DeSoto County, FloridaEdit This Page
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United States 
Florida DeSoto County
Guide to DeSoto County Florida genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| DeSoto County, Florida | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Florida | |||||||||
 Location of Florida in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | May 19, 1887 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Arcadia | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
De Soto County Courthouse
115 Oak Street
Arcadia, FL 33821
Phone: 862.993.4876
County Judge has probate records from 1887.
Clerk Ciruit Court has divorce, court and land records from 1887. [1]
History
Parent County
1887--DeSoto County was created 19 May 1887 from Manatee County.
County seat: Arcadia [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
- Florida African American Griots Project - USGenWeb
- Afrigeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy
Cemeteries
FLGenWeb Project,Inc. Desoto Countycemetery Index
- Cemeteries of Fort Ogden
- Florida Tombstone Transcription Project - USGenWeb
- Interment.net - Florida cemetery records by County
- Veterans Administration National Cemeteries - Florida National Cemeteries
Census
Desoto County Federal Census Index-FLGenWeb Project,Inc.
For tips on accessing DeSoto County, Florida census records online, see: Florida 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
Church
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. For general information about Florida denominations, view the Florida Church Records wiki page.
Churches of Desoto County,Fl.-FLGenWeb Project,Inc.
Court
Land
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Florida Land and Property for additional information about early Florida land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Florida Territorial Land Records
Local Histories
Local histories are available for DeSoto County, Florida. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Florida Local Histories.
Maps
- 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of State - USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of State - USGenWeb Archives Project
- Exploring Florida, FCIT Maps, University of South Florida
Military
Military Index, Desoto County,Fl.-FLGenWeb Project,Inc.
- 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
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeSoto County, Florida newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a DeSoto County, Florida Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Obituaries
Desoto County Florida, Obituary Index- FLGenWeb Project,Inc.
- Florida Obituaries - Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties - USGenWeb Obituaries Project
Probate
Probate records are held by the DeSoto County, Florida Clerk of Court and are housed at the DeSoto County, Florida Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Florida Probate Records, 1784-1990. See the wiki page Florida Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Taxation
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more information see the wiki page Florida Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Florida.
Marriage
- 1887-1905 - DeSoto County Marriage Book 1 Index 1887-1905. Batch M737477 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
- 1905-1912 - DeSoto County Marriage Book 2 Index 1905-1912. Batch M737479 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
- 1906-1925 - DeSoto County Marriage Books 1 and 3 Index 1906-1925. Batch M737871 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
- 1912-1916 - DeSoto County Marriage Book 3 Index 1912-1916. Batch M737475 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
- 1920-1926 - DeSoto County Marriage Book 5 Index 1920-1926. Batch M737476 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
- 1926-1936 - DeSoto County Marriage Book 6 Index 1926-1936. Batch M743065 at FamilySearch - free.[3]
Societies and Libraries
- Florida State Historical Societies - Listing by County
- Florida Historical Society
- Florida State Genealogical Society
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- DeSoto County FLGenWeb
- State of Florida
- USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- De Soto County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Desoto County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), DeSoto County, Florida Page 134 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/5/54/Igiflorida.pdf.
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- This page was last modified on 13 June 2013, at 00:28.
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