Vital records, as their name suggests, are connected with central life events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are available only for relatively recent periods. These records, despite their recent creation in the United States, are critically important in genealogical research, often supplying details on family members well back into the nineteenth century. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Loretto Szucs and Sandra Luebking.
Office of Vital Statistics, Dept of Health
Dept of Health
P.O. Box 210, 1217 Pearl Street
Jacksonville, FL 32231
(904) 359-6900
- Ancestry.com Florida State Database
A large collection of databases of births, deaths, marriages, census, obituaries, directories, estate records, and service records.
Free Florida Vital Records – Statewide
- Florida Births and Christenings
Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Florida for the years of 1880-1935. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 28,301 records. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later. - Florida Deaths and Burials
Name index to death and burial records from the state of Florida for the years of 1900-1921. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 24,800 records. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later. - Florida Death Records
Name index of Florida death records created by Florida Department of Health and Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, Florida for the years of 1877-1939. Microfilm copies of original records are available at the Family History Library and at Family History Centers. - Florida Marriages
Name index to marriage records from the state of Florida for the years of 1837-1974. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 860,110 records. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
Free Florida Vital Records – Regional
Florida County Death Records
- Dade County
- Nassau County
- Nassau County Area Recent Deaths
- Fernandina Death & Burial Records, 1896-1916
This series consists of digital copies of Nassau County burial records and death certificates, primarily of African Americans. The records contain such information as date, name, color, sex, nativity, descent, age, marital status, occupation, cause of death, name of physician or midwife, location, cemetery, remarks, and signature of the superintendent of the cemetery or occasionally of the president of the Ladies Cemetery Association.
