor had three children baptized at the local church in a five-year period. An indirect argument may require several documents to be submitted along with an explanation of how they work together as proof. It is not necessary to submit the documents for identifying information unless they are part of your proof of descendancy.

     5. Compile identifying information for each person in your lineage. This includes birth (or baptism), death (or burial), and marriage information that will help to identify your ancestor as a unique individual. List all known marriages in chronological order. Again, you must provide a citation for each fact, as discussed in #2, above. You may not be able to find information to document every date. If not, you should provide an estimated date with an explanation of how you arrived at it.

It is important to establish the identity of the person and to review each document offered as evidence to ensure that the document does not refer to another person of the same name. In Louisiana, we see many cases where several people in the same place at the same time have the same name. If they are also members of the same extended family, extra care is needed to keep everyone straight.

     6. Begin working on your Application lineage form. It is strongly recommended that you use a word processor to construct your lineage. This will allow adequate room for the required information, citations, and explanations. You can download a template from the First Families page at the Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society web site at <sites.rootsweb.com/~la-lghs/index.htm>. If you must handwrite your application, use extra sheets wherever more space is required. The form published in The Register is intended as a guide to the arrangement of required information and is reduced to save space in the publication. You might not be able to write all the necessary information in those itty-bitty spaces, nor are you required to. Again, take as much space as you need.

     7. You probably will find that you are lacking the required documentation at some point in your lineage. The Application form is designed to help you find and fill the gaps. Continue to gather evidence and record it properly on your Application.

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Postal correspondence should be sent to:
     Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society
     ATTN: First Families of Louisiana Program
     PO Box 82060
     Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70884-2060

Copyright © 2004-2010 / Last updated: 24 Sept 2010