Hillsborough County, Florida Genealogy

Guide to Hillsborough 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 Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough, who served as British Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772. The County is located in the West central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hillsborough County Courthouse 419 N Pierce Street Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813-276-8100 Hillsborough County Website Clerk of Circuit Court - Tax Deeds George E. Edgecomb Courthouse 800 Twiggs Street Room #103 Tampa, FL 33602 Clerk of Circuit Court - Marriage License, Recording, Records Library, Passports 419 Pierce Room 140 Tampa, FL 33602 Clerk of Circuit Court - Annex Tower Tampa, FL 33602 Clerk of Circuit Court - County Center 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33602 Brandon Office Clerk of Circuit Court -  Brandon Regional Service Center 311 Pauls Drive Suite 110 Brandon, FL 33511 SouthShore Office Clerk of Circuit Court-  SouthShore Regional Service Center 410 30th St. S.E. Ruskin, FL 33570 Plant City Office Clerk of Circuit Court -  Plant City Courthouse 302 North Michigan Avenue Plant City, FL 33563 County Judge has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and land records.

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

There are over 300 Hillsborough Churches listed on this website, with their location indicated

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Tampa

Court Records

 * 1848-1885 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1944-1945  - [[Florida and South Carolina, Airplane Arrival Manifests - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * How to Use this Collection]]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos USGenWeb
 * USGenWeb African American Griots Project
 * Afrigeneas - African Genealogy

Local Histories
A brief history of Hillsborough County is given on this website, along with links to other sources.

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

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

World War I
 * 1917-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Index to Hillsborough County Civilian Draft Registration by Surname - Scroll down to WWI. (USGenWeb Archives)

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Index to Hillsborough County Army Enlistees by Surname - Scroll down to WWII. (USGenWeb Archives)

Korean War
 * Hillsborough County Korean War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)
 * Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict distantcousin.com

Vietnam War
 * Hillsborough 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 USGenWeb

Probate Records
Online Indexes and Records
 * 1784-1990 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1827-1950 Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1834-1944 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1846-1930 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1847-1928 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1847-1930 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1894 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1882-1928 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1886-1929 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1893-1926 (*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * (*); 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.

Vital Records

 * University of South Florida Tampa. Some Hillsborough County marriage records
 * Hillsborough County Vital Records Office

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 $
 * 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

 * Brandon Florida Family History Center. (Valrico)

Libraries
John F. Germany Public Library 900 N. Ashley Dr. Tampa, Florida 33602-3788 Telephone 813-273-3652 Website
 * The Hillsborough County Library History and Genealogy Department has a large collection with emphasis on Florida, the southeast region, the original thirteen colonies and all other states bordering on the Mississippi River.

Museums
Tampa Bay History Center 801 Water Street Tampa, Fl 33602 Telephone 813-228-0097 Email [mailto:info@tampabayhistorycenter.org info@tampabayhistorycenter.org] Webpage

Conducting Research at the Tampa Bay History Center
Located on the fourth floor of the History Center, the Currie B. and Lavinia Sparkman-Witt Research Center is open to the general public by appointment only. The research center is a non-lending research and reading room. Books, documents or other items must be viewed on-site. Copy and scanning services are available for a fee. To ask a question or schedule a visit, Email [Mailto:collections@tampabayhistorycenter.org|collections@tampabayhistorycenter.org collections@tampabayhistorycenter.org|collections@tampabayhistorycenter.org]

Societies
East Hillsborough Historical Society 605 North Collins Street Plant City, Florida 33563 Telephone 813-757-9226 Email: [mailto:info@ehhsoc.org info@ehhsoc.org] Website

Tampa Historical Society 245 S Hyde Park Ave. Tampa, FL 33606 Email: [mailto:info@tampahistoricalsociety.com info@tampahistoricalsociety.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Hillsborough County, FLGenWeb Project
 * Florida Genealogical Society, Inc. (Tampa)
 * Hillsborough County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Hillsborough County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
 * Hillsborough County Genealogy (Florida Genealogy)
 * Hillsborough County, Florida Genealogy Trails
 * Hillsborough County, USGenWeb Archives
 * Hillsborough 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.