Genealogy and Family History

Among the 17 Brevard County Libraries, there are three with genealogy collections that are available to the public for in-library use during regular library hours.

The Brevard County Historical Commission is housed at the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library Genealogy Department. Call (321) 633-1794 for an appointment.

The Titusville Public Library and the Melbourne Public Library both have genealogy rooms staffed by volunteers from the local genealogy societies at various times.

The Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library in Cocoa has the largest collection, which began in 1989 when the Brevard Genealogical Society was given room to house their materials. In 2002, Brevard Community College (now known as Eastern Florida State College, donated the entire contents of their genealogy collection to the then Brevard County Central Library and Reference Center. The Central Library's Genealogy Department is staffed Monday through Saturday, 9 AM-5 PM and offers the assistance of an experienced genealogist. It is housed on the second floor of the library along with the Brevard County Historical Commission.

The collection includes the county's earliest newspapers as well as the early Brevard County Courthouse records. Materials from the library's collection are not available on interlibrary loan but are loaned to other branches within the system. The library also offers classes on various genealogical topics and hosts the Brevard Genealogical Society's extensive Beginning Genealogy Class.

You may contact the Genealogy Department at (321) 633-1794.

Ancestry Databases

  • Ancestry Library Edition - Census data, family records, local histories, tax lists, city directories, land and probate records, birth, marriage and death records, etc.
    * Remote access to Ancestry.com is temporarily available until March 31, 2021."
  • HeritageQuest - Over 1.2 billion records in a comprehensive source of information for genealogical and local history research.
    * Because of licensing restrictions, this database is only accessible in the Genealogical Collection at  Central Brevard Library and Reference Center.
Genealogy & Archives Hours
DayHours
SundayClosed
Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Please call 321-633-1794 before visiting to make sure the Genealogy Department and staff will be available.

Available Documents

The following documents are available to the public via Public Records Request. If you need the document(s) in an alternate format for accessibility purposes (e.g. Braille, large print, audio, etc.) or in Section 508 compliant format please note that in the request. Note: this may take additional time.
  • Cocoa Tribune Death Index
  • Genealogy City Directory Collection
  • Genealogy Records on Microfilm
  • Genealogy Starter Kit PDF
  • Genealogy Starter Kit DOC

Popular Genealogy Websites

Printed Genealogy Resources

Sources for local research:

Brevard County is currently in the process of implementing changes to increase the accessibility of information and documents on its website.  If you require assistance to better access these documents or information contained therein please contact the County’s ADA Coordinator by phone at (321)-637-5347 or by email at ADACompliance@brevardfl.gov

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