Civil Law and Genealogy

Most family history researchers in the United States are familiar with common law, which is the legal system in every state in the United States except Louisiana. But the majority of legal systems in the world, including Louisiana, Quebec, colonies in California, parts of the Mississippi Valley, the Gulf Coast, and the American southwest, are or were governed by civil law. This course provides family history researchers with a general understanding of the basic principles of civil law that affect records routinely consulted in genealogical research.