Alachua County, Florida Genealogy

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Guide to Alachua County, Florida ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Gainesville
Organized: December 29, 1824
Parent County(s): Duval, St. Johns[1]
Neighboring Counties
Bradford  • Columbia  • Gilchrist  • Levy  • Marion  • Putnam  • Union
See County Maps
Courthouse
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Location Map
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Chua (Timucuan word for "sinkhole"). The County is located in the North central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Alachua County Courthouse
201 E University Ave PO Box 600
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: 352-374-3636
Alachua County Website

County Clerk has incomplete marriage records from 1837, probate records from 1840, land records from 1848 and court records[3]

Alachua County, Florida Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1899 1837 1899 1850 1848 1840 1830
*Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1824-- Alachua County was created December 29, 1824 by an act of the Florida Legislature. It was carved from portions of Duval and St. Johns Counties.
  • 1843-- Until 1843 its southernmost border was approximately Tampa Bay. While Gainesville is the current County seat, originally a town called Newnansville, located in the northeastern part of the County, was the seat of the county government. In 1843 the northernmost portion of Hernando County was created from the southern most part of Alachua County.
  • 1853-- The Second Seminole War slowed the growth of Newnansville and the railroad line bypassed the county seat by running in a diagonal line across the county resulting in a decision to move the county seat nearer the rail lines. This decision was made at a meeting at Boulware Springs on September 6, 1853, resulting in the creation of a new town to be called Gainesville nearer the center of commerce in Alachua County.
  • 1924-- In 1924 Gilchrist County was created from the western most portion of Alachua County.
  • County seat: Gainesville[5]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
  • Adam
  • Arno
  • Arredondo
  • Beckhamtown
  • Beville Heights
  • Bland
  • Buckingham West
  • Buda
  • Burnetts Lake
  • Cadillac
  • Campville
  • Clark
  • Clinch
  • Cross Creek
  • Daysville
  • Earleton
  • Evinston
  • Fairbanks
  • Forest Grove
  • Green Grove
  • Grove Park
  • Hague
  • Haile
  • Hainesworth
  • Half Moon
  • Hasan
  • Idylwild
  • Island Grove
  • Jonesville
  • Kanapaha
  • Kincaid Hills
  • Kirkwood
  • Lochloosa
  • Los Trancos Woods
  • Louise
  • Malore Gardens
  • Melton Manor
  • Micanopy Junction
  • Monteocha
  • Newnans Lake Homesites
  • Newnansville
  • Northwood
  • Orange Heights
  • Peach Orchard
  • Phifer
  • Pine Hill Estates
  • Paradise
  • Pinesville
  • Rex
  • Riceland
  • Robinswood
  • Rochelle
  • Rocky Point
  • Ruthland
  • Rutledge
  • Santa Fe
  • Santa Fe Beach
  • Shannon Wood
  • Shenks
  • South Idylwild
  • Spring Hill
  • Suburban Heights
  • Tacoma
  • Traxler
  • Wacahoota
  • Wade
  • West Hills
  • West Park
  • Windsor


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Alachua, Florida online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Florida Cemeteries for more information

The following web sites may have additional information on Alachua County cemeteries.

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1830 2,204 —
1840 2,282 3.5%
1850 2,524 10.6%
1860 8,232 226.1%
1870 17,328 110.5%
1880 16,462 −5.0%
1890 22,934 39.3%
1900 32,245 40.6%
1910 34,305 6.4%
1920 31,689 −7.6%
1930 34,365 8.4%
1940 38,607 12.3%
1950 57,026 47.7%
1960 74,074 29.9%
1970 104,764 41.4%
1980 151,348 44.5%
1990 181,596 20.0%
2000 217,955 20.0%
2010 247,336 13.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing census records online, see: Florida Census.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Florida denominations, view the Florida Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African American

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Florida Land and Property for additional information about early Florida land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for most counties. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Florida Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Columbia CountyUnion CountyBradford CountyClay CountyPutnam CountyMarion CountyLevy CountyGilchrist CountyFL ALACHUA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

  • Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties - USGenWeb Obituaries Project Florida Obituaries
  • WorldCat listings for Alachua, Florida obituaries are here
  • Alachua County and Gainesville, FL Obituaries are listed here from Newspaper.net

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more information see the wiki page Florida Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Florida State Archives, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Alachua County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Florida Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Alachua County. For state-wide library facilities, see Florida Archives and Libraries.

Alachua County Library District
14913 NW 140 Street
Alachua, FL 32615
Phone: 386-462-2592

Museums[edit | edit source]

Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum
16994 SW 134th Av.
P.O Box 654
Archer, FL 32618

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Alachua County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Florida Societies.
Alachua County Genealogical Society
Post Office Box 12078
Gainesville, FL 32604
E-mail:mmurphy462@aol.com
Website

Archer Historical Society
PO Box 654
Archer, FL 32618
Telephone Number: 352-495-2310 General inquiries
Telephone Number: 352-495-2289 Museum Inquiries
E-mail:archerhistorical@gmail.com
Facebook
Website

Micanopy Historical Society
706 NE Cholokka Blvd.
PO Box 462
Micanopy, FL 32667
Telephone Number: 352-466-3200
E-mail:MHS@MicanopyHistoricalSociety.com
Website

Florida Historical Society
435 Brevard Ave.
Cocoa FL 32922
Phone: 321-690-1971
Website

Florida State Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 940927
Maitland, FL 32794-0927
Text or voice mail: 407-494-3747
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

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Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alachua County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia 04/21/2017.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alachua County, Florida," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia accessed 1 August 2016.
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