Alachua County, Florida Genealogy

United States Florida  Alachua County

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

County Courthouse


Alachua County Courthouse; 201 E University Ave; PO Box 600; Gainesville, FL 32601; Phone: 352.374.3636

County Clerk has incomplete marriage records from 1837 probate records from 1840, land records from 1848 &amp; court records

Parent County
1824-- Alachua County was created in 1824 by an act of the Florida Legislature. It was carved from portions of Duval and St. Johns Counties. Until 1843 its southernmost border was approximately Tampa Bay. While Gainesville is the current County seat, originally a town called Newnansville, located in the northeastern part of the County, was the seat of the county government.

The Second Seminole War slowed the growth of Newnansville and the railroad line bypassed the county seat by running in a diagonal line across the county resulting in a decision to move the county seat nearer the rail lines. This decision was made at a meeting at Boulware Springs on September 6, 1853, resulting in the creation of a new town to be called Gainesville nearer the center of commerce in Alachua County. County seat: Gainesville

Boundary Changes
In 1843 the northernmost portion of Hernando County was created from the southern most part of Alachua County.

In 1924 Gilchrist County was created from the western most portion of Alachua County

For animated maps illustrating Florida county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Florida County Boundary Maps" (1821-1997) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
Alachua | Archer | Gainesville | Hawthorne | High Springs | LaCrosse | Micanopy | Newberry | Waldo Adams | Alachua II | Alackaway Tolofa | Arno | Arredondo | Arredondo Estates | Beckhamtown | Beville Heights | Bland | Buckingham West | Buda | Burnetts Lake | Cadillac | Campville | Chantilly Acres | Clark | Clinch | Copeland Settlement | Cross Creek | Daysville | Durant Estates | Earleton | Evinston | Fairbanks | Forest Grove | Green Grove | Grove Park | Hague | Haile Plantation | Hainesworth | Half Moon | Hasan | Idylwild | Island Grove | Jonesville | Kanapaha | Kincaid Hills | Kirkwood | Kreftwood Estates | Lake Alto Estates | Lakeview Estates | Lincoln Estates | Lochloosa | Los Trancos Woods | Louise | Malore Gardens | Melrose | Melton Manor | MIcanopy Junction | Monteocha | Newnans Lake Homesites | Newnansville | Northwood | Orange Heights | Paradise | Pine Hill Estates | Pinesville | Rex | Riceland | Robinson Heights | Robinswood | Rochelle | Rocky Point | Ruthland | Rutledge | San Francisco Potano | Santa Fe | Santa Fe Beach | Shadow Lawn Estates | Shannon Wood | Shenks | South Iyldwild | Spring Hill | Suburban Heights | Tacoma | Traxler | Wacahoota | Wade | West Hills | West Park | Wimberly Estates | Windsor

Neighboring Counties
Bradford •  Columbia  •  Gilchrist  •  Levy  •  Marion  •  Putnam  •  Union

African American

 * USGenWeb Florida African American Griots Project
 * Afrigeneas - African Genealogy

Census

 * 1783 Spanish CensusUSGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1821 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1823 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1850 and 1860 Census Indexes - Alachua County FLGenWeb
 * 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Federal Census Information from National Archives USGenWeb
 * State Census Information from Florida State Archives USGenWeb
 * Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service USGenWeb

Court

 * 1847-1992 Alachua County Commissioners Minutes *Misc. Records from Alachua County Courts
 * 1840-1974 Wills Alachua County Will Record Books

Land

 * 1826-1916Alachua County Partial Deed Index *Alachua County Index to Deed Records *Florida Territorial Land Records

Local Histories

 * Town of Alachua
 * Town of Archer
 * Town of Evinston
 * Town of Waldo

Maps



 * 1821-1997 Maps of Florida
 * 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of State USGenWeb
 * 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of State USGenWeb

Military

 * Civil War


 * 1861-1865 FamilySearch Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers,
 * 1861-1865 FamilySearch Florida Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers
 * 1885-1955 FamilySearch Florida, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications
 * Florida State Archives Florida, Confederate Pension Applications Files
 * Florida State Archives A Guide to Civil War Records at the State Archives of Florida


 * USGenWeb Archives Project Florida State Military Files
 * Pension Project Florida state pension records from various wars
 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict
 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

Newspapers

 * Early Florida Newspapers at the Florida State Library

Obituaries

 * Florida Obituaries Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties - USGenWeb Obituaries Project
 * WorldCat
 * Newspaper.net

Probate

 * Alachua County Probate Records Search

Online Probate Records
 * 1784 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1810 – 1974 Florida Wills and Probate Records 1810-1974 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Real Estate

 * 1847-1869 Alachua County Mortgage Index

Birth Records

 * 1880 - 1935 at FamilySearch.

Death Records

 * 1877 - 1939 at  FamilySearch
 * 1900 - 1921 at FamilySearch
 * 1877 - 1998 at FamilySearch

Divorce Records

 * 1927 - 2001 Florida, Divorce Index at Ancestry.com  $

Marriage

 * 1837 - 1974 at FamilySearch.
 * 1830 - 1993 at FamilySearch.
 * 1822 - 1875 and 1927 - 2001 at FamilySearch.
 * 1837-1973 - Alachua County Marriage Licenses - search licenses from 1837- May 1973
 * Florida State Archives

Societies and Libraries

 * Random Acts of Kindness List of Florida Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical Genealogical Societies
 * FamilySearch Find a Family History Center
 * Florida Historical Society
 * Florida State Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Gainesville Florida Family History Center

Web Sites

 * Alachua County, FL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Florida Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Florida Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Alachua Clerk of the County Court
 * The Alachua County FLGenWeb Project, a member of The FLGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The Alachua County FLGenWeb Project, a member of The FLGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.


 * Alachua County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Alachua County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.