Brevard County History and Information

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Click HERE to see full sized D.O.T. County Map of
Brevard County [Map1] [Map2]

Brevard County was created in 14 Mar 1844 (also known as St. Lucie until 6 Jan 1855) and was formed from Mosquito County. The County was named for either Ephraim Brevard, who wrote the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, or George Washington Brevard, who served as Florida State Controller from 1854 to 1860 or Brigadier General Theodore Washington Brevard who led the Florida brigade at Appomattox.. The County Seat is Titusville. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Brevard County are Volusia County (north), Indian River County (south), Osceola County (southwest), Orange County (west), Seminole County (northwest).

Brevard County Cities and Towns include Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite Beach, Titusville, West Melbourne Grant-Valkaria, Indialantic, Malabar, Melbourne Beach, Melbourne Village, Palm Shores. CDPs Include Cocoa West, June Park, Merritt Island, Micco, Mims, Port St. John, Sharpes, South Patrick Shores. Communities Include Barefoot Bay, Canaveral Groves, Courteney, Floridana Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Melbourne Shores, Scottsmoor, Suntree, Viera

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Records at the Brevard County Courthouse

See Also Florida Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Search Florida Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

The Official County website is located at http://www.countygovt.brevard.fl.us/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. See also Courthouse History

Brevard County Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1868, Land Records from 1871, Probate Records from 1877 and Court Records from 1879 and is located at P.O Box 219, Titusville, Florida 32781-0219; 321-264-5350, Fax: 321-264-5269

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 Brevard County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Brevard County, Florida Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
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Brevard County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Florida

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.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • 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 Brevard County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Florida newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Brevard County, Florida Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
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Brevard County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Florida

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 Brevard County, Florida are 1850 ,1860 ,1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Brevard County, Florida are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. 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 Brevard County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Florida Census, 1820-90: This collection contains the following indexes: 1820 Census Index (Pensacola and Escambia River Areas); 1825 Leon County Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedule; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1860 Slave Schedule; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule; 1890 Naval Veterans Schedule; Early Census Index, Vol. 1-2.
  • Florida State Census, 1885: This database is an index with corresponding images of the 1885 Florida State Census
  • Brevard County, Florida Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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Brevard County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Maps are an excellent source for beginning your research, because they provide much useful information at a glance. Many historic maps show individual buildings and are especially useful because they also record owners' names and features in the surrounding community. More detailed maps reveal property acreage and estate names. By examining a series of maps, you will be able to date changes in your property over time.

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Florida showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Florida showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. The Florida Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here

Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Maps. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Brevard County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Florida

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Brevard County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Early tax rolls, especially between census years, can be a gold mine for the fortunate researcher. Most existing rolls can be found in the counties of origin, but the Flordia State Archives also has some bound volumes sent to the state comptroller during the period 1829-81. Normal information includes the taxpayer's name, land ownership, number of white males (above taxable age, 21) and slaves, horses, wagons, and other taxable items of personal property such as jewelry, watches, musical instruments, and carriages. Many of the counties' records in the series are incomplete, but there are some in the Florida State Archives that the originating counties no longer have. This valuable resource is not indexed. It must be searched in the county, at the Florida State Archives, or both.

Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Brevard County, Florida Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Brevard County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Florida Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • North Brevard Historical Society, 801 S. Washington Ave., P. O. Box 6199, Titusville, FL 32782-6199; 407-269-3658
  • Genealogical Society of North Brevard, Inc., P. O. Box 897, Titusville, FL 32780;
  • South Brevard Historical Society, P. O. Box 1064, Melbourne, FL 32902-1064;
  • Genealogical Society of South Brevard, P. O. Box 786, Melbourne, FL 32902-0786
  • Brevard Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 1123, Cocoa, FL 32922
  • Brevard Heritage Council, 870 Indionola Dr., Merritt Island, FL 32953
  • 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.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Florida Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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Brevard County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Florida

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Brevard County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Brevard County Tombstone Transcription Project.

As in most former frontier societies, early Florida church records are hit-and-miss, but they can be valuable when located. The Roman Catholic faith accompanied the earliest Spanish settlers to Florida, and by 1822 the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians were also active in the new territory. By 1845 the Baptists had split into the Missionary and Primitive varieties (probably totaling more than 5,000 Florida members), and all of the above groups had become more or less well organized Methodists had two churches in Fernandina as early as 1822 (under the South Carolina Conference) and more than 10,000 members by statehood.

Cemetery records are held by most Florida libraries and archives. One important compiled source is the WPA Register of Deceased Veterans Buried in Florida, which covers fifty-one of the sixty-seven counties. Access to the massive amount of cemetery information scattered throughout the state is being facilitated by a continuing cemetery location project of the Florida State Genealogical Society.

Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Brevard County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Brevard County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

Brevard County was established by an act of the Florida Legislature in 1854, actually signed into law by the Governor early in 1855. The initial boundaries of the new county incorporated all of what had been St. Lucie County. At that time, Brevard extended southward along the state's Atlantic east coast all the way down to present day Miami-Dade County in south Florida. The origin of the county's name is widely attributed to Theodore W. Brevard , Florida Comptroller at the time of the county's creation. In the decades after it was first established, the boundaries of Brevard County were amended several times. It took on its current shape in 1905.

The earliest inhabitants of the Indian River region now called Brevard County were Native Americans who ventured into the area perhaps as long as 12,000 years ago. The descendents of these people became more settled, and began societies based on living off the resources of the Indian River Lagoon, the St. Johns River, and the surrounding coastal highlands and high points within the river basins. Known collectively as the archaic people, these are the humans who inhabited the Windover Archeological site in north Brevard County. Still later, their descendants became diversified into distinct tribes, the Ais and the Timucuans, which lived along the shores of the Indian River lagoon and left behind huge mounds of discarded shellfish, animal bones, and fractured pottery. These were the native peoples who were encountered by the first Europeans. Many sites evidencing these first inhabitants remain scattered through our county and some have been well preserved on public lands.

Early Spanish explorers sailed along the Brevard County coastline and gave Cape Canaveral its name. There are well-documented accounts of European shipwreck survivors traveling among the native tribes in this region, and the well known adventure of Jonathon Dickinson , who kept a journal.

Still, the area would remain largely unsettled, except for a failed attempt by Andrew Turnbull to establish an agricultural colony, until after the U.S. Army and Florida Militia established supply posts and routes through the county during the Second Seminole War. As this conflict unfolded in 1835, the only known inhabitants of the present-day Brevard County area were Seminole Indians.

Fort Ann was established late in 1837 as an important supply depot on the east shore of the Indian River near the boat haulover point on a narrow strip of Merritt Island . Florida militia commander General Joseph Hernandez and his force encamped in the general vicinity of Mims and constructed a wagon road southward to Fort Capron and Fort Pierce that became known as the " Hernandez Trail ."

As armed conflict with the Seminoles slowly dwindled to a stalemate, with remaining holdouts of the tribe hidden but considered harmless in the vast Everglades to the south, adventuring pioneers like Douglas Dummitt and Mills Burnham began to establish new lives and homes on the Indian River frontier. A colony of settler families seeking land grants under the armed occupation act held home sites in the southern portion of our region until a sudden Indian scare prompted their hasty abandonment for fear of a massacre.

Gradually, pioneers trickled in and in the 1850s a small community was emerging in the vicinity of Sand Point, then a part of Volusia County and now the site of Titusville . By 1860, families were also settling the area around what would become Eau Gallie . The region remained very sparsely settled throughout the Civil War, though some of its men were recruited into Confederate service and died for the Southern cause.

The Indian River region really began to open up to settlement immediate following the Civil War, when defeated Southern soldiers and northern veterans as well moved their families to the unoccupied frontier to seek new lives and opportunity.

The towns of Titusville , Rockledge , and soon Melbourne , began to emerge and grow as trading, fishing, and agricultural centers along the Indian River. Primary transportation between the communities was by water. In 1877, Captain Lund brought the steamboat Pioneer to the Indian River to commence an era of commercial steamboat transportation that would extend into the early 20th century. By the mid 1880s, railroad transportation had arrived in Titusville , and soon the Flagler line extended the rail line southward through the entire county. Improved transportation brought still more settlers, and thousands of winter tourists.

Commercial fishing, citrus agriculture, resort tourism, and a variety of smaller industries continued to fuel the area's economy and growth until World War II. In the years immediately following the end of the war, the undeveloped coastal scrub of Cape Canaveral became the home to America's missile testing program, and by the 1960s, the home of America's human space flight program and the launch site for the first U.S. astronauts. Soon, the nation's investment in a major launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center to meet the challenge of sending American's to the moon, coupled with the continuing role of Cape Canaveral in America's missile development effort, produced a boom in population growth and development that continues to influence the region today.

To learn more about the history of Brevard County, read the official history published in three volumes and available from the Brevard County Historical Commission.

Courthouse History

Brevard County, founded in 1844, is today famous as Florida’s “Space Coast.”  Most likely the name honors Theodore Brevard, who served as Florida’s Comptroller.  Originally the county was named St. Lucie and covered most of Florida’s central and southwest coast.  Its county seat was located at “Susanna,” apparently near the present site of Ft. Pierce.  The county name was later changed and the seat of government moved to Titusville - formerly known as Sand Point, and renamed in honor of its developer, Colonel Henry Titus.  (The name St. Lucie was resurrected in 1905 for a new county, also centered around Ft. Pierce.)

  The 1912 Brevard County Courthouse was built on land donated by Colonel Titus.  Because of the unusual size and dimensions of the county, court is convened today in several locations including the “new city” of Viera. 

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