Florida Vital Records

Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Florida State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Florida Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online
The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Florida Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for Florida Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.  
 * Florida Databases- Free
 * USGenWeb.org Florida Site - Free
 * Search for Florida Collections at United States at FamilySearch
 * The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Florida - Free/$
 * Online Links for Florida Birth &amp; Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
 * Linkpendium Links for Florida Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
 * Search the Florida Birth, Marriage, and Death at Ancestry ($)
 * CDC to order Florida Certificates online. It also shows where to write and any restrictions - Free site, but the certificates cost money   ($)
 * 1970-1999: Florida, Divorces, 1970-1999 at MyHeritage ($)

Birth Records
early - 1899

The FamilySearch Library has copies of original birth and death records for some counties of Florida as well as an extensive collection of delayed birth records dating to the 1860s. For example, there are 22 microfilms of delayed birth records for Leon County, 1874 to 1948, and two films of Pensacola birth and death records, 1891 to 1910.

1899 - present

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some earlier city and county records have been deposited with the state office. They include incomplete records of births from 1865 to 1917 and incomplete records of deaths from 1877 to 1917.

A digital index at FamilySearch is:


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

State records are closed to the general public. Conditions for obtaining a record may be obtained from the Office of Vital Statistics.


 * Bureau of Vital Statistics Attn: Vital Records Section P.O. Box 210 Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042 Telephone: 904-359-6900 Fax: 904-359-6931 Internet: Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics

Marriage Records
Statewide registration of marriages began in June 1927.

Marriage records have been kept by each county, usually from the date the county was created. The FamilySearch Library has a large collection of county marriage records. For example, the marriage licenses of the county judge for Hillsborough County are on 93 microfilms for the years 1849 to 1951, 1853 to 1927, and 1940 to 1956, with an index for 1846 to 1980.


 * United States Marriages – Florida, 1802-1998 at Findmypast ($) index and images
 * Florida, County Marriages, 1823-1982 at Ancestry; index & images, ($)
 * 1830-1993 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1929-1954 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1970-1999: Florida, Marriages, 1970-1999 at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1837-1974 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection

Florida Combined Marriage Index,1927-1969''. These records are in the Office of Vital Statistics.''

Divorce Records
Records of divorce proceedings are kept by the clerk of the circuit court in each county. You can write to the clerk for records up to June 1927. For records since then, write to the Office of Vital Statistics.

The FamilySearch Library has 305 microfiche of the Florida Combined Divorce and Annulment Index, 1927-1969.
 * 1927-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection


 * 1927-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

Death Records
early - 1917

The FamilySearch Library has copies of original birth and death records for some counties of Florida.

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some earlier city and county records have been deposited with the state office. They include incomplete records of deaths from 1877 to 1917 and incomplete records of births from 1865 to 1917.

1917 to Present

State records are closed to the general public. Conditions for obtaining a record may be obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics.


 * 1877-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1877-1939 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1896-1916 Fernandina, Florida, US, Death and Burial Records, 1896-1916 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1900-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

The FamilySearch Library has 143 microfiche of the Florida Combined Death Index, 1877-1969. You can obtain copies of the state's records by writing to:


 * Bureau of Vital Statistics Attn: Vital Records Section P.O. Box 210 Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042 Telephone: 904-359-6900 Fax: 904-359-6931 Internet: Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics

An explanation of the history and availability of vital records is in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Florida.

Fetal Deaths Parents, legal representative or court order may request a copy of a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in a Stillbirth." Anyone may apply for a copy of a "Fetal Death Certificate," however, only cause of death will be issued after 50 years unless you are the parent.

Cause of Death

 * Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Lost, Missing or Fragmented Records
When there is record loss, usually there is an attempt to reconstruct some of the records. For losses in county records, check if state records have a copy. For losses in the state records, check if the appropriate county has a copy. If neither have a copy, check the Substitute Records below.

Counties with record loss:

Santa Rosa (1869) and Wakulla (1896)

Substitute Records

 * Florida Church Records
 * Florida Cemetery Records
 * Florida Census Records
 * Florida History
 * Florida Military Records
 * Florida Newspapers
 * Florida Obituaries
 * Florida Periodicals

Tips

 * Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time ot the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
 * If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records for christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and death.
 * Records for African Americans are often recorded in separate files with separate indexes.
 * Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
 * Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search. Search for Florida to locate records filed by the state and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.

Archives, Libraries and Societies

 * Florida Archives and Libraries
 * Florida Societies