Florida Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Florida were the Baptist, Methodist-Episcopal (now United Methodist) and Roman Catholic. The Family History Library has a few original records of Florida churches and some materials that have been published by the DAR and others.

For more information about churches in Florida, see:

A Preliminary List of Religious Bodies in Florida. Jacksonville, Florida: Historical Records Survey, 1939. (Family History Library book 975.9 K2ha; film 1036590 item 6; fiche 6019561.)

Guide to the Supplementary Vital Statistics from Church Records in Florida. Three Volumes. Jacksonville, Florida: Historical Records Survey, 1942. (Family History Library book 975.9 V2h; Family History Library film 1425703, item 6.)

Some denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where their records are located:

Baptist

Florida Baptist Historical Society
5400 College Drive
Graceville, FL 32440
Phone: 800-328-2660, x-480
Internet: http://www.floridabaptisthistory.org/

Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives
The Southern Baptist Convention Building
901 Commerce St., #400
Nashville, TN 37203-3630
Telephone: 615-244-0344
Internet: http://www.sbhla.org/info.htm

The Family History Library has microfilms of some of the minutes and membership lists from the Southern Baptist Historical Commission.

Many of the Baptist associations and their records are described in Inventory of the Church Archives of Florida: Baptist Bodies (Jacksonville, Florida: Historical Records Survey, 1939-1940; Family History Library books 975.9 K2h; film 1036585, item 4).

Methodist

Florida United Methodist Archives
Roux Library - Florida Southern College
111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive
P.O. Box 3767
Lakeland, FL 33801-5698
Telephone: 863-680-1912
Internet: http://www.gcah.org/Conference/umac/fl.htm

United Methodist Archives Center
Drew University
36 Madison Avenue
Madison NJ 07940
Telephone: 973-408-3000
Internet: http://www.gcah.org/Conference/umac/fl.htm

A history of churches and congregations is in George G. Smith, The History of Methodism in Georgia and Florida: From 1785 to 1865 (Macon, Georgia: Jno. W. Burke and Company, 1877; FHL book975 K2s; fiche 6048432).

Roman Catholic

Archdiocese of Miami
9401 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami Shores, FL 33138
Telephone: (305) 757-6241
Fax: (305) 754-1797

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe

The Family History Library has 14 microfilms of records for the years 1594 to 1924 from the main cathedral in St. Augustine. Other early records are described in Thomas T. McAvoy, Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Records of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas, 1576-1803 (Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Archives, 1976; Family History Library book 973 K23m  no.15).

Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
11 North B St.
Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: (850) 435-3500

The diocese includes the counties of: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)