Florida Archives, Libraries, and Societies
This entry was originally written by the Florida Pioneer Descendants Certification Program Committee of the Florida State Genealogical Society, Inc. for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Contents
- 1 Florida State Archives
- 2 State Library of Florida
- 3 P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History
- 4 The Alma Clyde Field Library of Florida History, Florida Historical Society
- 5 Florida State Genealogical Society, Inc.
- 6 John C. Pace Library
- 7 Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami
- 8 University of South Florida, Special Collections
- 9 John F. German Public Library, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative
- 10 Miami-Dade County Library
- 11 Orlando Public Library
- 12 Jacksonville Public Library
- 13 Indian River County Main Library
- 14 St. Augustine Historical Society
- 15 Pensacola Historical Society
- 16 Elmer's Genealogy Library
- 17 Largo Library
- 18 Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library
- 19 The Southern Genealogist's Exchange Society
- 20 University of Central Florida
Florida State Archives
Division of Library & Information Services
Bureau of Archives & Records Management
500 S. Bronough St., First Floor
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/fsa.html
The state archives is the official repository for the public records of Florida and is located in the same building as the State Library of Florida. Its book collection includes over 10,000 family and county histories. See the Florida Memory Project at www.floridamemory.com.
State Library of Florida
Division of Library & Information Services
Bureau of Archives & Records Management
500 S. Bronough St., Second Floor
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/stlib/index.html
The state library maintains the 'Florida Collection,' which contains printed and secondary source material for the state, such as city directories, histories, biographies, church surveys, and manuscripts.
P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History
University of Florida
Dept. of Special Collections
P.O. Box 117007'¯
Gainesville, FL 32611-7001'¯
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge
This is the largest collection of Spanish colonial documents in the United States and the largest microfilm collection of Florida newspapers. The Florida Historical Map Collection at the P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History contains more than 2,300 images of Florida dating between 1564 and 1926. Other cartographic images of the state include the Sanborn Insurance maps and U.S.G.S. topographic maps.
The Alma Clyde Field Library of Florida History, Florida Historical Society
435 Brevard Ave.
Cocoa, FL 32922-7901
www.florida-historical-soc.org
The Florida Historical Society, founded in 1856, is one of the oldest historical societies in the country with records dating back to the 1500s. Manuscripts, rare books, photographs, postcards, maps, ephemera, and a special collection of WPA records are now housed in the historic WPA Post Office building in downtown Cocoa village, where the Florida State Genealogical Society also houses its collection.
Florida State Genealogical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 10249
Tallahassee, FL 32302
www.rootsweb.com/~flsgs/
The society, whose permanent collection is at the Florida Historical Society, publishes the Florida Genealogist and through its website provides a current list of genealogical societies in the state. The Florida Pioneer Descendants Certificate Program is sponsored by the society.
Since 1977, descendants have been providing documented proof of their lineage to individuals who resided in Florida prior to statehood on 3 March 1845. All records submitted to 1995 have been microfilmed and are available at the society's library, Florida State Archives, and the FHL. Records from 1996 to the present are available for viewing at the Florida State Archives. For detailed information on the program and the index of pioneers, see the society's website.
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Pkwy.
Pensacola, FL 32514-5750
http://library.uwf.edu/index.shtml
The Special Collections maintains the Panton, Leslie Papers (1783'1821) a significant block of material on British and Spanish West Florida trade with Native Americans. In addition, the collections' focus is on the history and development of Pensacola and the West Florida region (ten counties of the Florida Panhandle, between the Perdido and Apalachicola rivers) from earliest settlement to the present time. It is the largest West Florida research collection in existence and a major repository dealing with Florida and the Gulf Coast region.
Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami
1300 Memorial Dr., P.O. Box 248214
Coral Gables, FL 33124-0320
www.library.miami.edu/library/archives.html
The Florida Collection here includes material on the historical, political, social, cultural, literary, ethnic development of Florida from the sixteenth century to the present day, with information on the growth and development of South Florida, particularly Miami, and Florida literature.
