Welcome to the Florida family history research page. Here you'll find record collection links, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your Florida ancestors.
Now known mostly as a place where vacationers head to enjoy the pleasant weather and wonderful attractions, the state of Florida is also incredibly historic. There are many historical organizations, museums, and groups that can be of tremendous use to those looking for Florida genealogy material.
Florida was a disputed possession of England, France, and Spain and falls neatly into the following periods: 1513, discovery; 1565-1763, first Spanish colonial period; 1763-83, British colonial period; 1784-1821, second Spanish period; 1821-45, U.S. territorial period: and 1845, statehood as the twenty-seventh state. See also Florida History Page for more Details
Florida was organized as territory on March 30, 1821 and entered the union as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. It has 67 Counties. Four original counties were created in September 1864: Yavapai being the first of the four, followed by Mohave, Yuma, and Pima. The capital is Tallahassee and the official state website is http://www.flgov.com/.
Florida is bordered by Georgia (north) and Alabama (north, northwest). It has a land area of 65,758 square miles making it the 22nd largest state. The 2010 population was 18,801,310 and the largest cities (2010) are Jacksonville, 821,784; Miami, 399,457; Tampa, 335,709; St. Petersburg, 244,769; Orlando, 238,300; Hialeah, 224,669; Tallahassee, 181,376; Fort Lauderdale, 165,521; Port Saint Lucie, 164,603; Pembroke Pines, 154,750.
Florida iwas first seen by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon. He called the region La Florida, roughly translated as Land of the Flowers, when he visited it in 1513. It is thought that he chose this name because he was impressed by the many colorful flowers of the region and because he sighted it on Easter, which is called Pascua Florida in Spanish. The State Nickname is " The Sunshine State ". The State Motto is " In God we trust ".
Beginning the Search for Florida Genealogy Data - A modern researcher just beginning their search for Florida genealogy data will be able to make a lot of progress before they even leave their home office. This is because the state of Florida has already digitized a huge amount of the information of specific interest to those hunting around for Florida genealogy information. It is important to remember, however, that although there is already a large amount of material online, there is also going to be the need to make a few trips to physical locations as well.
This means that anyone doing research for Florida genealogy projects will have to familiarize themselves with the online tools that can save them from making any unnecessary trips. For instance, they might find that in a search for Florida genealogy data, they can request reprints and documents all through the Internet.
A Reliable Approach for Florida Genealogy - Some of the most comprehensive sets of data for Florida genealogy researchers will be the public records listed below:
Your Best Tools for Florida Genealogy - Good researchers quickly discover strong resources for Florida genealogy work, and below are some of the best for Florida genealogy that we have found to be of use:
Additional state and local records can be found at the:
Also, consider using the Florida Department of State Genealogy Resources website at: http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/library/Bibliographies/genealogy.cfm.
Finally, these websites provide a tremendous amount of state-specific details to those in search of facts for Florida genealogy projects.