Charlotte County, Florida
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |


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Charlotte County

Charlotte County was created in 23 Apr 1921 and was formed from DeSoto County. The County was named for the Charlotte Harbor estuary. The County Seat is Punta Gorda. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Charlotte County are Sarasota County (northwest), De Soto County (north), Highlands County (northeast corner), Glades County (east), Hendry County (southeast corner), Lee County (south).

Charlotte County Cities and Towns include Punta Gorda. CDPs Include Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Park, Cleveland, Englewood, Grove City, Harbour Heights, Manasota Key, Port Charlotte, Rotonda West, Solana. Communities Include El Jobean, Placida

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Records at the Charlotte County Courthouse

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

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.charlottecountyfl.com/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. See also Courthouse History

Charlotte County Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1921, Land Records from 1921, Probate Records from 1921 and Court Records from 1921 and is located at Charlotte County Justice Center, 350 E. Marion Avenue, P.O. Box 511687, Punta Gorda, FL 33951-1687; (941) 637-2199
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 Charlotte County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Charlotte 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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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte 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.
  • Charlotte 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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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County, Florida are 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 Charlotte County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte 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
  • Charlotte 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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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Maps. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Charlotte County, Florida Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Charlotte County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 2682, Port Charlotte, FL 33952
  • 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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Charlotte 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 Charlotte County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Charlotte 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 Charlotte County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Charlotte County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

Contrary to popular belief, American History began in Charlotte Harbor, Florida in 1513 with the officially sanctioned exploration of Florida's east and west coasts by Ponce de Leon. He returned to the Charlotte Harbor complex, probably at Pine Island, in 1521, to establish a colony -- a century before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

  After six weeks of labor to build a fort and church, the expedition was attacked by Calusa aborigines. Ponce was wounded in the thigh by an arrow, and gangrene set in. The entire colony returned in haste to Havana, where Ponce died of his wound.

  The American mainland was opened for European settlement by the Hernando DeSoto expedition of 1539-42. Chronicles of survivors and research of 16th-century ship drafts by Sun-Herald historian-columnist Lindsey Williams indicate the explorer landed at Live Oak Point on the north shore of Charlotte Harbor. The official Florida DeSoto Trail Commission has acknowledged that the Charlotte Harbor landing is as feasible as any other -- pending archaeological proof.

  The Spanish explorer Pedro Menedez D'Aviles, who established the first American colony at St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565, built a mission-fort named San Antonio somewhere in the Charlotte Harbor complex the following year. After two years of alternate cooperation and bloody warfare between the Spaniards and the Calusa, Menendez abandoned his efforts to pacify the fierce Indians of southern Florida.

  Englewood is more than 100 years old, although artifacts found at the Indian Mound Park date back as far as 400 B.C., giving cause to believe that the Englewood area was inhabited then, by the Calusa Indians.

  Some years later (1884), Herbert Nicholas, of Englewood, Ill., and his two brothers came to the area in hopes of building a business growing lemons (a cure for the scurvy, and in high demand).

  Mother Nature had a way, even back then, of throwing a curve ball into the best-made plans. The mammoth freezes in 1894 and 1895 brought disaster and destruction to the lemon trees all along the coast from Tampa down to Fort Myers. Although there was never a freeze like that again, promoters of the area decided to change their tactics and to lure investors. They advertised the Englewood area as a fine place to raise families, or retire, promoting the area as laid back, with an easy lifestyle pace and excellent fishing and hunting.

  In 1897, a directory of the Lemon Bay area noted a population of 86, with 16 adults, 34 children and a combination of 30 winter residents or men in the fish camps. In 1898, the Englewood area, including Grove City and adjoining areas, was inhabited by some 250 people, and land was selling at $30 an acre. In 1910, the town of Englewood (not the surrounding areas) had a federal census figure of 75 permanent residents, with about 50 winter residents. (Today, Englewood's permanent population is approaching 50,000. With winter residents included, it is closer to 75,000.)

  The lumber industry was next to take root at the turn of the century, providing jobs and a boost to the economy of Englewood. But this too, would eventually falter in 1923, as railroad ties, booming construction and turpentine stripped the area of trees. Reforestation was not a factor in those days, hence, when the trees were gone, so were the jobs. The promoters once again rallied that Englewood was a tourist attraction and a fine place to retire in an easy-going lifestyle and a wonderful place to raise children.

