The records are typewritten translations (made by the Work Projects Administration, Project #665-64-3-112) of the original French manuscript volumes. They have been grouped into subseries as indicated below:

Sub-Series 1 -- Individual ordinances and resolutions apparently extracted from the journals or other record books of the Conseil de Ville. These records date 1805-1821.

Sub-Series 2 -- These volumes appear to be translations of the bound acts (ordinances, resolutions, etc.) passed at each session of the Conseil de Ville. The last two volumes in the original series were not translated by the WPA project. View an online SAMPLE from the 1832 volume in this series.

A comparison of the overlapping portions of sub-series 1 and 2 supports the interpretation of group 1 as being extracts from other records of the Conseil de Ville since there are many acts recorded in 2 that are not represented in 1. Since there are no pre-1816 records in subseries 2, it would appear that the acts for that period (as represented in subseries I) are incomplete. Information about such earlier acts, if not the complete text thereof, can be found by reference to the proceedings of the Conseil de Ville and the messages of the Mayor to that body, both series of which are available in English translations.

In addition to the ordinances and resolutions themselves these volumes also contain lists of individuals for whom relief benefits were authorized by the Conseil de Ville as well as numerous letters and other documents. This is especially true in the volumes for the earlier years. Among the correspondents represented in these letters are Rev. Patrick Walsh, Vicar General of Louisiana; Jacques Villere; Sister de Ste. Michel Gensoul, Superioress of the Ursuline Nuns in New Orleans; Louis Moreau-Lislet; Benjamin Henry Latrobe. There are also letters from various local institutions and/or their representatives, including the Library Society, the Medical Society, the Church Wardens of the Church of St. Louis, and the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church.

The translators also prepared indexes to the ordinances and resolutions. These appear at the beginning of each volume.