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Lake County, Florida Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Tavares
Organized: May 13, 1887
Parent County(s): Orange[1]
Neighboring Counties
Marion County • Orange County • Osceola County • Polk County • Seminole County • Sumter County • Volusia County •
See County Maps
Courthouse
FloridaLakeCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Fl-lake.png

County Information

Description

The county is named for the many lakes contained within its borders. The county is located in the Central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Lake County Courthouse
315 W Main St; PO 7800
Tavares, FL 32778
Phone: 352-742-4100
Lake County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1887, Probate records from 1893 and adoption records
County Health Department has death records.[3]

Lake 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1899 1887 1915 1887 1887 1893 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

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:[6]

Cities
  • Towns
    Unincorporated communities
    Unorganized territories


    History Timeline

    • 1562 - a French Huguenot colony was established in the present site of Astor on the St Johns River. The entire colony was wiped out by the Spanish, in 1566. In 1763 James Spalding established a trading post at Astor.
    • During the Revolutionary War, all of Florida belonged to the British. A few white hunters and traders lived in Lake County, along with runaway slaves and freedmen.
    • 1782 - Spain re-occupied Florida and began rewarding large tracts of land. Settlers built forts throughout the county to protect them from the Indians. At that time Lake County was known as Mosquito County. In 1823, at the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the Seminoles were ordered to live on a reservation, most of which was in Lake County.
    • 1862 - most white males between 18 and 35 were forced into involuntary service to the Confederacy.
    • 13 May 1887 - Lake County was created from Orange County. It was named “Lake County” because it contains over 1400 lakes. It was carved from Orange and Sumter counties.
    • 1889 - the courthouse was dedicated. It was known as the “Pioneer Building”.
    • During World War II, Lake County was the site of a Prison of War camp. It is now primarily an agricultural and retirement community.

    Resources

    Bible Records

    Biographies

    Business, Commerce, and Occupations

    Cemeteries

    Cemeteries of Lake, 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. %±
    1890 8,034 —
    1900 7,467 −7.1%
    1910 9,509 27.3%
    1920 12,744 34.0%
    1930 23,161 81.7%
    1940 27,255 17.7%
    1950 36,340 33.3%
    1960 57,383 57.9%
    1970 69,305 20.8%
    1980 104,870 51.3%
    1990 152,104 45.0%
    2000 210,528 38.4%
    2010 297,052 41.1%
    Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

    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 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

    Marion CountyVolusia CountySeminole CountyOrange CountyOsceola CountyPolk CountySumter CountyFL LAKE.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

    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 Lake 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 Lake County. For state-wide library facilities, see Florida Archives and Libraries.

    Lake County Library System
    418 W Alfred St, Suite C
    Tavares, FL 32778
    Phone: 352-253-6180
    Email: servreq@mylakelibrary.org
    Website
    Facebook

    Lake County Florida has a library system that supports 16 different locations. Please go to the main website to find locations.

    Museums

    Leesburg Historical Society Museum
    111 South Sixth St
    Leesburg, FL 32748
    Phone: 352-315-1800
    Email: leesburgheritagesociety22@outlook.com
    Website
    Facebook

    Societies

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

    Kinseekers Genealogical Society of Lake County, Florida
    11745 Rancho Drive
    Leesburg, Florida 34788
    Email: ContactUs@kinseekers.org
    Website
    Facebook

    Lake County Historical Society
    317 W Main St
    PO Box 543
    Tavares, FL 32778
    Email: LakeCountyHistorical@gmail.com
    Website

    Leesburg Heritage Society
    111 South Sixth St
    Leesburg, FL 34748
    Phone: 352-315-1800
    Email: leesburgheritagesociety@embarqmail.com
    Website

    Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake County
    2525 Oakley Seaver Dr
    Clermont, FL 34711
    Phone: 407-405-0579
    Email: info@pastfindersslc.org
    Website
    Facebook

    The Villages Genealogical Society
    955 Rockville Place
    The Villages, FL 32162
    Phone: 352-751-6966
    Email: info@vgsfl.org
    Website
    Facebook

    Websites

    Green check.png
    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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia 04/25/2017.
    3. ↑ 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.
    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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County, Florida," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia accessed 26 January 2019.
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