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Florida Research Tips and Strategies

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Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page

The Florida Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for Florida. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

Florida Research Strategies

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Florida:

Finding Florida Birth, Marriage or Death Records

Finding Florida Records

Florida Statewide Databases

Florida Research Process

Florida Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Florida:

Birth and Death information:

  • Statewide registration: The state began registering births and deaths in 1899, with full compliance by 1920.
  • County regististration: The offices of some county and city health departments have records from 1890 to 1916. Registration was inconsistant.
  • Access to records: See Florida Vital Records for more information about birth, marriages, and deaths in Florida.


Substitute Records:

  • Secondary source: Substitute records are used when primary sources do not exist for an event, such as birth, marriage, and deaths. Secondary sources list information about the event but they were not recorded at the time of the event and they are not an official record of the event.
  • Accuracy: Because the information about an event in substitute records was not the official recording of the event (such as, cemetery or obituary records) inaccuracy may occur. Use other substitute records to help varify information.
  • List of substitute records: See Florida Substitute Records for more information.


Finding Parents:

  • Death records: Death records created by the state starting in 1899 recorded by the state required birth and parent information. Information was not always provided and the accuracy of the information was limited by the grieving relatives' memory.
  • Obituaries: Official obituaries can also include the names of parents and other family members. See Florida Newspapers and Florida Obituaries for more information.
  • Church records: Knowing the denominiation of the church the family belonged to helps in locating information about the parents. See Florida Church Records for more information.


Census Records:

  • Check all census years: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census to learn more about them and their family members. See Florida Census Records for more information.
  • Clues to other records: There are clues in censuses regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records.
  • Finding families: Starting in 1850, all members of the household were listed in the census. By 1880, relationship to the head of household was added.

Further Florida Research

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