Miami City Florida genealogy records give researchers a clear path to trace family roots across South Florida, the Caribbean, and beyond. Founded in 1896, Miami grew from a small riverfront settlement into a major gateway city for people moving from Cuba, the Bahamas, Haiti, the rest of Latin America, and the U.S.
mainland. The result is a rich mix of public records, church books, immigration files, and newspaper archives that span more than 130 years. This page brings those records together in one place so you can locate birth certificates, marriage licenses, land deeds, naturalization papers, cemetery lists, and more without searching dozens of separate websites.
Miami History for Genealogists
A short look at Miami’s past helps you pick the right records. The city’s story is shaped by waves of migration, natural disasters, and building booms, each one leaving paper trails researchers can use today.
Miami’s Founding and Early Settlers
Miami began as a small community near the mouth of the Miami River in the 1870s. Julia Tuttle, a landowner from Ohio, convinced railroad builder Henry Flagler to extend the Florida East Coast Railway south in 1896. That same year, the city of Miami was officially incorporated. Early census records from 1900 and 1910 list many Bahamian workers who helped build the railroad and the early downtown area. Their names often appear as Williams, Albury, Saunders, and Pinder, and they came to be called the “Conch” community in South Florida.
Key Migration Waves to Miami
Five major waves of migration shaped Miami’s records. The first was the Bahamian migration of the 1890s to 1920s. The second was the northern U.S. migration tied to the real estate boom of the 1920s. The third was the Jewish migration from New York in the 1930s and 1940s. The fourth was the Cuban exile wave that started in 1959 and grew through the 1980s. The fifth and most recent was the Latin American and Haitian migration from the 1990s to today. Each wave created different record types, from steamship passenger lists to Cuban refugee processing files at churches and aid agencies.
Vital Records in Miami-Dade County
Vital records are birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates. They form the backbone of any Miami family history search. Florida started statewide vital registration in 1917, but many Miami-Dade records from earlier years exist at the county level.
Birth Certificates and Records
Florida birth certificates became statewide in 1917, and Miami-Dade County birth records date back to that same year. Records less than 100 years old are restricted under Florida law. Only the person named on the record, immediate family members, or legal representatives with proper ID can order them. Once a birth record turns 100 years old, it becomes a public record. The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics at the Florida Department of Health holds all certified copies.
Death Certificates and Records
Florida death certificates started statewide in 1917. Death records less than 50 years old are restricted in the same way as birth records. After 50 years, they become public. Death certificates for Miami residents often name the spouse, parents, and burial location, which makes them useful for linking generations. Hospital records from Jackson Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital, both major Miami medical centers, can sometimes extend the information found on the death certificate.
Marriage Records and Licenses
Miami-Dade County marriage licenses date back to the 1830s, before the city existed, when the area was still part of Dade County. The Clerk of Courts holds the full paper trail. Marriage certificates usually list full names, ages, birthplaces, parents’ names, and the officiant’s name. Same-sex marriage records began in Florida in January 2015 after a federal court ruling.
Divorce Records and Filings
Divorce records for Miami-Dade County are kept by the Clerk of Courts in the civil court division. Files from 1925 onward are available in paper form, and many cases from 1970 forward are on microfilm. A divorce file often contains the marriage date, children’s names, property settlements, and the reason for divorce. These files give family historians more than the divorce certificate alone, since they show family connections at a specific point in time.
Federal and State Census Records
Census records track every household in the U.S. every ten years. They are free to view and give a snapshot of a family at a specific moment.
Available Census Years for Miami
Because Miami was a small town in 1900, federal census schedules from 1830 to 1890 do not cover the city itself. The 1900 census was the first to list Miami residents, and the 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 censuses all include the city and surrounding neighborhoods. The 1940 census went online in 2012, and the 1950 census was released in April 2022. Florida state censuses were taken in 1885, 1935, 1945, and 1955, and the 1885 and 1935 records are particularly useful for Miami-Dade researchers.
1950 Census Details and Access
The 1950 census is the most recent census available to the public. It lists every person living at each address on April 1, 1950, with name, age, sex, race, occupation, income, and home value. The 1950 census is searchable on the National Archives website, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch.org. The 1890 census for Florida was mostly destroyed by a 1921 fire at the Commerce Department building, so most Miami researchers never see that year.
Miami-Dade County Clerk Records
The Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts is the official record keeper for all legal documents filed in the county. The clerk’s office holds marriage licenses, divorce decrees, property deeds, mortgages, probate files, and civil court cases. Many of these records are searchable online through the clerk’s official records search system.