  With the promoters' lifestyle established, Englewood also grew slowly, with no more tries at industry, savoring the easy going pace, laid back atmosphere of the community it was. In 1926, Englewood's first church was built on Green Street. It was served by a traveling Methodist preacher from Nokomis. This building is now being renovated by the Lemon Bay Historical Society.

  In 1927 a bridge was built across Lemon Bay, joining Manasota Key and the Gulf beaches with the mainland. The toll was 50 cents. This bridge has now been rebuilt twice, once in 1950 and again in 1964. A part of the old wooden bridge is now the Bill Ainger fishing pier.

  Alexander Graham Bell's invention, the telephone, finally arrived in remote Englewood. In 1948, a Venice phone book listed 46 phone numbers for Englewood, with 22 being business phones and 24 for private use.

  In 1956, the Sarasota side of Englewood had only a part-time sheriff. His full-time job was as a carpenter. He was to be available 24 hours a day, use his own automobile and provide his own gas. He made a whopping $200 per month.

  In 1958, the post office was the fastest growing in the state, and by 1960, two carriers were hired to deliver the mail to the 2,864 residents. A new post office had to be built, increasing the total of boxes from 400 to 1,000.

  There is so much history to be told about Englewood. This brief synopsis is only a fraction of the real history of the area. The history in the town is in the people who lived it, talked about it to their children, and perhaps even wrote it down. Many of the people are gone, but some still remain, and they still have stories to tell. And, they still live in Englewood.

Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands

The story of Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is one of struggles and triumphs, of entrepreneurs and daredevils and, at its core, of extraordinary people. You can relive their pasts at museums and historic homes throughout the area.

Native Americans
Archaeological evidence shows that the coastline was inhabited by mound builders some 3,000 years ago. Believed to be the Calusa, a warrior tribe, these seafarers also created the first canals south of Charlotte Harbor, which are still visible today. To see some of their handiwork on dry land, visit the Charlotte County Historical Center, where shell beads and arrow points recovered from the Peace River are displayed. The Timucua tribe, contemporary with the Calusa, also lived in the area when the Spaniards arrived half a millennium ago.

Colonization
Historians tell us that the first European to set foot here was famed Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, whose statue graces Punta Gorda’s Gilchrist Park. He landed in the early 16th century, and more Spaniards arrived in his wake, including Pedro Menendez D’Aviles. Menendez opened the area to commercial fishing in 1566, and this livelihood continues today as a productive contributor to the local economy. Learn about the early fishing trade with Cuba and see a fishing weir, a rudimentary contraption used to corral fish, at the Charlotte County Historical Center.

The Spanish lost control of Florida to the British between 1763 and 1783, giving the English colonists a chance to leave their mark. They named the mangrove-lined harbor for British Queen Charlotte. During that time, Seminoles also migrated to the area as the Calusa and Timucua died out due to illness and years of war against European settlers. Then they fought their own battles with the colonists.

For centuries, settlements were small and subsistence-based. But the American Civil War ushered in a new era.

Early Development
Cattle ranchers and homesteaders descended upon the area in the late 19th century, quickly transforming wilderness into “civilization.” Punta Gorda was incorporated in 1887, and Englewood became a town in 1894.

Transportation industries propelled initial growth. George Brown, an African-American shipbuilder and landowner, was one of Punta Gorda’s founding fathers and holds the distinction of being Florida’s “first equal opportunity employer.” He hired both blacks and whites, which, among other precedents, imbued Punta Gorda with an unusual multiracial tenor.

The railroads rolled into the area in the late 1800s, and they brought with them land developers and, eventually, wealthy vacationers.

These visitors often stayed at the posh Hotel Punta Gorda for months at a time during the winter, fishing for tarpon, a sport said to be invented in Boca Grande Pass; boating and hunting.

The historic resort unfortunately burned down in 1959, but other buildings from the time period remain on view.

Courthouse History

Charlotte County, created from the division of DeSoto County in 1921, is named for Charlotte Harbor, the large estuary that is its prominent natural feature. While some have claimed this was in turn named for the English Queen Charlotte Sophia, it has also been suggested that it is a corruption of "Carlos," a chief of the vanished Calusa tribe.   According to Hampton Dunn, the name was selected in a newspaper contest; others nominated included Pineapple, Mullet, No-Fence, Avocado, Palm, and Stormproof.The county seat is Punta Gorda, Spanish for "wide point," a reference to the peninsula wherein it is situated. Punta Gorda was once known as Trabue.

  The present Charlotte County Courthouse dates from about 1926. Prior to that time county government was conducted in rented offices.

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