Daytona Beach Heritage Records
Daytona Beach is famous. Cars have raced on the sand. They did this for over a century. The town has deeper roots. Mathias Day gave it his name. He built a hotel in 1870. The town formed in 1876. Tourists came for the beach. So did new residents. Your kin may have vacationed here. They may have stayed for good. Files wait in Volusia County.
The library has strong tools. It sits at 105 E. Magnolia Avenue. Call them at (386) 257-6036. The staff can help you. They have old records there. You can search family files. Many records are on file. Start your search today.
Daytona Beach Quick Facts
Volusia County Public Library Genealogy
The Volusia County Library has strong tools. The main branch is downtown. It sits at 105 E. Magnolia Avenue. Call them at (386) 257-6036. This branch has the local history set. Staff help with family searches.
The library offers big data sets. You can use Ancestry Library Edition there. It has census and military files. The set covers all U.S. states. It also has foreign files. This helps trace kin from abroad. HeritageQuest is there too. It has census tools.
Special sets focus on local life. You can find town history books. Family histories are there too. Maps show Volusia through time. City guides date to the 1900s. These list folks by name. You can find where they lived. Track them as they moved.
News files on film are key. The library holds the News-Journal. Some issues date to the 1880s. Papers have birth and death notes. Society pages list events. You can read stories about kin. Obituaries name family members.
Daytona Beach Historical Overview
Mathias Day started it all. He bought land in 1870. He built a large hotel. The town grew around it. Folks named it for him. It formed as a town in 1876. Life centered on the river.
The sand was hard packed. Cars could drive on it. Ransom Olds raced here in 1902. Others came to race too. It became a tradition. The beach was world famous. Tourists came from far and wide.
The 1920s brought fast growth. Hotels rose on the shore. The town spread inland. The 1926 hurricane caused harm. But the town rebuilt. Post-war tourism grew. The speedway opened in 1959. It brought new fame.
Volusia County Records for Daytona Beach
The Volusia Clerk of Courts keeps files. They have Daytona Beach kin records. The county formed in 1854. It split from Orange County. Files cover all local time. Marriage licenses help prove ties. They start in 1854. Each license names the pair. Ages and birthplaces show up. Parents may be named. Search the clerk's index online.
Property deeds trace land through time. Early files show beach lots. You can follow one plot from start. See land turn to homes. Deeds name buyers and sellers. Wives sign with husbands. This shows wed names of daughters. You learn who owned what.
Probate files open family views. When folks died, estates went to court. Files name heirs and kin ties. Wills list kids and grandkids. Inventories show what was owned. You learn about daily life. Files help build true trees.
Chapter 119 keeps files open. This law grants access. You can view and copy them. Some have privacy shields. But old files are mostly free. The clerk's office is in DeLand.
Florida State Archives Daytona Beach Collections
The State Archives holds Volusia files. Daytona Beach families are included. You can visit Tallahassee. Many files are online too.
Vital records help link kin. Death files start in 1877. They name the dead and parents. Chapter 382 sets the rules. Old files are open to all. Free indexes help you search.
Visit the State Archives of Florida to explore their holdings.
Digital Tools for Daytona Beach Research
Online tools make work fast. You can search from home. Many sites cost nothing. Some need paid plans.
FamilySearch.org gives free Florida files. It has Volusia County marriages. Census views cost nothing. The site grows with new scans.
Ancestry.com has the largest paid set. It has all U.S. census years. Florida news files are there. Military rolls are included.
Volusia County Genealogy Records
Daytona Beach is in Volusia County. Most files are at the county level. The clerk keeps court and land files. You can visit DeLand. Or use online search tools.