Probate and Estate Files
Probate files record what happened to a person’s belongings after death. When a Miami resident died owning property, the estate usually went through county probate court. The file lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, the value of the estate, and a copy of the will. Probate records for Miami-Dade County from 1840 forward are held at the clerk’s office. Files from 1840 to 1980 are on microfilm, and files from 1981 forward are on the clerk’s online system.
Property Deeds and Land Records
Property deeds show who owned a piece of land in Miami at a given time. Miami’s land boom of the 1920s generated thousands of deeds, many of which are now online. Deed records also help genealogists find a wife’s married name, a husband’s full name, and the location of family property. The 1836 Dade County land records include many early homestead claims before Miami existed. Homestead exemption records from the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser show the same family on the same property for decades and are useful for tracing continuous residence.
Court and Civil Case Records
Civil court records include lawsuits, naturalization records, and criminal cases. Many immigrant naturalizations took place at the federal courthouse in Miami, and these records appear in the clerk’s court file series. Civil case indexes from 1900 forward are searchable by name.
Florida State Archives Collection
The State Archives of Florida in Tallahassee holds records that cover all 67 Florida counties, including Miami-Dade. These records supplement what is found at the county level. The State Library and Archives is the official state memory bank and preserves everything from military service files to early photographs.
Military Service Records
The State Archives holds military service records for Florida veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The collection is strongest for World War I, where nearly every Florida soldier has a service card with rank, unit, dates of service, and next of kin. These service cards are searchable on the State Archives online catalog.
Confederate Pension Files
Florida Confederate pension applications, kept by the State Archives, cover the period from 1885 to about 1950. Widows’ pension files prove marriages that may be missing from other records and often contain birth names of married women. Early Miami settlers who served in the Confederate military are well represented in this collection, even though Miami did not exist during the Civil War.
Photographs and Maps
The State Archives photo collection includes more than 1 million images of Florida life, with thousands of Miami scenes from 1896 to 1980. Sanborn fire insurance maps for Miami from 1885 to the 1950s show every building in downtown Miami, block by block, and are useful for locating a family’s business or home. These maps are online through the Florida Memory project.
Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, part of the Florida Department of Health, keeps all certified birth and death certificates for the state. The Bureau also issues amendments, new certificates after adoption, and delayed birth certificates for people born before statewide registration began in 1917.
Ordering Vital Records Step by Step
You can order Miami-Dade birth and death certificates through the Florida Department of Health website at floridahealth.gov. The steps are simple. First, download the correct application form. Second, fill in the full name on the record, the date of the event, and the parents’ names. Third, show proof of your identity and your relationship to the person on the record. Fourth, pay the fee by check, money order, or credit card. Fifth, mail or submit the form online. Current fees are set by Florida law and change yearly.
Access Rules and Restrictions
Birth records are restricted for 100 years. Death records are restricted for 50 years. Marriage records less than 75 years old can only be ordered by the bride, groom, or immediate family. Divorce records less than 75 years old are also restricted to the people named on the record. Older records are public and can be ordered by anyone. A Florida court order can grant access to restricted records for legal or genealogical reasons.
Digital Genealogy Platforms
Online databases make Miami research faster than ever. Three main platforms cover most of the available records.
FamilySearch Florida Records
FamilySearch.org is a free service run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The site has digitized Florida census records, county marriage indexes, death indexes, and immigration passenger lists. FamilySearch’s Florida collection includes more than 60 million searchable names. Many Miami-area church records from Catholic, Baptist, and Episcopal parishes are also on FamilySearch, and the catalog lists microfilm rolls that can be sent to a local FamilySearch center for viewing.
Ancestry.com Florida Collections
Ancestry.com is a paid subscription site with the largest set of Miami records online. The site has every available U.S. census, city directories for Miami from 1915 forward, the U.S. Social Security Death Index, and Florida marriage and death indexes. Ancestry also hosts the Drouin Collection of Catholic church records and the Cuban Civil Registration records, which are critical for Cuban-American families in Miami. Public libraries in Miami-Dade County offer free in-library access to Ancestry.com for cardholders.
Other Online Platforms
MyHeritage has European records useful for tracing immigrant ancestors before they reached Miami. Findmypast holds British census and parish records for English-speaking immigrants. Fold3 focuses on U.S. military records, including Florida veterans. Newspapers.com and the Library of Congress Chronicling America project hold historical Miami newspapers. Each platform has a different focus, so researchers often use more than one.
