Lake County, Florida
Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources

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Lake County was created in 27 May 1887 and was formed from Orange and Sumter Counties. The County was named for the numerous lakes in the area (approximately 1,400 named lakes). The County Seat is Tavares.
Counties adjacent to Lake County are Volusia County (northeast), Orange County (east), Seminole County (east), Osceola County (southeast), Polk County (south), Sumter County (west), Marion County (northwest).
Lake County Cities and Towns include Clermont, Eustis, Fruitland Park, Groveland, Leesburg, Mascotte, Minneola, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla Astatula, Howey-in-the-Hills, Lady Lake, Montverde. CDPs Include Altoona, Astor, Citrus Ridge, Ferndale, Lake Kathryn, Lake Mack-Forest Hills, Lisbon, Mount Plymouth, Okahumpka, Paisley, Pine Lakes, Pittman, Silver Lake, Sorrento, Yalaha. Communities Include Lanier, Orange Bend, The Villages Include Lee County Cities and Towns include Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel Fort Myers Beach. CDPs Include Alva, Bokeelia, Buckingham, Burnt Store Marina, Captiva, Charleston Park, Cypress Lake, East Dunbar, Estero, Fort Myers Shores, Gateway, Harlem Heights, Iona, Lehigh Acres, Lochmoor Waterway Estates, Matlacha, Matlacha Isles-Matlacha Shores, McGregor, North Fort Myers, Olga, Page Park, Palmona Park, Pine Island Center, Pine Manor, Pineland, Punta Rassa, San Carlos Park, St. James City, Suncoast Estates, Three Oaks, Tice, Villas, Whiskey Creek
Records at the Lake County Court, Probate and Tax Records
The Official County website is located at http://www.lakegovernment.com. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. See also Courthouse History
Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1887, Land Records from 1887, Probate Records from 1887 and Court Records from 1887 and is located at 416 W. Main Street, P.O. Box 7800, Tavares, Florida 32778-7800; 352-742-4100, Fax: 352-742-4110
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is also the County Clerk. His office is located in the County Courthouse. The office of the Clerk is created in Article V and Article VIII of the Florida Constitution. The Clerk is an officer of the court of justice whose responsibilities are mandated by the Constitution as well as state and local laws. Under a 1973 reorganization of the judicial system, the clerk of courts in each county was made, and remains, custodian of all records of all predecessor courts, whether justice of the peace, city, county, probate, civil, or criminal.
You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which covers Florida and surrounding states. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lake County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Lake County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
Office of Vital Statistics, Dept of Health, P.O. Box 210, 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042;
(904) 359-6900 Ext. 1029, Fax: (904) 359-6993.
- Birth Certificates: has custody of birth records filed from January 1917 to date. Scattered birth records from 1865 through 1916 are also held by the bureau, and some city health departments have some additional scattered records (e.g., Jacksonville, 1893-1913; Pensacola, 1897-1916).
- Cost: $9.00 for computer certification & $14.00 per photocopy certification (1930 to present), payment is payable to the Office of Vital Statistics. Additional copies of the same record are $4.00 each. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $9.00/$14.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Death Certificates: From 1917 - present. Death records begin about 1877, but the first state law mandating registration of deaths was passed in 1899, and records before 1917 are spotty. It is always well to check with city health departments.
- Cost: $5.00 per certificate. Additional copies of the same record are $4.00 each. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Marriage & Divorce Certificates: has custody of marriage, divorce, and annulment records filed after 6 June 1927. For records prior to that date, and there are thousands of them, query the clerk of courts in the county where the license or decree was issued. Numerous divorces and resulting name-changes are to be found in Names and Abstracts from the Acts of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, 1822-1845 (Pass-A-Grille Beach, Fla.: William A. and Janet B. Wolfe, 1985). Copies of marriage license applications are available only from the clerk of courts in the county courthouse. Standard request forms for copies of state-held records are necessary and available as indicated above.
