St. Johns County, Florida Genealogy

United States

Florida

St. Johns County

Guide to St. Johns County, Florida ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Florida Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Saint Augustine Organized: July 21, 1821 Parent County(s): Original County Neighboring Counties Clay  • Duval  • Flagler  • Putnam See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: The FL-GenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The county was named for St. John the Baptist. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

St. Johns County Courthouse
4010 Lewis Speedway Blvd PO Box 300
Saint Augustine, FL 32085
Phone: 904-823-2333
St. Johns County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records from 1900, court and land records from 1821, marriage and probate records

St. Johns County, Florida Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1899	1823	1899	1821	1821	1844	1830
*Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1821--St. Johns was created 21 July 1821 as an original county. County seat: Saint Augustine Interactive Map of Florida County Formation History (1821-1997) - animated maps illustrating Florida county boundary changes Florida Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
St.Augustine St.Augustine Beach
Unincorporated communities
Bakersville Elkton Hastings Julington Creek Plantation	Mill Creek Ponte Vedra Beach St. Johns Spuds	Summer Haven Switzerland Vermont Heights
Census-designated places
Butler Beach Crescent Beach Flagler Estates Fruit Cove	Nocatee Palm Valley Sawgrass St.Augustine Shores	St.Augustine South Vilano Beach World Golf Village

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of St. Johns, Florida online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com FLGenWeb FLGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Billion Graves
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves St. Johns County Cemeteries St. Johns Florida Cemetery Records FamilySearch Places
See Florida Cemeteries for more information

The following web site may have additional information on St. Johns County cemeteries.

• Interment.net Florida cemetery records

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,583	—
1840	2,694	4.3%
1850	2,525	−6.3%
1860	3,038	20.3%
1870	2,618	−13.8%
1880	4,535	73.2%
1890	8,712	92.1%
1900	9,165	5.2%
1910	13,208	44.1%
1920	13,061	−1.1%
1930	18,676	43.0%
1940	20,012	7.2%
1950	24,998	24.9%
1960	30,034	20.1%
1970	30,727	2.3%
1980	51,303	67.0%
1990	83,829	63.4%
2000	123,135	46.9%
2010	190,039	54.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing census records online, see: Florida Census.

• 1783 Spanish Census USGenWeb
• 1821 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb
• 1823 Census/Tax List Index USGenWeb
• 1880 Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos USGenWeb
• 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. - How to Use this Collection
• Federal Census Information from National Archives USGenWeb
• State Census Information from Florida State Archives USGenWeb
• Census of Pensioners Revolutionary Military Service USGenWeb

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. For general information about Florida denominations, view the Florida Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• St. Augustine

Emigration and Immigration

• NARA Ships Passenger Lists - These passenger lists cover:
  • 1834-1897 - Immigration of Russians to the United States
    
  • 1/12/1846-12/31/1851 - Irish Famine
    
  • 1850-1897 - Germans to the United States
    
  • 1855-1900 - Italians to the United States

Land and Property Records

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.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for most counties. 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 and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1821-1997 Maps of Florida
• 1870 Gray's Atlas Panhandle Portion of StateUSGenWeb
• 1882 Rand McNally Panhandle Portion of StateUSGenWeb
• Exploring Florida, FCIT Maps University of South Florida
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Florida State Military Files USGenWeb
• Florida state pension records from various wars Pension Transcriptions USGenWeb

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - Florida Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (free)
• 1885-1955 - Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War I

• 1917-1920 - Florida, World War I Navy Card Roster, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Florida, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Korean War

• Florida Casualties in the Korean Conflict distantcousin.com

Vietnam War

• Distantcousin.com Florida Casualties in the Vietnam War

Newspapers

• Early Florida Newspapers at the Florida State Library USGenWeb

Obituaries

• USGenWeb Obituaries Project Obituary transcriptions from Florida counties
• GenealogyBuff.com St. Johns County, Florida Obituary and Funeral Notice Collection

Probate Records

Online Indexes and Records

• 1784 – 1990 Florida Probate Records, 1784-1990 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1810–1974 - Ancestry.com $ Florida Wills and Probate Records 1810-1974

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

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, Florida State Archives, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Birth

• 1880-1935 - Florida, Births and Christenings, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

• 1802-1998 - Florida, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
• 1822-1875 and 1927 - 2001 - Florida, Marriage Index, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1830-1957 - Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1830-1993 - Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1837-1974 - Florida, Marriages, 1837-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

• 1877-1939 - Florida, Deaths, 1877-1939 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1877-1998 - Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1900-1921 - Florida, Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

• 1927-2001 - Florida, Divorce Index, 1927-2001 at Ancestry - index ($)

Voter Records

• 1867-1868 Web: Florida, U.S., Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-1868 at Ancestry - index ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in St. Johns County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Florida Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• St Augustine Florida Family History Center
  

• St Johns Florida Family History Center
  

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in St. Johns County. For state-wide library facilities, see Florida Archives and Libraries.
Anastasia Island Branch
124 Sea Grove Main St.
St. Augustine Beach, FL 32080
904-209-3730
Email:libai@sjcfl.us
Website

Bartram Trail Branch
60 Davis Pond Blvd.
Fruit Cove, FL 32259
904-827-6960
Email:libbt@sjcfl.us
Website

Hastings Branch
6195 S. Main St.
Hastings, FL 32145
904-827-6970
Email:libh@sjcfl.us
Website

Main Branch
1960 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32084
904-827-6940
Email:libm@sjcfl.us
Website

Ponte Vedra Beach Branch
101 Library Blvd.
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
904-827-6950
Email:libpv@
Website

Southeast Branch
6670 US 1 South
St. Augustine, FL 32086
904-827-6900
Email:libse@sjcfl.us
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in St. Johns County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Florida Societies.
St. Augustine Genealogical Society
6670 US1 South
St Augustine FL 32086
Website

Meetings at St. Johns Public Library South Branch

Florida Historical Society
435 Brevard Ave.
Cocoa FL 32922
Phone: 321-690-1971
Website

Florida State Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 940927
Maitland, FL 32794-0927
Phone: 407-494-3747
Website

Websites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Saint Johns County, Florida Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• St. Johns County, FLGenWeb Project, Inc.
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.