Okeechobee County, Florida Genealogy

Guide to Okeechobee County, Florida ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The county was named for the Lake Okeechobee, which was itself named for Hitchiti words oka (water) and chobi (big). The County is located in the Southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Okeechobee County Courthouse 304 NW 2nd Street Okeechobee, FL 34972 Phone: 863-763-6441 Okeechobee County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1917 and land records from 1880’s. County Health Department has birth and death records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Census Records

 * 1783 Spanish Census USGenWeb
 * 1821 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb
 * 1823 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb
 * 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos USGenWeb
 * 1885 includes sex, age, relationship, occupation, place of birth of each family member and parents. Also census for agriculture, manufacture and mortality. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1935 1935 Florida State Census at MyHeritage - index ($))
 * Federal Census Information from National Archives USGenWeb
 * State Census Information from Florida State Archives USGenWeb
 * Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service USGenWeb

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * NARA Ships Passenger Lists - These passenger lists cover:
 * 1834-1897 - Immigration of Russians to the United States
 * 1/12/1846-12/31/1851 - Irish Famine
 * 1850-1897 - Germans to the United States
 * 1855-1900 - Italians to the United States

Funeral Homes

 * Seawinds Funeral Home and Crematory in Okeechobee

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1821-1997 Maps of Florida
 * 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of StateUSGenWeb
 * 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of StateUSGenWeb
 * Exploring Florida, FCIT Maps University of South Florida
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Okeechobee County Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Florida State Military Files USGenWeb
 * Florida state pension records from various wars Pension Transcriptions USGenWeb

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
 * 1885-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War I
 * 1917-1918 Okeechobee County Civilian Draft Registration (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Okeechobee County World War II Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Okeechobee County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Personnel (USGenWeb Archives)

Korean War
 * Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict distantcousin.com

Vietnam War
 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Florida Digital Newspaper Library at George A. Smathers Libraries
 * Early Florida Newspapers at the Florida State Library USGenWeb

Obituaries

 * USGenWeb Obituaries Project Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties
 * Okeechobee County, Florida Obituary Collection GenealogyBuff.com

Probate Records
Online Indexes and Records


 * 1784-1990 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1827-1950 Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 at Ancestry ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1880-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

 * 1802-1998 Florida, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
 * 1822-1875 and 1927 - 2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1830-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1830-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1970 - 1999 Florida, Marriages, 1970 - 1999 at MyHeritage - index ($))

Death

 * 1877-1939 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * 1877-1998 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1900-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1927-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1927-2001 Florida, Divorce Index, 1927-2001 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1970 - 1999 Florida, Divorces, 1970 - 1999 at MyHeritage - index ($))

Voter Records

 * 1867-1868 Web: Florida, U.S., Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-1868 at Ancestry - index ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Okeechobee Florida FamilySearch Center

Societies
Genealogical Society of Okeechobee PO Box 371 Okeechobee, FL 34973-0371 Phone: 863-467-2674 E-mail: [mailto:bordmama@earthlink.net bordmama@earthlink.net] Website

Websites

 * Okeechobee County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Okeechobee County, FLGenWeb Project
 * Okeechobee County, Florida, USGenWeb Archives
 * Okeechobee County, Florida Genealogy Trails
 * Okeechobee County FL Genealogy (LDSGenealogy)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.