- Cost: $5.00 per certificate. Additional copies of the same record are $4.00 each. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Ordering Vital Records - You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Certificates to mail.
- Processing Time: Allow 3 to 6 weeks for the search by mail for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records. MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY.
- Order In Person: To order your copy through your local County Health Department Vital Statistics office click here for a list of the 67 County Health Departments. WALK-IN SERVICE is available at 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, Florida, between 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Orders prepaid by Noonmay be picked up after 3:30 p.m. Orders prepaid after Noon may be picked up after 10:00 a.m. the next workday. Each requestmust be accompanied by picture identification Certifications for photocopies rush service requires an additional fee of $10.
- Order By Mail: Turn around is estimated at 3 to 6 weeks from the day the request is received. Mail to the following address: Office of Vital Statistics, Dept of Health, P.O. Box 210, 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042. Please include return address on envelope and application form.
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lake County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Lake County Census Records
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Lake County, Florida are 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lake County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Lake County Maps & Atlases
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lake County Maps by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Lake Co. Maps
- Lake County maps from Exploring Florida website (30 Maps)
- Florida State and Regional Maps: 1500-1599 (5 maps), 1600-1699 (6 maps), 1700-1799 (59 maps), 1800-1849 (32 maps), 1850-1874 (44 maps), 1875-1899 (55 maps), 1900-Present (21 maps).
- The USGenWeb Archives Digital Map Library
- Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - Florida Maps
- Lake County, Florida Map Books at Amazon.com
- Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Lake County Military Records
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lake County Military Records by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Lake Co. Military Records
- Florida Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
- Florida Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
- National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
- Southern Claims - Barred and Disallowed from the State of Florida (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
- Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Florida (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Florida (The National Archives): NARA M251. View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Florida units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
- Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67 from the State of Florida (The National Archives): NARA M1003. View, Print Copy & Save Original Applications for pardon submitted to President Andrew Johnson, 1865-67, by former Confederates excluded from earlier amnesty proclamations.
- Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
- Lake County, Florida Military Books at Amazon.com
Lake County Genealogical Addresses
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lake County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Lake Co. Genealogical Addresses
- Lake County Historical Society, P. O. Box 7800, Tavares, FL 32778
- Lake County Kinseekers Genealogical Society, 19 Quail Run, Wildwood, FL 32785
- Leesburg Genealogical Society, 204 N. Fifth St., Leesburg, FL 32748
- Eustis Historical Museum & Preservation Society, 536 N. Bay St., Eustis, FL 32726
- Kinseekers Genealogical Society of Lake County, Florida, PO Box 492711, Leesburg, FL 34749-2711
- Pastfinders of South Lake County, Cooper Memorial Library, 620 W. Montrose St, Clermont, FL 34711
- Villages Genealogical Society, 26706 La Posada Drive, The Villages, FL 32159
- Florida Dept of State Div of Library & Information Services, Bureau of Archives & Records Management, 500 S. Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250; (850)245-6700, [EMAIL]
- Florida
Historical Society 1320 Highland Ave, Melbourne, FL 32935; (321) 254-9855,[EMAIL]
- Florida State Genealogical Society, PO Box 10249, Tallahassee, FL 32302-2249
- Florida State Library, R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250, (850)245-6600; Hours: Mon.- Fri. 9:00am - 4:30pm, Sat. 9:30am - 3:30pm
- Florida State Records Center, 4319 Shelfer Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250; (850)245-6750; Hours: By Appointment Only
- Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
- Florida Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
Lake County Cemeteries & Graveyards
There are many churches and cemeteries in Lake County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lake County Tombstone Transcription Project.
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lake County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
County Church & Bible Records
Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits
Below is a list of online resources for Lake County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Lake County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Lake Co. Military Records
- Sites on USGenweb: [ Lake County ] [ Florida ] [ Main Page ]
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards
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- Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
- Florida Family Group Sheets Project
- Lake County, Florida Family Books at Amazon.com