Alachua County, Florida Genealogy
Guide to Alachua County, Florida ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Alachua County, Florida | |||||||||
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![]() Location in the state of Florida | |||||||||
![]() Location of Florida in the U.S. | |||||||||
Facts | |||||||||
Founded | December 29, 1824 | ||||||||
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County Seat | Gainesville | ||||||||
Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 County Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places/Localities
- 5 Resources
County Information[edit | edit source]
Alachua County, Florida Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1899 | 1837 | 1899 | 1850 | 1848 | 1840 | 1830 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Alachua County Courthouse;
201 E University Ave; PO Box 600;
Gainesville, FL 32601;
Phone: 352.374.3636
County Clerk has incomplete marriage records from 1837
probate records from 1840, land records from 1848 & court records[2]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1824-- Alachua County was created in 1824 by an act of the Florida Legislature. It was carved from portions of Duval and St. Johns Counties. 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.
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.
County seat: Gainesville [3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Chua (Timucuan word for "sinkhole"). The county seat is Gainesville and the county was organized on February 29, 1824. The County is located in the North central area of the state.[4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
In 1843 the northernmost portion of Hernando County was created from the southern most part of Alachua County.
In 1924 Gilchrist County was created from the western most portion of Alachua County
For animated maps illustrating Florida county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Florida County Boundary Maps" (1821-1997) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
Cities | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
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Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Bradford • Columbia • Gilchrist • Levy • Marion • Putnam • Union
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- USGenWeb Florida African American Griots Project
- Afrigeneas - African Genealogy
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Index to Alachua County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Alachua County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
- Index to Alachua County Biographical Sketches (FLGenWeb Project)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on Alachua County cemeteries.
- Interment.net Florida cemetery records
Census[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Alachua County, Florida Genealogy census records online, see: Florida Census.
- 1783 Spanish CensusUSGenWeb Archives Project
- 1821 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1823 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1850 and 1860 Census Indexes - Alachua County FLGenWeb
- 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos USGenWeb Archives Project
- Federal Census Information from National Archives USGenWeb
- State Census Information from Florida State Archives USGenWeb
- Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service USGenWeb
Church[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.
Court[edit | edit source]
- 1847-1992 Alachua County Commissioners Minutes
*Misc. Records from Alachua County Courts - 1840-1974 Wills Alachua County Will Record Books
Land[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.
- 1826-1916Alachua County Partial Deed Index
*Alachua County Index to Deed Records
*Florida Territorial Land Records
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Alachua County, Florida Genealogy. 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[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 1821-1997 Maps of Florida
- 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of State USGenWeb
- 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of State USGenWeb
Military[edit | edit source]
- USGenWeb Archives Project Florida State Military Files
- Alachua County, Florida Military Files (USGenWeb Archives)
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861-1865 - Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1865 - Florida Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1885-1955 - Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications 1885-1955 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1883 - Alachua County, Florida Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
- Florida State Archives Florida, Confederate Pension Applications Files
- Florida State Archives A Guide to Civil War Records at the State Archives of Florida
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1920 - Florida, World War I Navy Card Roster, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II[edit | edit source]
- Alachua County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (Genealogy Trails)
- 1940-1945 - Florida, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
Korean War[edit | edit source]
- Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict
- Korean War Casualty List, Alachua County (Genealogy Trails)
Vietnam War[edit | edit source]
- Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War
- Vietnam War Casualty List, Alachua County (Genealogy Trails)
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Alachua County, Florida Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Alachua County, Florida Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Florida Obituaries Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties - USGenWeb Obituaries Project
- WorldCat
- Newspaper.net
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records are held by the Clerk of Court and are housed at the Courthouse (top of page). See the wiki page Florida Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Online Probate Records
- 1784 – 1990 Florida Probate Records 1784-1990 at FamilySearch — images
- 1810 – 1974 Florida Wills and Probate Records 1810-1974 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Real Estate[edit | edit source]
- 1847-1869 Alachua County Mortgage Index
Taxation[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, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Florida.
- Selected Alachua County Vital Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
- 1880 - 1935 - Florida, Births and Christenings at FamilySearch.
Death Records[edit | edit source]
- 1877 - 1939 - Florida, Deaths, 1877-1939 at FamilySearch
- 1900 - 1921 - Florida, Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch
- 1877 - 1998 - Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998 at FamilySearch
Divorce Records[edit | edit source]
- 1927 - 2001 - Florida, Divorce Index at Ancestry.com $
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1802 - 1998 - Florida, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1830 - 1957 - Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1837 - 1974 - Florida, Marriages, index at FamilySearch.
- 1830 - 1993 - Florida, Marriages, index and images at FamilySearch.
- 1822 - 1875 and 1927 - 2001 - Florida, Marriage Index at FamilySearch.
- 1837 - 1973 - Alachua County Marriage Licenses - search licenses from 1837- May 1973
- Florida State Archives
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Alachua County Genealogical Society
Post Office Box 12078
Gainesville, FL 32604
E-mail:mmurphy462@aol.com
Website
Archer Historical Society
PO Box 1850
Archer, FL 32618
Telephone Number: 352-495-2310 General inquiries
Telephone Number: 352-495-2289 Museum Inquiries
E-mail:archerhistorical@gmail.com
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
- Random Acts of Kindness List of Florida Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical Genealogical Societies
- FamilySearch Find a Family History Center
- Florida Historical Society
- Florida State Genealogical Society
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Alachua County, FL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Florida Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Alachua Clerk of the County Court
- The Alachua County FLGenWeb Project, a member of The FLGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- Alachua County, Florida USGenWeb Archives
- Alachua County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Alachua County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
- Alachua County, Florida Genealogy Trails
- Alachua County FL Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alachua County, Florida . Page 133-137 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 143-145.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alachua County, Florida. Page 133 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alachua County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alachua_County,_Florida 04/21/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alachua County, Florida," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alachua_County,_Florida, accessed 1 August 2016.
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