Manatee County, Florida Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the Florida manatee (commonly called a “sea cow” and distantly related to the elephant), which is endangered and Florida’s official marine mammal. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Manatee County Courthouse 1115 Manatee Ave W; PO Box 25400; Bradenton, FL 34206 Phone. 941-749-1800 Manatee County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1857

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * USGenWeb Florida African American Griots Project
 * Afrigeneas - African Genealogy

Land and Property Records
Florida Territorial Land Records

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: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Manatee 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)
 * 1883 Manatee County Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1885-1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War I
 * 1917-1918 - Manatee County Civilian Draft Registration (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1920 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Manatee County World War II Enlistees, Names Ackerman - Darley (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Manatee County World War II Enlistees, Names Davis - Hutchinson (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Manatee County World War II Enlistees, Names Imbler - Palmer (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Manatee County World War II Enlistees, Names Parah - Strong (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Manatee County World War II Enlistees, Names Sudbury - Zipperer (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Manatee County World War II Casualties (USGenWeb Archives)

Korean War
 * Manatee County Korean War Casualties (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict distantcousin.com

Vietnam War
 * Manatee County Vietnam War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)
 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

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
 * Obituaries published in Bradenton Herald - Obituary File 1976-present, a service of the Manatee Genealogical Society. The Card File is located at the Historical Records Library in Bradenton, FL.

Obituaries

 * USGenWeb Obituaries Project Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties
 * Manatee County, Florida Obituary Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From Various Funeral Homes in the Bradenton, Sarasota, Parrish, and Palmetto areas.
 * Obituaries published in Bradenton Herald - Obituary File 1976-present, a service of the Manatee Genealogical Society. The Card File is located at the Historical Records Library in Bradenton, FL.

Probate Records
Online Indexes and Records
 * 1784-1990 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1810–1974 Ancestry.com ($) Florida Wills and Probate Records 1810-1974
 * 1857-1977 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1859-1878 (*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

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

 * Brandenton Florida Family History Center

Libraries
Downtown Central Library 1301 Barcarrota Boulevard West Bradenton, FL 34205-7522 Phone: 941-748-5555 Website
 * Most Manatee County historical records (usually more than 1 year old) are transferred to the [Records Library] located at 1405 4th Ave W. Bradenton, FL 34205. Phone: (941) 741-4070. The Historical Records Library is housed within the 1918 Carnegie Library building, which was placed on the U.S. Department of the Interior's Registry of Historic Sites in 1987.

Museums
The Family Heritage House Museum 1707 15th St. East Bradenton, FL 34205 Website

Manatee Village Historical Park 1404 Manatee Avenue East (SR 64) Bradenton, FL 34208 Phone: 941-749-7165 website

Societies

 * Anna Maria Island Historical Society P.O. Box 4315 Anna Maria, FL 34216 Phone: 941-778-0492 Email: [mailto:amihs4315@gmail.com amihs4315@gmail.com] Website Facebook
 * Manatee County Historical Society 4501 Manatee Ave. West Bradenton, FL 34209-3925 Phone: 941-748-5788 Website Facebook
 * Manatee Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1194 Bradenton, FL 34206 Email: [mailto:info@mgsfl.org info@mgsfl.org] Website Facebook
 * Myakka City Historical Society P.O. Box 500 Myakka City, FL 34252 Facebook

Websites

 * Manatee County GenWeb Project, Inc.
 * Manatee County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * State of Florida
 * Manatee County, Florida,USGenWeb Archives
 * Sarasota County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Manatee County, FLGenWeb Project
 * Manatee County, Florida Genealogy Trails
 * Manatee 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.