Florida genealogy records

Births

Birth certificates come from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and local county health departments also issue Florida births from 1917 to the present. The Bureau notes that only limited births were recorded between 1850 and 1917.

As of 2026, births less than 125 years old are confidential. They may be issued only to the person named, if 18 or older, a parent listed on the record, a legal guardian, a legal representative of one of these, or by court order. Once the person has died, a birth certificate marked "Deceased" may be issued to a spouse, child, grandchild or sibling of legal age who sends a copy of the death certificate. Anyone else needs a notarized affidavit signed by an eligible person.

As of 2026, a mail or walk-in order to the Bureau costs $9 for the search and the first computer-generated certification, $4 for each additional copy, and $2 for each extra calendar year searched when the exact year is unknown. A manually produced photocopy certificate costs $14 and is not available through VitalChek; order it from the Bureau by mail or walk-in, where same-day service needs a $10 rush fee, when available.

Deaths

The Bureau of Vital Statistics notes that only limited deaths were recorded between 1877 and 1917. County health departments handle deaths from 2009 to the present only; for older deaths, order from the Bureau in Jacksonville.

As of 2026, any person 18 or older may get a certified copy of a death record without the cause of death. Records less than 50 years old that show the cause of death are confidential and go only to the spouse or parent, a child, grandchild or sibling of legal age, someone who shows an interest in the estate with a will, insurance policy or similar document, or someone acting for one of them. The first five digits of the Social Security number are redacted on public copies.

As of 2026, the Bureau charges $5 to search one calendar year with one certified copy, $4 for each additional copy, and $2 for each extra year searched, up to $50. Same-day walk-in service for records before 2009 needs a $10 rush fee, when available.

The State Archives also has death and burial records for Fernandina from 1896 to 1916, mainly for Bosque Bello Cemetery, giving each person's name, age, sex, race, occupation and marital status.

Marriages and county records

Marriage certificates from June 6, 1927 to the present that were recorded by a clerk of court are available from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, issued as an abstract of the license. Marriages before June 6, 1927 come from the clerk of court in the county where the license was issued. As of 2026, the Bureau's fee is $5 for the search and one certified copy.

The State Archives does not actively collect local government records, but from 1973 through the 1990s the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints microfilmed selected Florida county records, and copies of that deed, marriage, probate and tax film are at the Archives. Probate records include wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration and guardianships, and also inventories, appraisements and accounts of sales. You need the person's name and the county to use them well.

In the county records at the State Archives, only four counties, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson and Gulf, have separate indexes for marriages of Black couples, and the deed indexes do not mark race.

State and federal census

Florida took its own census. The first state census was authorized by the Constitution of 1838 to start in 1845 and continue every ten years, and the state census was abolished in 1949. The 1845 census does not list names. For 1855 only the Marion County returns are known, naming heads of household. The 1867 census survives for Hernando, Madison, Orange and Santa Rosa counties, with heads of family only, and 1875 survives only for Alachua County, naming everyone with age, sex and race.

The 1885 originals are at the National Archives, and the State Archives has them on microfilm. Original records have not been located for 1905, 1915 and 1925. The 1935 and 1945 censuses are complete at the State Archives and give each person's name, address, age, sex, race, relation to family, place of birth, education, home ownership and occupation; neither has an index, and a few 1945 precincts are missing.

In the federal census, the National Archives lists Florida among the states whose 1830 schedules survive. The 1825 Leon County census, held at the State Archives, is an earlier count naming heads of family.

Spanish land grants

The Spanish land grant records relate to the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States in 1821. The Board of Land Commissioners was set up in 1822 to settle all outstanding Spanish land grant claims, with offices in Pensacola and St. Augustine, and it supported or rejected each claim by studying the documents the claimant supplied. The dossiers hold petitions for land, surveys or plats, deeds of sale, gifts, wills and exchanges, and translations of Spanish documents. Florida Memory gives free online access to the collection.

Confederate pensions and military records

Florida first authorized Confederate pensions in 1885, later adding widows and militia members. Pensions went to residents of Florida no matter which state the man served from. A veteran's file generally gives his full name, date and place of birth, unit, dates and places of enlistment and discharge, service and wounds, and place and length of Florida residence. A widow's application is filed with her husband's and adds her full name, the date and place of marriage, and the date and place of his death. The files can be downloaded free from Florida Memory.

The State Archives also has World War I service cards for Floridians who served in the U.S. Army from 1917 to 1919, giving name, serial number, residence, place and date of birth, units, and discharge date.

Voter rolls, 1867 and 1868

The voter registration rolls of 1867 and 1868 are the first Florida voter rolls to systematically include African Americans, and for most Black Floridians listed they are the earliest official state record naming them in full. Because they fall between the 1860 and 1870 censuses, they can also help find people who moved or died in those years.