Monroe County, Florida Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Key West
Organized: July 3, 1823
Parent County(s): St. Johns[1]
Neighboring Counties
CollierMiami-Dade
See County Maps
Courthouse
FloridaMonroeCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Fl-monroe.png

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for James Monroe. The county is located in the southwest area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Monroe County Courthouse
500 Whitehead St;
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: 305-292-3540
Monroe County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce,
probate and court and land records from 1853. [3]

Monroe County, Florida Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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 1826 1899 1853 1853 1853 1830
*Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Monroe, 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[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 517
1840 688 33.1%
1850 2,645 284.4%
1860 2,913 10.1%
1870 5,657 94.2%
1880 10,940 93.4%
1890 18,786 71.7%
1900 18,006 −4.2%
1910 21,563 19.8%
1920 19,550 −9.3%
1930 13,624 −30.3%
1940 14,078 3.3%
1950 29,957 112.8%
1960 47,921 60.0%
1970 52,586 9.7%
1980 63,188 20.2%
1990 78,024 23.5%
2000 79,589 2.0%
2010 73,090 −8.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Online Indexes and Records

|How to Use this Collection]]

|How to Use this Collection]]

  • NARA Ships Passenger Lists - These passenger lists cover:
    • 1834-1897 - Immigration of Russians to the United States
    • 1/12/1846-12/31/1851 - Irish Famine
    • 1850-1897 - Germans to the United States
    • 1855-1900 - Italians to the United States

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Surnames and Family, Monroe Co FLGenWeb

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Collier CountyMiami-Dade CountyFL MONROE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Letters
Letters Home, Monroe County, The FLGenWeb Project

Photos
Penny Postcards from Monroe Co., The FLGenWeb Project

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Voting Records[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Key West Art and Historical Society
281 Front Street
Key West, Florida, 33040
Phone: 305-295-6616
Email kwahs@kwahs.org
Website
Facebook

Monroe County Genealogical Society
21 Ventana Lane
Big Coppitt Key, Florida, 33040

Websites[edit | edit source]

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


Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  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, "Monroe 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. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  6. Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County, Florida," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, wikipedia accessed 30 January 2019.