Okaloosa County, Florida Genealogy

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

Description
The county name is from the Indian words "oka" and "lusa", meaning "blackwater". The County is located in the Northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Okaloosa County Courthouse 101 E James Lee Boulevard Crestview, FL 32536 Phone: 850-689-5800 Okaloosa County Website County Judge has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records from 1915.

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

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:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Okaloosa 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 - Okaloosa County Civilian Draft Registration, Surnames A-G (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1918 - Okaloosa County Civilian Draft Registration, Surnames H-O (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1918 - Okaloosa County Civilian Draft Registration, Surnames P-Z (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1920 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Okaloosa County World War II Army Enlistees, Names Adams - Fuller (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Okaloosa County World War II Army Enlistees, Names Gardner - Mc White (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Okaloosa County World War II Army Enlistees, Names Medley - Youngblood (USGenWeb Archives)

Korean War
 * Okaloosa County Korean War Casualty List (Genealogy Trails)
 * Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict distantcousin.com

Vietnam War
 * Okaloosa County Vietnam War Casualty List (Genealogy Trails)
 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

Present Hostilities
 * Okaloosa County Casualties (FLGenWeb Project)

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

Probate Records
Online Indexes and Records
 * 1784 – 1990 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1810 – 1974 Ancestry.com $ Florida Wills and Probate Records 1810-1974

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.

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

 * 1927-2001 - 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 ($)

Family History Centers

 * This location is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Access to certain collections may be limited. Consider contacting the library before your visit.


 * Crestview Florida Family History Center
 * Fort Walton Beach Florida Family History Center
 * Niceville Florida Family History Center

Libraries
Valparaiso Community Library 459 Valparaiso Parkway Valparaiso, FL 32580 (850) 729-5406 Website
 * Contains a dedicated genealogy section. "The Louise K. Fitzgarrald Genealogy Department boasts one of the finest genealogy collections in the state of Florida. Over 7,000 volumes of printed materials and 1,200 microfilm reels from Federal Census records and other references are available for use. The library also offersaccess to subscription based online genealogical services."

Societies
Genealogical Society of Okaloosa County P.O. Box 1175 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549-1175 Email: [mailto:gsocokaloosa@yahoo.com gsocokaloosa@yahoo.com] Website Facebook

Panhandle Historic Preservation Alliance 850-585-5213 Email: [mailto:waltoncountyheritage@cox.net waltoncountyheritage@cox.net] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Okaloosa County, Florida, USGenWeb Archives
 * Okaloosa County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Okaloosa County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
 * Okaloosa County, FLGenWeb Project
 * Okaloosa County, Florida Genealogy Trails
 * Okaloosa County FL Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – 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.