Florida, United States Genealogy

United States Florida

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

Welcome to Florida, The Sunshine State
Florida was a disputed possession of England, France, and Spain in turn until it finally became a possession of the United States in 1821. A board of land commissioners for West Florida was established in 1822 and for East Florida in 1823 to process claims to lands previously granted by other nations. These documents, as well as land ancestries and homestead records, are at the Florida State Archives.

Counties
Extinct or Renamed Counties: Benton | Dade | Fayette | Mosquito | New River

Major Repositories
State Archives of Florida· State Library of Florida· Meek-Eaton Black Archives· Alma C. Field Library of Florida History· Charlton W. Tebeau Library of Florida History· Indian River County Main Library· Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch· Orlando Public Library· P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History· Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library· St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library· University of South Florida Tampa Library Special Collections· University of West Florida Archives and West Florida History Center· Volusia County Public Library Daytona Beach Regional· West Florida Public Library Genealogy Branch· National Archives at Atlanta· Dallas Public Central Library· Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library· Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library· Mobile Municipal Archives· Thomasville Genealogical, History and Fine Arts Library

Migration Routes
Apalachicola River· Atlantic Coast Ports· St. John's River· Suwannee River· Alachua-Tampa Bay Trail· Augusta-St. Augustine Trail· Jacksonville-Apalachee Bay Trail· Jacksonville-St. Augustine Trail· Old Trading Path· St. Augustine-Apalachee Trail· St. Augustine-Flint River Trail· St. Augustine-Savannah Road· Savannah-Jacksonville Trail· Tugaloo-Apalachee Bay Trail· Upper Creeks-Pensacola Trail

Research Tools
Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Florida Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Death Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Death Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Divorce Index 1877-1998 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida. Marriage Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Marriages 1830-1993 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Marriages 1837-1974 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida 1885 State Census Records (FamilySearch Historical Record)
 * Florida 1935 State Census Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida 1945 State Census Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Confederate Veterans and Widow Pension Applications (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida, Key West Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida, Tampa Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Florida Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * How to order Florida Vital Records
 * State of Florida County &amp; City Government Court links
 * Rotating Formation Florida County Boundary Maps and Atlases
 * Florida Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * List of Florida Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * History &amp; Facts of Florida Counties
 * American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
 * The American Civil War
 * Family Tree Encyclopedia - Terminology &amp; Meanings of Genealogical Terms
 * Printable Genealogy Forms used in Research
 * Research in Florida Military Records

Historical Associations of Northwest Florida (the Panhandle):


 * Baker Block Museum: a project of the North Okaloosa Historical Association. Many family histories have been submitted in the form of notebooks and published books.  Out of print books on topics of historical interest are available.  Photographs of individuals, families, and county history are also preserved, along with old maps, microfilms of early newspapers, etc.
 * Heritage Museum in Valparaiso: A modest collection of books and publications on the history of Florida and the Florida Panhandle are available for review (by appointment, only).  Some city directories are available. A card index of locally published obituaries contains over 10,000 names.  New publications range in subject from regional recipes to local history and are available for sale.
 * Archaeology site lists other historical organizations, also. Occasionally, family histories are archived at these sites.
 * Find which county a town is in, what town a cemetery is in, even where a postoffice or building is by using the United States Geographical Survey's Geographical Names Information System.
 * David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures.
 * The Florida GenWeb Project has a wealth of information and is a part of the larger USGenWeb Project. The USGenWeb Project provides internet information on every county in every state in the United States.
 * The Florida GenWeb Project,Inc. has a wealth of information for each county in the state of Florida, You may also wish to check out the Florida GenWeb Project,Inc.Archivessection, a page for each county
 * Access Genealogy: Florida Genealogy has a wealth of information.

Obtain additional help

 * Call or chat with an experienced researcher
 * Join a Facebook Group
 * Consult a Professional Genealogist

Help with the Florida Wiki pages
In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need willing volunteers. You can help:


 * Expand county articles
 * Check links on pages
 * ...and more

Find more opportunities to help with the Florida pages.