| City Archives New Orleans Public Library | |
|
Records of the Orleans Parish Police Juries At right is the slave block in the St. Louis Hotel, photographed in 1915 at the time of the hotel's demolition. From the Georges Francois Mugnier Collection.
| 
|
|
VJA
With the creation of the system of parish government in Louisiana in 1807 the "administrative functions were vested in a body comprised of the parish judge, the justices of the peace, and a jury of twelve inhabitants appointed by [the judge]." Following statehood the Legislature, by act of March 25, 1813, provided that each parish be divided into wards, with each ward to elect a representative to serve a two-year term on the Police Jury. The juries were to meet in July of each year at the parish seat, with the parish judge as president and the justices of the peace as his associates. Police Juries were empowered to regulate a wide range of activities, from police of the slaves to the building of roads and bridges and the levy of taxes in support of such public works. The 1813 act specified that the Orleans Parish jury would have no jurisdiction within the city of New Orleans. This meant that it was to function only in the unincorporated portions of the parish. There existed continuous debate as to just what was part of the city and what was unincorporated, although the latter area was generally recognized to include the Lakefront area, Gentilly, eastern New Orleans, the right bank of the river, and all of the land that became Jefferson Parish by legislative act in 1825. An act of March 10, 1834 attempted to clarify some of the confusion as to the authority of the Orleans Parish Police Jury. An act of January 31, 1827 required that masters desiring to emancipate their slaves had to petition the parish judge, who in turn submitted the matter to the Police Jury. If three-quarters of the Jury, plus the judge, approved the petition, the master was allowed to go about meeting the existing civil requirements for emancipation. An act of March 28, 1840 separated the right bank of the river from the authority of the Jury, creating a new Police Jury of the Parish of Orleans on the right bank of the River Mississippi. The act of May 27, 1846 abolished the Police Jury for the left bank of the river and ordered all papers, property, and monies belonging to the Jury to be transferred to the General Council of the city of New Orleans. Manuscript volumes in French (some in French & English). Included are minute books, 1813-1846 (VJA300); Petitions for emancipation of slaves, 1827-1846 (VJA320, with index); Journal of expenses, 1836-1847 (VJA441); Ledger of receipts, 1836-1848 (VJA470); and Journal of receipts and expenditures, 1829-1848 (VJA440). The minutes are signed by the president and secretary of the Jury. Occasional reports are glued into the volumes and marginal notes serve as guides to the contents of the minutes in some instances. The slave emancipation volumes include transcriptions of the original petitions along with the record of the Jury's disposition of each (the original petitions,sometimes with additional documents attached, are in the records of the Parish Court, within the Louisiana Division's Civil Courts Collection). Inventory [mf roll #90-119]
VJA300
VJA320
VJA440
VJA441 Journal of expenses, 1836-1847. [mf roll #90-120]
VJA470 Ledger of receipts by the Treasurer, 1836-1848.
VJB
With the creation of the system of parish government in Louisiana in 1807 the "administrative functions were vested in a body comprised of the parish judge, the justices of the peace, and a jury of twelve inhabitants appointed by [the judge]." Following statehood the Legislature, by act of March 25, 1813, provided that each parish be divided into wards, with each ward to elect a representative to serve a two-year term on the Police Jury. The juries were to meet in July of each year at the parish seat, with the parish judge as president and the justices of the peace as his associates. Police Juries were empowered to regulate a wide range of activities, from police of the slaves to the building of roads and bridges and the levy of taxes in support of such public works. An act of March 28, 1840 separated the right bank of the river from the authority of the Jury, creating a new Police Jury of the Parish of Orleans on the right bank of the River Mississippi. The act divided the area into five districts each of which was to elect a member of the Jury. The Justice of the Peace for the area was to serve as ex-officio president of the body. All members were required to give bond for the faithful performance of their duties. The Jury had the power to appoint a Treasurer, to levee taxes on real and personal property, as well as on ships, woodyards, bakeries, taverns, and other establishments. It was to meet once a month and all of its regulations were to be transcribed into a record book. The Jury governed the Right Bank of Orleans Parish until 1870 when the area was incorporated into the City of New Orleans as the Fifth Municipal District, known locally as Algiers.
Inventory [mf roll #90-120]
VJB300
VJB430 Roll of assessment and taxes, 1868-1869. [not filmed; post-1861]
VJB530 Warrant book, 1869-1870. [not filmed; post-1861]
VJB531
VJB540t Receipts for tax bills, undated.
VJB950 Memorandum book of property owners and values, undated. [not filmed; appears to be post-1861]
| |
Back to the 