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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, 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
FloridaAlachuaCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Fl-alachua.png

County Information

Description

Alachua County was created 29 Dec 1824[2] and was named for the Timucuan word for "sinkhole". Its county seat is Gainesville. It is located in the north-central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

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[4]

Alachua County, Florida Record Dates

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 Government County Records[5]
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

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

Boundary Changes

  • 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[6]

Populated Places

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:[7]

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

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

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

Census Records

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.

  • Federal Census Information from National Archives USGenWeb
  • State Census Information from Florida State Archives USGenWeb
  • Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service USGenWeb

Church Records

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

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

  • USGenWeb Florida African American Griots Project


Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

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

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

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

  • 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

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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

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

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

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

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

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

Alachua County Library District
401 East University Ave
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: 352-334-3900
Email: info@aclib.us
Website
Facebook

Museums

Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum
16994 SW 134th Avenue
PO Box 654
Archer, FL 32618
Phone: 352-374-8240
Email archerhistorical@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Societies

Listed below are societies in Alachua County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Florida Societies.

Alachua County Genealogical Society
PO Box 12078
Gainesville, FL 32604
Email: acgs401@gmail.com
Facebook

Archer Historical Society
PO Box 654
Archer, FL 32618
Phone: 352-374-8240
Email:archerhistorical@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

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

Websites

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The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.


Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Florida: Individual Chronologies, New Jersey Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/FL_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, " Alachua County, Florida," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alachua_County%2C_Florida (accessed July 8, 2024).
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Florida.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alachua County, Florida," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia accessed 1 August 2016.
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Topics
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Major
 Repositories
National Archives at Atlanta · Florida Health Bureau of Vital Statistics · Meek-Eaton Black Archives · State Archives of Florida · State Library of Florida · Alma C. Field Library of Florida History · Charlton W. Tebeau Library of Florida History · Florida History and Genealogy Library · Indian River County Main Library · Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch · Orlando Public Library · P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History · Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library · St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library · University of South Florida Tampa Library Special Collections · University of West Florida Archives and West Florida History Center · Volusia County Public Library Daytona Beach Regional · West Florida Public Library Genealogy Branch · West Oaks Branch Library and Genealogy Center · Dallas Public Central Library · Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library · Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library · Mobile Municipal Archives · Thomasville Genealogical, History and Fine Arts Library
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