NEW ORLEANS— If you’ve ever wondered about the history of your neighborhood or your family or even this rich city we call home, the Clerk of Court’s office should be your first stop.
Chelsey Richard Napoleon is NOLA’s Clerk of Court and she says, “All of the civil lawsuits dating back to 1880, and all of the land records dating back to 1735. Anything through a court proceeding, any transaction as it relates to property and we also have ship’s protest.”
Back in 2009, the mortgage, conveyance, and notarial archives were consolidated into this one office. And while our city’s history has not always been pretty, the facts from our past live here for all to discover.
Napoleon showed us one legal act, “The act that we are looking at now is from a self-purchase of a slave. Amarante was her name, and mulatress describes her blood, her lineage.”
October is National Archives Month at the Notarial Archives Research Center and the clerk’s office has extended and invitation to come down and learn more about our collective narratives.
“We have a team that is available to assist people with their research and they come in daily to do that,” said Napoleon.
To find out information on Notarial Archives Research Center, log onto http://www.orleanscivilclerk.com/