Lee County, Florida Genealogy

United States   Florida    Lee County

Parent County
1887--Lee County was created 13 May 1887 from Monroe County. County seat: Fort Myers The county was named for Robert E. Lee, Confederate general in the American Civil War.

Neighboring Counties

 * Charlotte - Charlotte County was established April 23, 1921 named for the Bay of Charlotte Harbor. Punta Gorda is the only incorporated city in Charlotte County.
 * Collier - Collier County was created in 1923 from Lee County. It was named for Barron Collier, an advertising mogul and real estate developer from New York City.
 * Glades - Glades County was created in 1921 and is named for the Florida Everglades. The Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation is located in the county. Hendry - Hendry County was formed from Lee County on May 11, 1923 and named for Major Francis A. Hendry, one of the first settlers.  Hendry County is the site of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.

African American

 * Florida African American Griots Project -  USGenWeb
 * Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy

Cemeteries

 * Florida Tombstone Transcription Project -  USGenWeb
 * Interment.net - Florida cemetery records by County
 * Veterans Administration National Cemeteries - Florida National Cemeteries

Census

 * 1783 Spanish Census -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1821 Census/Tax List Index -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1823 Census/Tax List Index -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1885 Florida State Population Census - Includes sex, age, relationship, occupation, place of birth of each family member and parents. Also census for agriculture, manufacture and mortality.
 * Federal Census Information from National Archives -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * State Census Information from Florida State Archives -  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service -  USGenWeb Archives Project

Land
Florida Territorial Land Records

Maps

 * The Sanborn® Fire Insurance Company Maps of Florida comprise a collection of more than 300 bibliographic units in more than 3,000 map sheets.
 * Lee County Florida maps at Exploring Florida.
 * Lee County Florida maps, formerly part of Monroe County, at Exploring Florida.
 * 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of State - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of State -  USGenWeb Archives Project

Military

 * Florida State Military Files - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Pension Transcriptions -  Florida state pension records from various wars  -  USGenWeb Pension Project
 * Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict
 * Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

Newspapers

 * News-Press 2442 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33901 -  239.335.0200
 * Early Florida Newspapers at the Florida State Library

Obituaries

 * Florida Obituaries -  Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties -  USGenWeb Obituaries Project

Vital Records
Lee County, Florida Marriages 1887-1924, published by the Lee County Genealogical Society in 1992, abstracts records found in the Lee County Courthouse. It includes names of the bride and groom, their residences, marriage date, witnesses, the presiding official, and the book and page number of the original record.

Lee County was formed in May 1887 from a portion of Monroe County. Some marriage records were moved to Fort Myers while others may still be found in Key West.

Although this book is currently out of print, digitized pages can be found at the Lee County Genealogy website under "Public Downloads".


 * Florida State Archives

Societies and Libraries
The Lee County Genealogical Sociey, Inc. assists anyone with an interest in tracing their "roots". We help beginners get started and guide them in their family research. We welcome experienced genealogists and encourage them to share their knowledge with others. We learn from and teach each other in small and large group meetings.

Our members have come from many parts of the United States to beautiful Lee County in Southwst Florida. We are from a wide variety of occupations and our age range is broad. What brings and keeps us together is our interest in family history. As we share our knowledge, our research skills grow and so do our family trees.

Please explore our website. Check our Events calendar to see what’s happening in our Society, other Southwest Florida Societies, and where you can find local and national genealogy classes, workshops and seminars. Use our searchale database for the Genealogy Department Shelf List at the Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library, 2050 Central Avenue, Fort Myers, Florida, which is presented as a service to library patrons and to distant researchers. We also offer a searchable databse of Surnames submited by our members. We also offer for viewing Lee County, Florida Marriages 1887-1924, published by the LCGS in 1992, abstracts records found in the Lee County Courthouse. It includes names of the bride and groom, their residences, marriage date, witnesses, the presiding official, and the book and page number of the original record. This book is currently out of print.

Our meetings are free and open to the public consisting of a business meeting, followed by refreshments and time for networking. A program is presented at all meetings. We meet monthly on the third Thursday of the month and quarterly on he second Saturday in March, May, September and November. Directions can be found at our website.

Need help? Wan more informaton? Visit usat one of our meetings, email us at [mailto:GenHelp@LCGSFL.org GenHelp@LCGSFL.org] or mail us at Post Office Box 150153, Cape Coral, FL 33915-0153.

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The Bonita Genealogy Club (Post Office Box 366471, Bonita Springs, FL 34136) meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at the Bonita Springs Public Library on Pine Street in Old Bonita. Contact [mailto:onecentbon@netzero.net onecentbon@netzero.net] or [mailto:Marti@TheTimples.com Marti@TheTimples.com] for more information.

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The Lehigh Acres Genealogical Society, (Post Office Box 965, Lehigh Acres, FL 33970-0965) can be contacted by emailing [mailto:hpedie@earthlink.net hpedie@earthlink.net].

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The Southwest Florida Pioneers Historical Society (Post Office Box 274,Boca Grande FL 33921) offers their webite Lee County - Past to Presentfor researchers with ancestors in Southwest Florida. Society membrs have roots in early Lee County along with an abiding interest in preserving the importance of the contributions made by their pioneer ancestors. While any website is a work in preogress, you can currently find many public records, obituaries, cemetery transcriptions, a message board and more.

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The Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library at 2050 Central Avenue, Fort Myers, FL houses the main genealogy reference collection in Lee County Florida. The collection currently holds over 8,700 items of genealogy reference materials. The basic Genealogy Shelf List categories include: General Reference (001 through 899), Geography (901.9 through 917.8), Family Histories (929.2), General Genealogy Reference (920 through 929.9, excluding 929.2 Family Histories), United States and World History (940 through 999), Individual State Reference Books and International Reference Books. Using the searchable database at the Lee County Geealogy Society website, you can search the collection which includes the above books as well as periodical articles that have been preserved.



Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Lee County Genealgical Society, Inc.
 * Bonita Springs Genealogy Club
 * Lee County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Lee County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
 * Lee County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.