Cemetery and Burial Records
Cemetery records often hold information not found anywhere else. They show birth and death dates, cause of death, military service, and family members buried in the same plot.
Woodlawn Park Cemetery Records
Woodlawn Park Cemetery, located in southwest Miami, opened in 1926. It holds more than 90,000 burials. Records list the deceased’s full name, birth and death dates, plot number, and often a family member’s name. The cemetery office provides lookup services by phone or in person for a small fee. Many early Cuban families are buried there, as well as Bahamian pioneers of the 1920s land boom.
Other Major Miami Cemeteries
Other major burial sites in Miami include the City of Miami Cemetery, opened in 1897, which holds the graves of Julia Tuttle and many other early settlers. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery serves the Cuban Catholic community. Mount Sinai Memorial Park, founded in 1964, holds Jewish burials and has detailed records. The Flagler Memorial Park in North Miami holds many Bahamian and African American burials from the early 20th century. Beth David Memorial Gardens in Hollywood serves the wider Jewish community of South Florida.
Obituary and Newspaper Records
Newspapers are a key source for Miami family history research. Obituaries, wedding announcements, and social notes fill in the gaps between official records.
Miami Herald Historical Archives
The Miami Herald started in 1903 and is the main newspaper of record for South Florida. The full text of the Herald from 1903 to 1974 is searchable on Newspapers.com. Later issues from 1982 forward are free on the Herald’s own website. The Herald covered the 1926 Miami Hurricane, the arrival of Bahamian workers, the early Cuban community, and the post-1959 exile wave in detail. Funeral notices in the Herald usually list surviving family members and burial locations.
Other South Florida Newspapers
The Miami News, a competing paper, ran from 1896 to 1988 and is on microfilm at the Miami-Dade Public Library. Diario Las Américas, a Spanish-language daily, started in 1953 and covers the Cuban exile community in detail. The Miami Times, an African American weekly, has run since 1923. The Jewish Floridian, published since 1928, covers the Jewish community. Each paper offers a different window into Miami’s past.
Naturalization and Immigration Records
Naturalization papers show when a person became a U.S. citizen. These records often list the country of birth, ship of arrival, port of arrival, and the immigrant’s original name.
Federal Court Naturalization Files
Federal naturalizations for Miami were processed at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which sits in Miami. The court’s records from 1906 to 1990 are held by the National Archives Southeast Region in Atlanta. The National Archives also has microfilm indexes of naturalization records searchable by name. The Miami-Dade County Clerk holds naturalization records filed before 1906 and after 1990.
Passenger Lists and Ship Manifests
Passenger lists for the port of Miami are sparse, since Miami was not a major port before the 1960s. Most Miami residents came through the port of New York, Key West, Tampa, or even Galveston, Texas. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch both have large collections of passenger lists from major U.S. ports, and the Castle Garden and Ellis Island databases cover arrivals from 1820 to 1957. Cuban arrivals from the 1960s to 1990s came by air, so records of these flights are held by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and are partly online through the USCIS Genealogy program.
Genealogical Societies in Miami
Genealogical societies in the Miami area provide access to local expertise, unpublished records, and member-only databases. Joining a local society is one of the best moves for a serious Miami researcher.
Miami-Dade Genealogy Society
The Miami-Dade Genealogy Society, founded in 1983, holds monthly meetings at the Miami-Dade Public Library and publishes a quarterly journal. The society maintains a member-only database of Miami-Dade cemetery records, school yearbooks, and obituary extracts. New members are matched with experienced volunteers who give one-on-one research help. The society also runs field trips to local archives throughout the year.
Local Historical Societies
HistoryMiami Museum, the official history museum of the City of Miami, holds a research library with photographs, maps, and manuscript collections. The Coral Gables Historical Resources Department holds city records for that municipality. The Miami Beach Historical Archives holds photos and records for Miami Beach. The Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami holds books, oral histories, and papers on the Cuban exile community. The Haitian Heritage Museum in Little Haiti covers Haitian-American family history.
Visiting Records in Person
Some Miami records are only available in person. Knowing the addresses, hours, and what to bring saves time and trouble.
Miami-Dade Courthouse Location
The Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts main office is at 73 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130. The courthouse complex covers an entire city block. Public research terminals are on the third floor, and staff help researchers in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The clerk’s online search system is open 24 hours a day at miamidadeclerk.gov.
