Spotlight on the Collection: Florida Voter Registration Lists 1867-68

There are a variety of records that can be used to fill in the gaps between censuses. These under-used resources include tax assessment list, property records and voter's registration lists. One such resource available at the library for people researching Florida ancestors is the Florida Voter Registration Lists 1867-68.

This book is a transcription of the original voter's lists held at the Florida State Archives, Voter Registration Rolls, 1968 [Record Group 151, Series 98]. These records contain the names of over 14,000 male Floridians of voting age from 19 counties. The records were created as a result of the Congressional Reconstruction Act passed in March 1867, which called for registration of qualified voters who would elect delegates to a Constitutional Convention to restore civil government to the state. For the first time in southern history, race was not a qualifying factor in registering to vote.

The entries contain the voter's name, his race, his length of residence in the state, where he was born and the date of his registration. The registration information is is more reliable than census information because the registrants themselves provided all the information to the registars. In a census enumeration, one family member provides data for the entire household, thereby increasing the chances of erroneous information.

Unfortunately, the 1867-1868 voters records for 20 Florida counties (including Duval) were lost or destroyed long before the state began preserving its history. The 19 counties included in this publication are: Hernando, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Santa Rosa, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.