Welcome to Santa Rosa FLGenWeb

Santa Rosa County was established February 18, 1842 from a portion of Escambia County and named for Santa Rosa Island, which was named for the Roman Catholic Saint, St. Rosa de Viterbo. In 1743, the first record of the West Florida lumber industry was two masts of yellow pine. After the transfer of Florida to the United States in 1821, a number of saw mills began operating around the bays and streams adjacent to Pensacola (neighboring Escambia County). These saw mills continued operation until the Civil War. The first year of the Civil War brought prosperity to Santa Rosa County. The second year, Confederate troops moved across Santa Rosa County and Bagdad was torched to prevent falling into Union hands. By 1867, the world-wide demand for yellow pine resumed and fortunes were made from the lumber industry. For over a hundred years, the logging industry provided jobs for thousands, but by 1939 the area was soon depleted of trees forcing the mills out of business. Today, north and south Santa Rosa County are known for their outstanding water resources, ­rivers, creeks, bays and the Gulf of Mexico. We hope you enjoy this resource into the past!

Queries  We have a new forum for queries about Santa Rosa County ancestors and discussions about the history of the county.  All the old queries are in the Query Archives.

Announcements Completed: Archives, Genealogy Society,  Library, Census, Cemeteries, History, Maps, Land, Deeds  In process: Links.  To do:  Marriages, Military, Obits, Volunteers, Misc. history, families & links...

Genealogical Society                            CURRENT NEWS - MEETING POSTS Society Meetings are the third Saturday of Quarter Months at the Santa Rosa Library Admin Center, 6275 Dogwood Dr, Milton, FL 32570, Milton, FL   (note-  Holidays will have altered dates - email or see facebook for latest) Meeting time is 10AM. The library opens at 9AM and for beginners or newcomers, society members will be there early to offer their assistance.  MAP TO LOCATION. . See Message from President.

Library, Links & Resources Library location and genealogy collections.  Links for genealogy research. Resources, who to contact to acquire records for the county.

Records, Data & History Bible, Census, Cemeteries, Churches, Deeds, History, Land Records, Maps, Military, Newspapers, Obituaries, Photos, Probate, Wills, Vital Statistics and more...

Contact Your Santa Rosa County Coordinators are  Gayle Jernigan Cowley ( gjcowley@live.com) - and Vic Campbell (vic@buzzcreek.com)  .   Please contact us if you have questions about the site or if you wish to volunteer or contribute to the site.  Queries should be posted to the Santa Rosa FLGenWeb group.