Alachua County, Florida Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Chua (Timucuan word for "sinkhole"). The county seat is Gainesville and the county was organized on February 29, 1824. The County is located in the North central area of the state.

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
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:

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

African American

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

Biographies

 * Index to Alachua County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Alachua County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Index to Alachua County Biographical Sketches (FLGenWeb Project)

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Alachua  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Florida cemetery records

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

Maps

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

Military

 * USGenWeb Archives Project Florida State Military Files
 * Alachua County, Florida Military Files (USGenWeb Archives)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1885-1955 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1883 - Alachua County, Florida Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Florida State Archives Florida, Confederate Pension Applications Files
 * Florida State Archives A Guide to Civil War Records at the State Archives of Florida

World War I

 * 1917-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * Alachua County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Korean War

 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict
 * Korean War Casualty List, Alachua County (Genealogy Trails)

Vietnam War

 * Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War
 * Vietnam War Casualty List, Alachua County (Genealogy Trails)

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

Vital Records

 * Selected Alachua County Vital Records (USGenWeb Archives)

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

 * 1802 - 1998 - Florida, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1830 - 1957 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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
Alachua County Genealogical Society Post Office Box 12078 Gainesville, FL 32604 E-mail:[mailto:mmurphy462@aol.com mmurphy462@aol.com] Website

Archer Historical Society PO Box 1850 Archer, FL 32618 Telephone Number: 352-495-2310 General inquiries Telephone Number: 352-495-2289 Museum Inquiries E-mail:[mailto:archerhistorical@gmail.com archerhistorical@gmail.com] Website

Micanopy Historical Society 706 NE Cholokka Blvd. PO Box 462 Micanopy, FL 32667 Telephone Number: 352-466-3200 E-mail:[mailto:MHS@MicanopyHistoricalSociety.com MHS@MicanopyHistoricalSociety.com] Website


 * 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

Websites

 * Alachua County, FL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * 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.
 * Alachua County, Florida USGenWeb Archives
 * Alachua County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Alachua County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
 * Alachua County, Florida Genealogy Trails
 * Alachua County FL Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Alachua County FL Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)