Step-by-Step Florida Research, 1880-Present

Florida Step-by-step research 1880--present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews What to Ask the Relatives
 * Genealogy: 150 questions to ask family members about their lives
 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Using the clues to lead to census record searches.
'''In an interview with older family members, you learn that your great-grandfather was Calvin Brown, that he lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and that he died on about 2005 or 6, over 80 years old. So you surmise that he would show up in the 1945 state census of Florida, around age 25-30. We find him listed in the home of his parents, Sidney F. and Effie Brown in Duval County, Florida.''' '''Now, we look for this family, working our way back through each earlier census, 1940 U.S., 1935 Florida state, 1930 U.S., and 1920 U.S. Through that process, we are able to identify lots of children for this couple:  We could not find the family in the 1910 census. In 1900, Frank is a 16-year-old living in the home of his widowed mother, Susan Brown. (Plot spoiler: Eventually we will learn that Susan's maiden name is Spiers. We took the picture of the census with the neighboring Spiers families, who may turn out to be relatives.)''' In 1880, Susan's husband is still alive, of course, and we learn that he was also Sidney Frank Brown, making three generations.
 * Thelma W., born abt. 1915
 * Erline E., born abt.1917
 * Sidney Frank, Jr., born abt. 1919
 * Vivian L., born abt. 1920
 * Effie Merle, born abt. 1922
 * Carol L., born abt. 1923
 * Calvin L., born abt. 1925
 * Charles Milton, born abt. 1927

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day. For each person living in a household you might find (depending on the year) their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military.



Using the census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Index entry Actual record

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituaries

 * Florida Obituaries
 * at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * Florida Online Historical Newspapers
 * Florida Newspaper Archives (1783–1984) at Genealogy Bank. Index.
 * FLGenWeb Florida Newspapers Online
 * Newspapers on Microfilm in the Florida Collection at State Library of Florida]
 * Chronicling America - Florida Newspapers
 * Florida Newspapers at Ancestry ($)
 * University of Florida Digital Newspaper Collection. Search engine or browse.
 * Florida Newspapers

Cemeteries

 * Find-A-Grave.com
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * Florida Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * Florida Cemetery Records at Interment
 * Florida Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online Florida Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see Florida Obituaries and Florida Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Florida Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch

 * 1834-1997, Index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1880-1935, index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1900-1921, index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1974, index — How to Use this Collection

Dutch Reformed

 * 1856-1970 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Catholic: Other Collections

 * Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine
 * Abstracts to the Colonial Parish Registers of St. Augustine, Baptisms 1594-1763


 * For help with church records kept in Florida, see Florida Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Florida
 * Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974, ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * Index and Images.

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Florida county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Florida Counties

For more information, see Florida Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Florida Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * Images.
 * Images
 * Florida Passenger Lists, 1898-1964 Index and images ($)
 * Florida Passenger Lists, 1898-1964, ($) index.
 * , Images.
 * , Images.
 * — images
 * Index to Alien Arrivals by Airplane at Miami, Florida, 1930-1942, ($), index.

Florida Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Florida, Naturalization Records, 1847-1995 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - District Courts in the Southeast, 1790-1958 ($), index.

For more information, see Florida Emigration and Immigration and Florida Naturalization and Citizenship.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Florida; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Florida" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Florida" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Florida and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * History of Florida, past and present, historical and biographical, Vol. I, Images, partial index.
 * Vol. II, Images, partial index.
 * Vol. III. Images, partial index.
 * County and Town Histories Florida

Step 10: Contact a county historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Florida, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Florida, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Florida Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Florida Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Florida Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Florida Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Florida.
This article focused more on Florida state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Florida. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.