University of South Florida, Special Collections
4202 E. Fowler Ave., LIB122
Tampa, FL 33620
www.lib.usf.edu/usflibraries/collections.html
The website for Special Collections provides access to their digital collections, which includes indexes and finding aids. About 2,000 marriage records (1878'93) can be found here. Also available online is the Burgert Brothers photograph collection, which records Tampa's development from a small town to a major city. Other marriage records, such as Hillsborough County Marriage Records (1846'1988), are also available.
John F. German Public Library, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative
900 N. Ashley Dr.
Tampa, FL 33602-3788
www.hcplc.org/hcplc/liblocales/jfg
The History & Genealogy Department is home to both a genealogy and a Florida history collection. A great resource is its online catalogs, which include an index to obituaries (since 1895) and an index to D. B. McKay's Pioneer Florida column (1946'60). Additional local history titles are added to this database on a regular basis.
Miami-Dade County Library
Main Library
101 W. Flagler St.
Miami, FL 33130-1523
www.mdpls.org/default.asp
The comprehensive collection of Floridiana dates from 1578 and includes books, maps, newspapers, periodicals, pictorial images, government documents, and some manuscript material. See the Miami Dade Public Library System's Online Catalog at their website. The library has an extensive genealogy collection that includes all census records from 1790 to 1930. Other major collections are the Dawes rolls (1898'1914), the Draper Manuscripts, and the Freedman Savings and Trust Registers.
Orlando Public Library
101 E. Central Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32801-2429
www.ocls.lib.fl.us/Locations/locations_genealogy.asp
The Florida Collection at the Orlando Public Library consists mostly of nonfiction materials including a strong collection of state and local histories as well as appropriate government documents. Other items include Orange County maps (1900'80); and vertical file cabinets of clippings, brochures, and images pertaining to Florida history, culture, and civilizations. The Genealogy Department is generally considered to have the largest genealogy collection in Florida. The core collection was a gift of avid genealogist, Captain Charles Albertson. The library is the official repository of the Florida State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Jacksonville Public Library
122 N. Ocean St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
http://jpl.coj.net/DLC/Florida/FloridaCollection.html
The library's Florida Collection is a reference collection with an emphasis on Northeast Florida and Jacksonville. It is one of the largest collections of its type in a public library in Florida. The Genealogy Collection covers northeast Florida. Indexed microfiche of vital records are available for Florida and Georgia. Books, CDs, and microfilm include census/Soundex rolls, Confederate Pension Records for Florida soldiers, Duval County deeds, marriages and probate records, numerous genealogy periodicals, the Florida Times-Union newspaper index back to 1895, and Jacksonville City Directories beginning with 1870.
Indian River County Main Library
Florida History & Genealogy Department
1600 21st St.
Vero Beach, FL 32960
www.rootsweb.com/~flindian/ircl
This is the only library outside of the Florida State Archives that is acquiring all county courthouse records in Florida. In addition, it has all microfilmed Florida records from the National Archives, collections on Florida history and maps, and an extensive genealogy collection of books and microfiche.
St. Augustine Historical Society
271 Charlotte St.
St. Augustine, FL 32084
www.oldcity.com/sites/oldhouse/historical.html
The society has preserved and restored historical buildings from the 1600s. It offers students and researchers access to an exceptional library containing documents, published works, microfilm, maps, and illustrative material.
Pensacola Historical Society
117 E. Government St.
Pensacola, FL 32501
www.pensacolahistory.org
The library and archives is an invaluable resource for local genealogy or the study of Pensacola's rich history, which spans over 400 years, and includes an extensive collection of photographs.
Other libraries with a focus on genealogy and Florida history include:
Elmer's Genealogy Library
203 S. Range St.
Madison, FL 32340-2437
www.elmerslibrary.com
Largo Library
351 East Bay Dr.
Largo, FL 33770
www.largo.com
Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library
100 E. Main St.
Bartow, FL 33830
The Southern Genealogist's Exchange Society
6215 Sauterne Dr.
Jacksonville, Florida
mailing address:
P.O. Box 2801
Jacksonville, FL 32203-2801
www.sgesjax.tripod.com
University of Central Florida
P.O. Box 162666
Orlando, FL 32816
http://library.ucf.edu/Special
