Florida Church Records

United States   Florida    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. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominantly of one nationality or ethnic group.

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. 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. book 975.9 V2h; 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

Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives The Southern Baptist Convention Building 901 Commerce St., #400 Nashville, TN 37203-3630 phone: (615) 244-0344

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, Fla.: Historical Records Survey, 1939-1940; book 975.9 K2h; film 1036585 item 4

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Early church records, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Florida wards and branches can be found on film and are located at the Family History Library. The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through the Family History Library Catalog.

Another way to find the film numbers is to refer to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. . These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.

Methodist
Florida United Methodist Archives Roux Library - Florida Southern College 111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive P.O. Box 3767 Lakeland, FL 33801-5698 Phone: (863) 680-4164

United Methodist Archives Center Drew University 36 Madison Avenue Madison NJ 07940 Phone: (973) 408-3000

For a history of the Methodist Church in Florida, see:


 * Smith, George G. The History of Methodism in Georgia and Florida: From 1785 to 1865. Macon, Ga.: Jno. W. Burke and Company, 1877; book 975 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.

Diocese of Orlando Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1800 Orlando, Florida 32802-1800

Physical Address: 50 East Robinson Orlando, Florida 32801

Telephone: 407-246-4800 Fax: 407-246-4942 E-mail: cbrinati@orlandodiocese.org

The diocese includes the counties of: Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.

Diocese of Palm Beach 9995 N. Military Trail Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 Phone: (561) 775-9500

The diocese includes the counties of: Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie.

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.

Diocese of St. Augustine Archives P.O. Box 3506 St. Augustine, FL 32085 Phone: (904) 823-8707 or (904) 806-2131

The diocese includes the counties of: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee and Union.

Diocese of St. Petersburg 6363 9th Ave. N St. Petersburg, FL 33710 Phone: (727) 344-1611

The diocese includes the counties of: Citrus, Hernondo, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas.

Diocese of Venice 1000 Pinebrook Road Venice, FL 34285 Phone: (941) 484-9543

The diocese includes the counties of: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota.

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:


 * McAvoy, Thomas T. Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Records of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas, 1576-1803. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Archives, 1976..