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
PLEASE READ!! 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.
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:
Florida Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Florida Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
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 and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
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:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - 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.
Click Here to Search Florida Voter Lists & 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 Brevard County, Florida are1850 ,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 areIndustry 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
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:
Click Here to Search Florida Military Records! - 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:
Southern Claims Commission 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.
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.
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:
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 State Records Center, 4319 Shelfer Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250; (850)245-6750; Hours: By Appointment Only
Florida Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Florida Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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.
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:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Florida obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Florida newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
Click Here to Search Florida Family Tree Records! - 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:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Florida Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
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.