Library and Archive Access
The Miami-Dade Public Library main branch is at 101 West Flagler Street, in the same downtown area as the courthouse. The genealogy room is on the second floor, open Monday through Saturday. Library staff can help with record lookups at (305) 375-2665. The Florida State Archives is at 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The State Library and Archives reference desk can be reached at (850) 245-6700.
Florida Memory Collection Online
The Florida Memory project at floridamemory.com holds more than 200,000 digitized items. Researchers can search for Miami images by topic, date, or place. The collection includes early photographs of Flagler’s railroad, the 1926 hurricane damage, the construction of the Overseas Highway, and the arrival of Cuban refugees in the 1960s. The site also has a state-wide marriage index, death index, and land patent index that cover Miami-Dade County.
Land and Homestead Records
Federal homestead records cover the period from 1862 to 1934. Many early Miami pioneers filed homestead claims in the 1880s and 1890s. The Bureau of Land Management holds the original papers, and the General Land Office Records database on the BLM website is searchable by name and location. State and county land records supplement the federal files. The 1909 Dade County plat book shows the first subdivisions of Miami and is a good starting point for tracking down where a family settled.
Civil War and Confederate Records
Many early Miami families had roots in the rest of Florida and the U.S. South. Confederate military records for Florida soldiers are at the State Archives in Tallahassee and at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The National Archives holds Confederate service records on microfilm, and Fold3 has them online. The 1885 Florida state census, taken 20 years after the war, lists former Confederate soldiers and their families and is a key record for any Miami family with Civil War roots.
Surname Origins and Pioneer Data
Miami’s pioneer families often have a paper trail starting in the Bahamas, the Carolinas, New York, or Cuba. Common pioneer surnames in Miami include Tuttle, Brickell, Flagler, Merrick, Lum, Peacock, Pancoast, Burdine, and Wolfson. The Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of Confederate Veterans hold records for descendants of these early settlers. The HistoryMiami Museum’s Pioneer Files list every household in Greater Miami from 1896 to 1910 and are open to the public.
FamilySearch Catalog for Florida
The FamilySearch catalog lists every microfilm and digital record for Florida held by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The catalog can be searched by county, then by record type. The Miami-Dade section lists more than 4,500 microfilm rolls covering births, deaths, marriages, court records, church records, school records, and more. Many of these films have been digitized and can be viewed from home with a free FamilySearch account.
DNA Testing for Miami Families
DNA testing can break through brick walls in Miami family research, where many families came from small island communities. The four major DNA companies are AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage DNA, and FamilyTreeDNA. A test on AncestryDNA gives matches to relatives who have also tested, with tools to sort matches by ethnicity. The Cuban exile community in Miami is well represented in DNA databases, and Cuban genetic matches are often found within a few days of testing. Bahamian-descended researchers in Miami find matches through Bahamian family surnames and shared chromosome data.
Church and Religious Records
Before statewide vital registration began in 1917, church records are the main source for births, marriages, and deaths. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, created in 1958, holds the records of its parishes. Older Catholic records in Miami-Dade come from the Diocese of St. Augustine, which covered South Florida until 1958. Episcopal, Methodist, and Baptist churches also have records, with the oldest being Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, founded in 1896. Jewish congregations such as Temple Beth Sholom and the Cuban Hebrew Congregation hold membership and burial records.
City Directories for Miami
City directories list every adult resident at a given address, with occupation, spouse, and length of residence. The Miami city directory started in 1915 and ran annually until 1980. Directories are searchable on Ancestry.com from 1915 to 1960, and later years are on microfilm at the Miami-Dade Public Library. The directory helps researchers place an ancestor at a specific address, often matched to a Sanborn map and a city census record.
Contact and Location Information
Researchers who need direct help with Miami records can reach the following offices.
Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 359-6900
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Website: floridahealth.gov
Miami-Dade Public Library, Main Branch
101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130
Phone: (305) 375-2665
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Website: mdpls.org
State Archives of Florida
500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 245-6700
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Website: dos.fl.gov/library-archives/archives/
National Archives Southeast Region
5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260
Phone: (770) 968-2100
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Website: archives.gov/southeast
FAQ: Miami Florida Genealogy Records
These questions cover the most common search problems researchers run into when working on Miami family history. The answers point to specific record types, dates, and offices so you can move forward without wasting time. Each answer also lists the key restriction or fee that affects record access in 2026.
