Marriage Dispensations

In Spanish Colonial Louisiana, couples who were related by consanguinity [blood relationship, e.g. cousins] or by affinity [blood relationship to a former spouse,e.g., brother or sister-in-law] had to obtain a Marriage Dispensation in order to marry.  The dispensations provide invaluable genealogy information since the relationship is shown on both sides.  Third cousins, for example, have the same great-great grandparents.

In 1980, Shirley Chaisson Bourquard published Marriage Dispensations in the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas: 1786-1803.  Ms. Bourquard used microfilm copies purchased from the University of Notre Dame by the New Orleans Public Library.  She explains that during Archbishop Francis Janssen's administration [1888-1897], a large section of the New Orleans chancery archives was moved to the University of Norte Dame in South Bend, Indiana.  The staff at Notre Dame calendared most of the New Orleans Papers and made microfilm copies available for sale.  A few marriage dispensations weren't transferred to Notre Dame.  These records are now located in the New Orleans chancery archives and aren't included in the book.  Eighteen of these permissions to marry [for military personnel] and dispensations are mentioned in A Southern Catholic Heritage, Volume I, Colonial Period, 1704-1813 [page 9].

The University of Notre Dame Calendars are available online. The marriage dispensations are included but one needs to search each calendar to find them.  In order to provide the marriage dispensations for private research, thecajuns.com has a database of all the dispensations in the University of Notre Dame Calendars. 

Thecajuns.com will provide a FREE check of surnames to determine if a record exists.  Please send an email to cajun @ thecajuns.com  if you would like to have surnames checked.