Welcome to the Independence Branch Library

The majority of Italian immigrants in Louisiana are from Sicily and started to arrive in large numbers in the 1880s to escape a homeland, that had fallen into a corrupt, dangerous, and unlawful state.  A large group of them arrived in New Orleans and migrated to Independence for farming work.

Many people, from all over the United States, have called upon the Independence Branch Library to assist them in their genealogy or interests in this large Sicilian settlement.  The Independence Branch Library is a wealth of historical documents and archives of the founders and settlers of Sicilian descent.

Most of these archives cannot be checked out but copies can be made for those who require them.  There are books available for checkout on the history of the area by local authors.  The Independence Branch Library is unique to visitors seeking information about the immigration of Sicilians to New Orleans and ultimately to Independence.