CENSUS RECORDS

The federal censuses for Florida began in 1830 and continued every ten years thereafter. They are currently available through 1920, and those available are all indexed in at least one format.

The Spanish took a number of censuses during periods of their control (1565–1763 and 1784–1821). Most have been published, though some may be difficult to find. "The 1783 Spanish Census of Florida" was published in four consecutive issues of the Georgia Genealogical Magazine, beginning with no.39 (Winter 1971). William S. Coker and G. Douglas Inglis's The Spanish Census of Pensacola, 1784–1820: A Genealogical Guide to Spanish Pensacola (Pensacola, Fla.: Perdido Bay Press, 1980) reproduces ten valuable censuses and population lists, one or another taken roughly every four years.

The state of Florida also conducted its own censuses in 1845, 1855, and every ten years from 1875 through 1945. Unfortunately, very few enumeration schedules have survived. Fortunately, however, Florida accepted partial funding from the federal government for a census taken as of 1 June 1885. Thirty-five of the thirty-nine counties of the state in 1885 are included and survive. The Florida State Archives has the original schedules of the state censuses of 1935 and 1945, accessible alphabetically by county and thereunder by numbered election precincts. The schedules give name, address (and whether inside or outside city limits), age, sex, race, relation to family, place of birth, degree of education, and occupation. There is no index to these records. A personal visit is required.

Florida Research Sources

Patrick, Rembert W. Florida Under Five Flags. 3rd ed. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1960.

Harris, Michael H. Florida History: A Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1972.

Guide to the Records of the Florida State Archives. Tallahassee: Florida Department of State, 1988.

Archives, Libraries, Societies, and Other Resources

Florida State Archives
Bureau of Archives Management
Division of Library & Information ServicesPublic Services Section
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
Tel: 904-487-2073

Florida Division of Historical Resources
500 S. Bronough Street
Tallassee, FL 32399
Tel: 904-488-1480

State Library of Florida
Florida Collection
Division of Library & Information Services
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
Tel: 904-487-2651

Florida Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 18624
Tampa, FL 33679-8624

Florida State Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 10249
Tallahassee, Florida 32302
E-mail: Linda_Kleback@prodigy.com
http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsgs/index.htm

Florida Historical Society
1320 Highland Avenue
Melbourne, FL 32935
Tel: 407-259-0947
URL: http://www.florida-historical-soc.org/

Florida GenWeb Project
http://www.rootsweb.com/~flgenweb/index.html

Seminole Tribe of Florida - History http://www.seminoletribe.com//news/access/history.shtml

P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611

John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
Pensacola, FL 32514