Genealogical Collection - State Archives of Florida

Genealogists comprise a large percentage of the Archives' patrons. To assist persons interested in researching their family history, the Archives maintains an extensive collection of genealogical reference materials. The collection consists of a 10,000 volume library of sourcebooks, including family, state, county, and local histories; immigration lists; church, cemetery, and military records; genealogy journals and reference books; and a wide variety of other published sources. A large selection of microfilmed federal census records and city directories supplement the printed records.

The Reference staff also maintains a Family Name File of unpublished materials relating to specific families, and a Surname Exchange File to alert genealogists to persons researching similar family lines.

The following resources, many of which are on microfilm, are commonly used for genealogical research; this is not a comprehensive list of the many genenealogical resources available. Patrons are encouraged to talk with Reference staff to identify other records that might assist in their research.

Military Records
— The Florida State Archives has a variety of military service and pension records of Floridians who served in the armed forces, including:

Military records available at the State Archives
Conflict	Available Records
Seminole Wars	Compiled service records
Indian Wars and Disturbances	Consolidated index to all soldiers
Revolutionary War	Pension and bounty-land warrant application files
Mexican War, 1846-1848	Muster rolls of Florida companies
Civil War	Compiled service records for Floridians who served in the Union and Confederate armies; consolidated index to compiled service records for all Confederate soldiers; original pension applications for soldiers who lived in Florida after the Civil War; muster rolls and other records documenting Civil War military service; pension records and compiled service records for soldiers from Georgia and Alabama
Spanish-American War	Compiled service records for Florida soldiers
World War I	Induction records; card listing of all Floridians who served in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard
Other Records	Listing of burial location of Florida's military veterans; registers of enlistments in the U.S. Army from 1798 to 1914; variety of Florida militia and National Guard records dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries

County Records
- May innclude:

Deed
Marriage
Probate
Tax Rolls
Election returns

Some of the most useful records in genealogy research are the deed, marriage, and probate records that were microfilmed in county courthouses throughout Florida. The records generally date from the creation of the county to the mid-1920s, although many courthouses burned or have lost records during their existence. The film in the Archives duplicates surviving records; it does not replace what has been lost through time. Tax rolls and election returns, while not strictly "county" records, are also useful in locating an elusive ancestor. County tax collectors and elections officials were required by law to compile and submit their tax rolls and election returns (which included the names of men who voted) to the state. Both groups of records are arranged by county and year and, while not indexed, are fairly easy to search, but there are gaps in the records. Generally, their usefulness spans the period from the 1820s to the 1870s.

Census Records
- The Archives has a growing collection of U.S. Census and Soundex records currently numbering over 10,000 rolls of microfilm, as well as a collection of the Florida state censuses of 1885, 1935, and 1945 which, with a few exceptions, are complete enumerations of the state's residents. There are also 150 rolls of microfilm covering various Native American censuses and enrollment cards.

Florida Pioneer Certificate files
- These files contains applications and supporting genealogical data for individuals who received a Florida State Pioneer Descendant Certificate or Florida County Pioneer Descendant Certificate issued by the Florida State Genealogical Society. These files trace the genealogy of those living in a county at the time of its creation or living in Florida prior to statehood.

Genealogy Book Collection
- Over 10,000 publications includes:

books on surname origins
family histories,
genealogy sources,
heraldry, cemetery records
bible records
county histories
census indexes
military rosters
published deed
probate and marriage information
periodicals and journals from genealogy societies around the United States.

Genealogical Resources on CD ROM
- The Genealogy Collection includes a number of resources on CD ROM, including the Genealogical Research System from Automated Archives, Inc. and the FamilySearch Files from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These resources are comprised of hundreds of compact discs containing millions of names from sources such as social security death benefit records, marriage records, and census indexes.

Other Collections
- Other records regularly used by genealogy researchers include:

Spanish land grants application files
plat maps
homestead applications
tract books
prison registers
Supreme Court case files
Florida Photographic Collection