Florida History

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Timeline
The following important events in the history of Florida affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movement.


 * 1565 The Spanish founded St. Augustine, the first permanent white settlement in what is now the United States. Pensacola was founded by the Spanish in 1698, but there was little significant European settlement in Florida until the late eighteenth century.
 * 1763: At the close of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), Britain gained control of Florida. Settlers from Europe and the American colonies to the north began to move into the area. The provinces of East Florida and West Florida were formed.
 * 1783: Most of the British settlers left when Spain regained the Floridas.
 * 1812: The United States annexed portions of West Florida to Louisiana and to the Mississippi Territory.
 * 1812, 1816 and 1817: Seminole Indian Wars (Osceola; Seminole Chief 1804-1838)
 * 1819: Spain ceded the remainder of West Florida and all of East Florida to the United States for $5,000,000. Official United States occupation took place in 1821, and Florida was organized as a territory in 1822.
 * 30 March 1822: Florida Territory organized.
 * 18 September 1822: Treaty of Fort Moultrie between the United States and the Seminole Indians.
 * 1835-1842: The Second Seminole War was caused by reaction to the Treat of Payne's Landing (1832) and the attempts by the U.S. to remove them from Florida. The Seminole's were led by Chief Osceola, Wild Cat, Alligator and Aripeka conducted a guerrilla war. Over 1,500 U.S. troops lost their lives.
 * 1842: At the close of the Seminole Wars, most of the Indians were removed west to present-day Oklahoma, but a few hundred escaped into the swamps.
 * 3 March 1845: Florida became a state.
 * 21 January 1850: Western migration of the Florida Indians began. This removed most Indians from the Atlantic seaboard. A few remained on isolated reservations. Today some Seminole Indians live in the Lake Okeechobee area.
 * 1861: Florida seceded from the Union. It was readmitted in 1868.
 * 1870-1900 The post-Civil War boom brought many settlers to Florida, as developers from the North built railroads and resorts.
 * 1911: The Hollywood Indian Reservation was established for the Seminole Indians.
 * 1921-1925 The last 13 of the state's 67 counties were organized as the Florida land boom attracted new settlers from the north.
 * 1938: Big Cypress and Brighton Indian reservations were established.

Local Histories
Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain accounts of families. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You can also find lists of pioneers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating your ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search. Local histories are extensively collected by the Family History Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.


 * A Bibliography of American County Histories


 * United States Local Histories in the Library of Congress

State Histories Useful to Genealogists
Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful. But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the lauditory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. One of the best sources for studying Florida history is:


 * Florida: Historic- Dramatic-Contemporary, is an especially helpful source for studying the history of Florida.

United States History
The following are only a few of the many sources that are available:


 * The Almanac of American History, This provides brief historical essays and chronological descriptions of thousands of key events in United States history.


 * Dictionary of American History, Revised ed This includes historical sketches on various topics in U.S. history, such as wars, people, laws, and organizations. A snippet view is available at Google books.


 * Webster's Guide to American History: A Chronological, Geographical, and Biographical Survey and Compendium  This includes a history, some maps, tables, and other historical information.


 * Writings on American History Has the full text available at Google Books

To find more books and articles about Florida 's history use the Internet Google search for phases like "Florida history." Family History Library Catalog Surname Search lists many more histories under topics like:


 * FLORIDA - HISTORY
 * FLORIDA. [COUNTY] - HISTORY
 * FLORIDA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - HISTORY
 * FLORIDA, BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web Sites

 * Florida west coast, an illustrated guide.
 * History of Florida - Wikipedia
 * Museums And Historic Sites In Florida
 * Museum of Florida's History
 * Social History of Florida

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 (Family Search Historical Records)