Homestead Family Archives
Homestead is the gateway south. It is the last town on the mainland. The Florida Keys start here. So does the Everglades. The name tells the tale. Folks came to claim homesteads. They cleared land for farms. They grew crops in the heat. Tomatoes and avocados did well. The railway came in 1896. It brought trade and growth. Your kin may have farmed here. Files wait in Miami-Dade.
Homestead is in Miami-Dade County. The county is Florida's largest. Records date to the 1800s. Your family may be in them. Check the property deeds. Look at marriage licenses too. Court records help as well. Start your search now.
Homestead Quick Facts
Homestead Pioneer History
The railway started it all. Henry Flagler built south from Miami. The tracks reached here in 1896. The town grew at the end. Settlers came for land. The soil was good for crops. The warm sun helped things grow. Year-round crops were possible.
The town formed in 1913. It served the farm folks. Vegetables grew in the fields. Tropical fruits did well too. Tomatoes were a big crop. So were avocados. The train took them north. The town became the farm hub. It was the heart of South Dade.
The 1926 hurricane hit hard. The storm broke many homes. Farms were wiped out. The town rebuilt slowly. The Depression brought more pain. But Homestead held on. Military bases came in World War II. They brought new folks. The town grew past farming. It became diverse.
Miami-Dade County Records for Homestead
The Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts keeps files. They have Homestead kin records. The county is Florida's largest. Files date to the 1800s. Homestead was part of it from the start. Property records are the key. Early deeds show homestead claims. You can trace land from first claims. See the shift from farms to homes. Deeds name buyers and sellers. Wives sign with husbands. This helps build family trees.
Marriage licenses date to the 1800s. The clerk keeps them all. Each one names the bride and groom. Ages and birthplaces appear. Some list parents for the young. You can search the index online. Find names from home.
Probate files tell family tales. When folks died, estates went to court. Files name heirs and kin ties. Wills list kids and grandkids. Inventories show what was owned. These prove connections. They help with tree work.
Chapter 119 gives access. This law opens most files. You can view and copy them. Some have privacy shields. Birth files stay closed. But court and land files are free. The clerk's office is downtown.
Florida State Archives Homestead Collections
The State Archives holds Miami-Dade files. Homestead 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 Homestead 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 Miami-Dade 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.
Miami-Dade County Genealogy Records
Homestead is in Miami-Dade County. Most files are at the county level. The clerk keeps court and land files. You can visit Miami. Or use online search tools.