Florida, Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Florida

What Is in the Collection?
This collection is an index of the Florida State Archives Florida Memory Collection “Florida, Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home records, 1888–1938.” Included in the collection are admissions applications to the Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home. Some applications include information to verify that the applicant had served in the Confederate military during the Civil War. The applications also provide information about the applicant’s current residence, medical condition, Civil War service which included unit, dates served, and wounds incurred or cause of disability. The Florida Soldier’s Home Association was formed in 1888. Four years later the association purchased ten acres near Jacksonville to care for aging Confederate veterans. The state of Florida paid the home $100 annually for each occupant who did not already receive a pension. The rates were adjusted in 1909,1915, and 1919. The home operated for 45 years on state appropriation and donations from veterans’ organizations and the United Daughters of the Confederacy(UDC) who maintained the records for the home. The Florida Confederate Old Soldiers and Sailors Home operated until 1938 when the last resident died.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information is usually found in these records:


 * Name
 * Address
 * Military Unit

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the record

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Images may be viewed on Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Browse

I Found Who I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later. You may also wish to view the original record.  These records are available on the Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Browse
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional land records that might have more information.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and probate records.
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members in the censuses. There may be clues to maiden names if a father deeded property to his daughter upon marriage. Witnesses and neighbors may be in-laws or relatives.
 * Repeat this process with additional family member’s records to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. You could browse through the original record collection at the Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Browse which may help you find who you are looking for or provide additional leads.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing this Collection
Citing sources correctly, makes it easier to get back to sources that you have found, so citing sources properly can help you keep track of research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by giving them a way to find and examine records for themselves.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Top of Page