Gadsden County, Florida Genealogy

United States

Florida

Gadsden County

Guide to Gadsden 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: Quincy Organized: June 24, 1823 Parent County(s): Jackson Neighboring Counties Calhoun • Decatur (GA) • Grady (GA) • Jackson • Leon • Liberty • Seminole (GA) • See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Gadsden County was created 24 Jun 1823 and was named for James Gadsden of South Carolina, who served as Andrew Jackson's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818. Its county seat is Quincy. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Gadsden County Courthouse
10 E Jefferson St; PO Box 1799
Quincy, FL 32351
Phone: 850-875-8622
Gadsden County Website

County Judge has marriage and probate records, Clerk Circuit has divorce, court and land records.

Gadsden 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	1849	1899	1849	1849	1926	1830
*Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

1849 -- 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

1823--Gadsden County was created 24 June 1823 from Jackson County. County seat: Quincy 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
Chattahoochee Gretna	Midway	Quincy
Towns
Greensboro	Havana
Unincorporated communities
Dogtown Hinson	Mount Pleasant Oak Grove	Scotland Wetumpka
Census-designated places
Branchville Concord Darsey Douglas City Ebenezer Florence Freemont	Gibson Hardaway Hardin Heights Jamieson Juniper Lake View Point Littman	Rich Bay River Junction Rosedale Santa Clara Sawdust Shady Rest Sycamore

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Gadsden, Florida online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave Florida Gravestones 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.	%±
1830	4,895	—
1840	5,992	22.4%
1850	8,784	46.6%
1860	9,396	7.0%
1870	9,802	4.3%
1880	12,169	24.1%
1890	11,894	−2.3%
1900	15,294	28.6%
1910	22,198	45.1%
1920	23,539	6.0%
1930	29,890	27.0%
1940	31,450	5.2%
1950	36,457	15.9%
1960	41,989	15.2%
1970	39,184	−6.7%
1980	41,565	6.1%
1990	41,105	−1.1%
2000	45,087	9.7%
2010	46,389	2.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

• 1783 USGenWeb Archives Project Spanish Census
• 1821 USGenWeb Archives Project Census/Tax List Index
• 1823 USGenWeb Archives Project Census/Tax List Index
• 1880 USGenWeb Archives Project Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos
• 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 ($))
• USGenWeb Archives Project Federal Census Information from National Archives
• USGenWeb Archives Project State Census Information from Florida State Archives
• USGenWeb Archives Project Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service

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

Directories

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• African American Griots Project-USGenWeb

Funeral Homes

• Bradwell Mortuary in Quincy
• Faith Funeral Home and Crematory in Havana
• Ivey Funeral Home in Quincy
• Lifesong Funerals and Cremations in Quincy
• Reed and Hall Mortuary Corp. in Quincy

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

• USGenWeb Florida Territorial Land 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
• 1870 USGenWeb Archives Project Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of State
• 1882 USGenWeb Archives Project Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of State
• University of South Florida Exploring Florida, FCIT Maps
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Gadsden County Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)
• USGenWeb Archives Project Florida State Military Files
• USGenWeb Pension Project Florida state pension records from various wars
• 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)
• 1883 Gadsden County Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails]
• 1885-1955 Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Gadsden County, Florida Confederate Deaths (Genealogy Trails)

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

Korean War

• Gadsden County Korean War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)
• distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict

Vietnam War

• Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

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
• Florida State Library Early Florida Newspapers

Obituaries

• USGenWeb Obituaries Project Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1784-1990 Florida Probate Records, 1784-1990(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
• 1826-1930 Record of Wills, 1826-1930(*); County Judge at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1827-1950 Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 at Ancestry ($)
• 1832-1946 Probate Records, 1832-1946(*); County Judge at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1836-1888 Estate Book, Records of Estate, 1836-1888(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1852-1888 Administration Book, 1852-1888(*); Judge of Probate at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1859-1926 Chancery Order Books, 1859-1926(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1903-1938 Estate Administration Records, 1903-1938(*); County Judge at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1906-1933 Letters of Testamentary, 1906-1933(*); County Judge at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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 ($)
• 1830-1957 Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1830-1993 Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1837-1974 Florida, Marriages, 1837-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Florida State Archives
• 1970 - 1999 Florida, Marriages, 1970 - 1999 at MyHeritage - index ($))

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
• 1885 Mortality Index - Gadsden County Persons who died during the year ending May 31, 1885 (Genealogy Trails)
• 1900-1921 Florida, Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

• 1927-1950 Florida Divorce, 1927-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1927-2001 Florida, Divorce Index, 1927-2001 at Ancestry - index $
• 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 Gadsden 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

• Bainbridge Georgia FamilySearch Center

Libraries

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

Societies

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

West Gadsden Historical Society
328 E 8th Street
PO Box 94
Greensboro, FL 32330
Phone: 850-442-6667
Email: gadsdenhistory.org@gmail.com
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Websites

• Gadsden County, USGenWeb Archives
• FLGenWeb
• Gadsden County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Gadsden County, Florida Genealogy Trails

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

• Gadsden County FL Genealogy (LDS Genealogy]
• 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.