LOUISIANA PARISH OFFERS SOME PUBLIC RECORDS ONLINE Caddo Parish in northwest Louisiana offers a free search in some of its marriage license indices. Searches can be by the name (or partial name) of the bridegroom, the bride and the bride's maiden name. You can search by book and page or by date. While this parish's marriage licenses date back to 1838, those currently available to search online date back only to the early 1930s, but earlier years will be added as time and personnel permit. "So if you want to see the names of everyone who got a license on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the rush of folks to get married before going off to war, they are there," according to a 31 July story in the Shreveport Times. Online access helps people who otherwise would have to make special trips downtown, whether from in the parish or, as can be the case with people doing family research, from halfway around the world, Caddo Clerk of Court Gary Loftin said. To search go to http://www.caddoclerk.com/ and follow the instructions on the website. The user name is muser; the password is caddo. GENEALOGY NEWS IN NEWSPAPERS LOOK AT THIS PAGE http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/NEWS01/507310315/1060/NEWS01 News You Can Use Earl Gates