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.

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

Popular Genealogy Websites

• Ancestry.com Subscription site ONLY available at each Brevard County Library Branch.
• Cyndi’s List
• Ellis Island
• FamilySearch
• Find A Grave
• HathiTrust
• HeritageQuest Subscription site ONLY available in the Central Library and Reference Center in Cocoa
• RootsWeb
• Steve Morse
• USGenWeb

Printed Genealogy Resources

Sources for local research:

• Brevard Genealogical Society
• Brevard GenWeb
• Florida Historical Society Library
• Florida Today Obituaries - Search Florida Today obituaries from 2000 to present ONLY.
• Genealogical Society of North Brevard, Inc.
• Genealogical Society of South Brevard
• Indian River Main Library Genealogy Dept.

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