The index is a transcription of three separate publications, combined into a single alphabetical list (by plaintiff's name):

• General Index of All Successions Opened in the Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, From It's Organization, August 1, 1880 to August 31st, 1894, compiled and published by W.L. McBee in New Orleans in 1895
• General Index of All Successions, Emancipations, Interdictions and Partition Proceedings, Opened in the Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, From August 31, 1894 to January 1, 1902, compiled and published by Mrs. L.A. McBee in New Orleans, date not stated, but presumably in 1902
• General Index of All Successions, Emancipations, Interdictions and Partition Proceedings, Opened in the Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, From January 1, 1902, to October 31, 1903, compiled and published by Clarence J. Cocke in New Orleans, date not stated, but presumably in 1903

Although published indexes are not available for records after January 1902, the Louisiana Division holds the manuscript indexes to Docket 1 of the Court, which handled matters related to the settlement of estates. These indexes are available on microfilm in the City Archives.

The indexes primarily reference successions. However, lawsuits brought against successions are also included, as are references to emancipations of minors, interdictions, partitions, and, occasionally, to lawsuits related to the administration of estates. Like the index to the Second District Court successions (1846-1880), the Civil District Court indexes do not include references either to inventories of estates or to wills. Inventories (if an inventory was done) are filed with the succession, rather than in a separate series, as they were in the Court of Probates records (1804-1846). As in the Court of Probates and the Second District Court, wills continued to be filed separately and transcribed by the Recorder of Wills into Will Books. Microfilm indexing to the Will Books is available in the City Archives. Copies of the wills are only rarely to be found in the succession record.

Since this is a transcription, we have not "corrected" spellings or abbreviations that exist in the original publications. We have included the "type of case" when given in the index. If no "type" is noted and no defendant is listed, the entry refers to a succession. If a defendant is listed, the entry probably refers to a lawsuit or other matter arising as a result of the settlement of an estate.

Before you order Civil District Court records from us, please read this carefully:

If you request a copy of a succession from this court, your request must be sent by regular mail to the Louisiana Division, New Orleans Public Library, 219 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, LA 70112. Our fee is $3.00 to search each succession you are seeking, payable by check or money order to New Orleans Public Library. In your letter, please provide the docket number, as found in the index. For this fee, we will locate the record and report the cost of copying it in full (at $2.00 per page). You must then send a second request, asking that we copy the record and including the total copy fee. We cannot copy selectively from the record, but will copy the entire record only.

Since we must receive payment before we can respond to a request, we cannot take orders by email. However, we will respond by email to your letter inquiring about copy costs, provided you have sent the $3.00 search fee with your inquiry. Please include your email address in your mail request.

More detailed information on ordering records from other courts held by NOPL can be found here.

PLEASE NOTE that the records indexed here were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Microfilm of the record can be borrowed at Mormon Family History Centers around the world.

• Link here to find a Family History Center near you.
  
• Link here to find the Family History Library Catalog entry for Civil District Court successions (and other types of cases). In the FHC Catalog, the records are referred to as "Case papers, 1880-1929."