How Do I Order a Miami Birth Certificate?
Order a Miami birth certificate through the Florida Department of Health at floridahealth.gov. The form needs the full name on the record, the date of birth, the hospital or county of birth, and the parents’ full names. You must show your own photo ID and a document proving your relationship to the person on the record, such as a marriage certificate or your own birth certificate. The fee is set by Florida law and can change yearly. Records less than 100 years old can only be ordered by the person named or by an immediate family member. Records more than 100 years old are public and can be ordered by anyone. A mailed request takes 2 to 4 weeks, and an online request takes 1 to 2 weeks. A rush service is available for an extra fee.
Are Miami Marriage Records Public?
Marriage records less than 75 years old are restricted in Florida. Only the bride, groom, or their immediate family can order a certified copy. Marriage indexes, which list the names and the date of the marriage, are public. The Miami-Dade County Clerk holds the marriage index from 1836 forward, and FamilySearch has the index online. A marriage license application, which is also on file at the clerk’s office, gives the names, ages, and birthplaces of the bride and groom. The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics holds the same records at the state level, with the same 75-year restriction. Old marriage records from the 1800s and early 1900s are public and are useful for tracing early Miami families.
Where Can I Find 1950 Census Records for Miami?
The 1950 census for Miami is searchable on the National Archives website at archives.gov, on Ancestry.com, and on FamilySearch.org. The 1950 census was released to the public on April 1, 2022. The records show the name, age, sex, race, address, occupation, income, and home value of every person in the household on April 1, 1950. Miami’s 1950 population was about 249,000, so the city is well covered. Researchers can browse by enumeration district using a National Archives map tool. The original paper schedules are at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the digital images are exact copies of those pages.
How Do I Find Cuban Family Records in Miami?
Three main record types help trace Cuban ancestry in Miami. First, Cuban civil registration records, which are birth, marriage, and death certificates from Cuba, are online at FamilySearch’s Cuba collection. Second, Cuban church records, mostly Catholic baptisms and marriages, are on the FamilySearch Drouin Collection. Third, U.S. naturalization records for Cuban-born residents are at the U.S. District Court in Miami and at the National Archives in Atlanta. The Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami in Coral Gables also holds oral histories, family papers, and photos. Cuban refugees who came through the 1980 Mariel boatlift have records at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the USCIS Genealogy program gives partial access online.
Where Are Old Miami Newspapers Available?
Old Miami newspapers are at four main places. The Miami-Dade Public Library has the Miami Herald on microfilm from 1903 to 1982, the Miami News from 1896 to 1988, and Diario Las Américas from 1953 to 2000. Newspapers.com has the Miami Herald from 1903 to 1974 fully searchable. The State Archives in Tallahassee has scattered issues of early Miami papers. The Library of Congress Chronicling America project has selected Miami newspapers from 1900 to 1922 free online. For Spanish-language papers, the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami has a near-complete run of exile publications from 1959 forward.
What Records Survived the 1926 Miami Hurricane?
Many official records were destroyed in the 1926 hurricane, but replacements and copies exist. The Dade County Courthouse was badly damaged, and many deeds, marriage licenses, and probate files from before September 1926 were lost. Surviving records are held by the Miami-Dade County Clerk. Federal decennial censuses from 1900, 1910, and 1920 are complete and cover the area, and state-level duplicates are at the State Archives. Florida state census records from 1885 and 1935 help fill the gap. Church records from Catholic, Episcopal, and Baptist parishes survived and are on FamilySearch. Cemetery records from the City of Miami Cemetery, which opened in 1897, also survived and have gravestone information for many families.
How Do I Find My Bahamian Ancestors in Miami?
Start with the U.S. census from 1900 to 1950, where Bahamian-born people are clearly listed. The State Archives of Florida has Bahamian migration files, including ship passenger lists and naturalization papers, for arrivals from 1890 to 1930. The Miami-Dade Genealogy Society has a special Bahamian family file compiled by local members. The Bahamas Department of Archives in Nassau holds Bahamian birth, marriage, and death records from 1850 forward, and many are on FamilySearch. The Moss-Fernandez family papers at HistoryMiami Museum document Bahamian migration to Key West and Miami in detail. Cemetery records at the City of Miami Cemetery, Woodlawn Park Cemetery, and Flagler Memorial Park list many Bahamian names. Church records at St. Agnes Episcopal Church and other Bahamas-related congregations in Miami are also a key source.