Florida State Census, 1945 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records for 1945.

The record is printed on large sheets with rows and columns that were filled in by hand by the enumerator. The schedules are usually arranged by county, town, and then by political subdivision.

The census was created by the state of Florida. These records cover a majority of the population. However some precincts are missing from several of the counties.

The collection details include an estimated precinct locality that is based on the census precinct number within a county. Precinct numbers have been used to map town names to the record. The city or town names were often not written on each census form.

For a list of records by date or locality currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

The census was compiled to obtain a count and description of the population of the state of Florida for representation purposes.

Use the information with some caution. The information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or even by a neighbor. Some information may have been recorded incorrectly, or even deliberately falsified.

Record Content
The records usually include:


 * Name of each person in household
 * Address
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Birth place
 * Occupation
 * Level of education

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Name
 * Identifying information such as age, birthplace or address

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select "County" ⇒Select "Precinct number, est. precinct locality-town" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [FamilySearch Tips and Tricks].

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.
 * Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even an county.
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.
 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.
 * You should also be aware that the census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites

 * Florida Genealogy Data and Links from Access Genealogy
 * Florida State and Colonial Census Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Florida
 * Florida Census
 * Florida Censuses Existing and Lost

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.