Public Records: County
Court records
Prior to 1845, each county in Florida had its own county court, with a system of superior courts to hear cases on appeal. When Florida became a state, lawmakers replaced the superior courts with circuit courts and the Florida Supreme Court.
In addition to administering justice, county and circuit courts are responsible for maintaining local records involving property, marriage, citizenship and other vital subjects. Deeds, mortgages, marriage certificates, some bills of sale, court dockets and case files are just some of the records held by the clerks of the courts in Florida. Probate and estate records are also kept by the courts, and we explore those in their own section of this guide.
The State Archives holds microfilm copies of many court records held by Florida counties, as well as originals in some cases. These records offer a wealth of information about Black Floridians both before and after emancipation.
For example, mortgages from the antebellum era often reference enslaved individuals by name. Enslavers frequently used the people they enslaved as collateral to obtain capital because those people and their labor were often some of the most valuable property the enslavers owned.
Court case files also sometimes reference enslaved persons if they were involved in the premise of a case. Looking into the postbellum era, property records can also be useful for documenting land ownership by Black Floridians, as well as sharecropping and tenant farming agreements.
The following are examples of court records of which the State Archives holds either microfilm or original copies. The Archives holds microfilm copies of these kinds of records for most Florida counties, although the dates of coverage vary.
- Jefferson County, Miscellaneous Court Records, 1828-1955 (Series L346)
Jefferson County Freedmen’s Contracts from this collection are digitized and available on Florida Memory. - Tallahassee City Clerk’s Office, Index to the Register of Legal Instruments Filed, 1825-1897 (Series L27)
- Leon County Circuit Court, Deed Records, 1825-1942 (Series L52)
- Madison County Circuit Court, Deed Records, 1831-1910 (Series L164)
Probate records and estate documentation
Probate courts handle legal matters such as conservatorships, guardianships, wills and estates. When a person dies, the role of the probate court is to ensure the deceased person’s debts are paid and assets are allocated to the correct beneficiaries.
Antebellum probate records and estate inventories occasionally note the names and ages of enslaved persons within the listed property. These records can be used in genealogical research to help Black families trace their roots and document an enslaved person’s existence, individuality and humanity where other records are not available.
The following are examples of probate records of which the State Archives holds either microfilm or original copies. The Archives holds microfilm copies of this kind of record for most Florida counties, although the dates of coverage vary.
- Leon County, Estate Inventories and Appraisements, 1853-1879, 1883-1889, 1893-1894 (Series L72)
Volume 1 (1853-1872) from Series L72 is digitized and available on Florida Memory. - Leon County, Sales of Personal Estates, 1860-1889 (Series L73)
- Leon County, Petitions and Orders for Division or Sale of Real Estate, 1845-1867, 1885-1908 (Series L78)
