Polk County, FloridaEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
United States 
Florida Polk County
Guide to Polk County Florida genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Polk County, Florida | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Florida | |||||||||
 Location of Florida in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | February 8, 1861 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Bartow | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Contents
|
County Courthouse
Polk County Courthouse
255 N Broadway Ave
Bartow, FL 33830-3912
Phone: 863.534.4540
Boundaries changed 1871.
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court, and land records from 1861. [1]
Quick Facts
A bit of history of creation from Hillsborough County.
Parent County
8 February 1861: Polk County was created from Hillsborough County.
County seat: Bartow [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places / Localities
| |||||||||||||||||
Bartow Historical Library, . The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.
Resources
Archives and Libraries
Bartow Historical Library, Bartow, Polk Co., Florida
African-Americans
Heritage and History in Polk County
Willow Lawn Cemetery- African American- & obits
Jackson C. Longworth - African American Polk Co. Pioneer
Biography
Cemeteries
For cemeteries within cities and communities, please refer to their pages.
Census
For tips on accessing Polk County, Florida census records online, see: Florida Census.
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.
Court Records
Funeral Homes and Records
Gazetters
Genealogy
Mailing Lists
Message Boards
General
Bibliography
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Polk 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.
Land and Property
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.
Maps
Military History and Records
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Polk County, Florida newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Polk County, Florida Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Personal News
Obituaries
Valentine V. VanHuss -FLGenWeb Project,Inc.
Periodicals
Probate
Probate records are held by the Polk County, Florida Clerk of Court and are housed at the Polk 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.
Birth
- 1882-1940 - Polk County Birth Record Books 1-2 Index 1882-1940 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[3]
Marriage
- 1861-1927 - Polk County Marriage Books A-B, 1-11 Index 1861-1927 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[3]
Death
Societies and Libraries, and Museums
Family History Centers
- Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
- Lake Hamilton Florida Family History Center (Haines City)
- Lakeland Florida Family History Center
- Valdosta Florida Family History Center
Websites
- Family History Library Catalog
- Polk County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Polk County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Polk County, Florida Page 136 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ WorldCat 50140092 FHL Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/3/3f/Igifloridamz.pdf.
 |
This Florida-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. While this page is under construction, may we suggest Cyndi's List. |
Need additional research help? Contact our research help specialists.
Need wiki, indexing, or website help? Contact our product teams.
Did you find this article helpful?
You're invited to explain your rating on the discussion page (you must be signed in).
- This page was last modified on 13 June 2013, at 01:41.
- This page has been accessed 2,125 times.
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.
Learn More