W.P.A. collection. Historical Records Survey transcriptions of Louisiana police jury records.

Louisiana's unit of local government is the parish rather than the county. When Louisiana was purchased from France in 1803, the portion that is now approximately the State of Louisiana was called the Orleans Territory. On April 10, 1805, the governing body of the Orleans Territory divided it into twelve counties that roughly coincided with the parishes established by the Catholic Church during the Spanish and French regimes. On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature passed an act that divided the Orleans Territory into nineteen civil parishes, but did not abolish the original twelve counties. Over time these nineteen original parishes were further divided into the modern sixty-four parishes. Forty-one of the parishes are governed by police juries; nineteen use councils with a president or manager to head it; four parishes consolidate the parish government with the local city government with voters typically electing a city council and a mayor to run it. Assumption, Lafourche, and Terrebonne Parishes are located in southeast Louisiana. Assumption Parish was created from one of the original twelve counties. The present parish boundaries were created in 1807 from a portion of Lafourche Parish. Napoleonville is the parish seat, and the governing body is called the Assumption Parish Police Jury. Lafourche Parish was created on April 10, 1805. Its parish seat is Thibodaux, and the governing body is called the Lafourche Parish Council. Terrebonne Parish was established in April 1822 from a portion of Lafourche Parish. Its parish seat is Houma and the governing body is called the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government. These transcriptions were made between 1939 and 1942 as part of the Louisiana Historical Records Survey, administered through Louisiana State University.