Baker County, Florida Genealogy

United States

Florida

Baker County

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

Florida Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Macclenny Organized: February 8, 1861 Parent County(s): Bradford Neighboring Counties Bradford • Charlton (GA) • Clay • Clinch (GA) • Columbia • Duval • Nassau • Union • Ware (GA) Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Baker County was created 8 Feb 1861 and was named for James McNair Baker (1821–1892), a judge and Confederate senator. Its county seat is Macclenny. It is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Baker County Courthouse
339 E MacClenny Avenue
MacClenny, FL 32063-2100
Phone: 904-259-3121
Baker County Website

County Judge has marriage and probate records
Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1880

Baker 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1899	1877	1899	1880	1877	1877	1830
*Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

1888 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1861-- Baker County was created 8 February 1861 from New River County. New River County's name was changed to Bradford in 1861. 1890-- Macclenny was once called Darbyville but was changed in 1890 to Macclenny County seat: MacClenny Florida Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Florida Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Florida county boundary changes

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:

Cities
Apopka Bay Lake Belle Isle Edgewood	Lake Buena Vista Maitland Ocoee	Orlando Winter Garden Winter Park
Towns
Eatonville Oakland	Windermere
Census-designated places
Alafaya Azalea Park Bay Hill Bithlo Christmas Clarcona Conway Dr. Phillips Fairview Shores Four Corners Goldenrod Gotha Holden Heights	Horizon West Hunters Creek Lake Butler Lake Hart Lake Mary Jane Lockhart Meadow Woods Oak Ridge Orlo Vista Paradise Heights Pine Castle Pine Hills Rio Pinar	Rio Pinar Sky_Lake South Apopka Southchase Taft Tangelo Park Tangerine Tildenville Union Park University Wedgefield Williamsburg Zellwood

History Timeline

The majority of the pre-civil war settlers who came to the area now known as Baker County were hunters and farmers. However, after the war, industries involving turpentine and logging brought a greater number of northern settlers because of the higher opportunity for employment. The county seat was first in Sanderson. After the burning of the Sanderson courthouse in 1877 and with pressure from Darbyville settlers, a vote was held to determine the county seat on February 22, 1886. With only a margin of 23 votes, Darbyville (currently known as Macclenny) became the county seat. The area began with farming cotton and corn as the main crops followed by sugar cane, sweet potatoes and lots of leafy vegetables. After the environmental disturbance or the boll weevil which destroyed the cotton, corn (selling mostly as moonshine) took the place as Baker's main crop. Sometime after, tobacco became the main cash crop. (History of Baker County).

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Baker, Florida online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave Interment.net RecordAGrave Index USGW Tombstone Transcription Project
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org
List of Cemeteries in the County	BillionGraves FamilySearch Places Find a Grave
See Florida Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	1,325	—
1880	2,303	73.8%
1890	3,333	44.7%
1900	4,516	35.5%
1910	4,805	6.4%
1920	5,622	17.0%
1930	6,273	11.6%
1940	6,510	3.8%
1950	6,313	−3.0%
1960	7,363	16.6%
1970	9,242	25.5%
1980	15,289	65.4%
1990	18,486	20.9%
2000	22,259	20.4%
2010	27,115	21.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

• 1885 Florida State Population Census includes sex, age, relationship, occupation, place of birth of each family member and parents. Also census for agriculture, manufacture and mortality. - How to Use this Collection
• 1935 1935 Florida State Census at MyHeritage - index ($))

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

• FamilySearch Places

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Sanderson

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

• Blackburn-Curry Funeral Home in Macclenny
• Ferreira Funeral Services in Macclenny
• Forbes Funeral Home in Macclenny
• Guerry Funeral Home in Macclenny

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

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1821-1997 Maps of Florida
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Baker County Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)
• 1812-1813 1812-1813 Residents of East Florida Patriots or Loyalists at Genealogy Trails - index

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Florida Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
• 1885-1955 Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Florida State Archive Florida, Confederate Pension Applications Files
  
• Florida State Archive A Guide to Civil War Records at the State Archives of Florida.
  

World War I

• 1917-1920 Florida, World War I Navy Card Roster, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1945 Florida, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Index to World War II Army Enlistment Records, Baker County, Florida (Genealogy Trails)
• Baker County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (Genealogy Trails)

Korean War

• Korean War Casualties, Baker County (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1862-1960 Florida, United States Naturalization Records, 1862-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection, Inventory; index & images, coverage may vary

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Florida, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
• Florida Digital Newspaper Library at George A. Smathers Libraries

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1784-1990 Florida Probate Records, 1784-1990(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
• 1827-1950 Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 at Ancestry ($)
• 1877-1960 Probate Records, 1877-1910 and Wills, 1914-1960(*); County Judge's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1889-1893 Probate Records of Baker County, Florida, 1889-1893(*); Probate Court and County Judge at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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

• 1880-1935 Florida, Births and Christenings, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

• 1802-1998 Florida, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
• 1822-1875 and 1927-2001 Florida, Marriage Index, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1823-Onward Florida Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1830-1957 Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1830-1993 Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1837-1974 Florida, Marriages, 1837-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1870-1900 Marriages - 1877-1900 at Southeasterngenealogy.com $
• 1970-1999 Florida, Marriages, 1970 - 1999 at MyHeritage - index ($))

Death

• 1877-1939 Florida, Deaths, 1877-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1877-1998 Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1900-1921 Florida, Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

• 1927-2001 Florida, Divorce Index 1927-2001 at Ancestry $
• 1970-1999 Florida, Divorces, 1970 - 1999 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Web: Florida, U.S., Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-1868 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1880-Onward Florida, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Baker 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

• Lake Butler Florida FamilySearch Center
• Lake City Florida FamilySearch Center
• MacClenny Florida FamilySearch Center
• Jacksonville Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Southern Genealogists Exchange Society - SGES - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Societies

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

Baker County Historical Society
42 West McIver Avenue
PO Box 856
Macclenny, FL 32063
Phone: 904-259-0587
Email: historicalsociety@nefcom.net
Website
Facebook

Websites

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

• FLGenWeb
• Baker County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Baker County, Florida (Genealogy Trails)
• Baker County FL Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.