Florida, Spanish Land Grants - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection, Florida Spanish Land Grants, 1763–1821, contains maps and property records associated with the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States in 1821. Spanish rulers granted settlers areas of land in Florida to encourage settlement. As part of the treaty that transferred Florida to the United States, the United States agreed to honor all Spanish Land Grants. In 1822, the Board of Land Commissioners was established to verify titles and claims to land in East and West Florida. The board confirmed or rejected these claims, as claimants had to prove their ownership. The records are in folders containing one or more papers related to a person or families claim to a tract of land. Supporting documents in the folders may include petitions or memorials to a governor for land; survey or plats; attests; deeds of sale, gifts wills bequests, and exchanges; applications; and translations of Spanish documents (not all documents were translated). Claimants had to provide a description of land granted; date of grant; size of grant; property boundaries; and proof of residency and cultivation. Therefore, these records may contain surveys and plats, copies of royal grants, testimonials, correspondence, deeds, wills, and translations of Spanish documents. Many grants conflict and overlap with each other, so not all information is accurate. Some surveys were not verified. The original records are located at the State Archives of Florida in Tallahassee.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Land Grants
 * Primary owners name
 * Second owners name
 * Geographic location of the property
 * Date of Grant or filing
 * Status of the claim (confirmed or unconfirmed)

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person with the land grant
 * The general location of the land

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional land records that might have more information
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and probate records
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members in the census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. You could browse through the original record collection at the Florida Memory State Library & Archives Spanish Land Grants Collection which may help you find who you are looking for or provide additional leads
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Florida.
 * Florida Guided Research
 * Florida Record Finder
 * Florida Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Florida Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Spanish land grant archives, 1764-1844
 * Spanish land grants in Florida, 1764-1880
 * Spanish Florida land records, 1764-1849
 * Louisiana (Territory) Record books, 1795-1808; index to French and Spanish land grants, 1795-1812
 * United States. Land Office (Florida) Armed occupation act settlers records, 1842-1843

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Historical Records Survey, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Works Projects Administration, Spanish land grants in Florida : briefed translations from the archives of the Board of Commissioners for ascertaining claims and titles to land in the territory of Florida 5 volumes Tallahassee, Florida : Florida State Library Board, 1940-1941
 * 1830 Private land claims in east Florida. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Institute of Historic Research, 199-?

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying you sources helps others find the records you used.