Muster Rolls for the Seminole Wars in Florida

2nd Seminole War3rd Seminole WarSeminole WarsMilitary RecordsFlorida PioneersFlorida Resources

Jul 24

For those researching their Florida Pioneer ancestors (i.e., those who lived in Florida prior to it becoming a State in 1845), volunteer service in the Second Seminole War is an avenue that must be pursued. In addition, volunteer service during the Third Seminole War should be reviewed for any males living in central and south Florida in the 1850s as well.

The first step is to look for an ancestor in the “Index For Florida Militia Muster Rolls” in the University of Florida’s digital collections.

After you find the name you are looking for, the index notes each time that name appears on a Militia Roll. The number before the colon indicates the Volume in which the Militia Rolls can be found. The number after the colon indicates on which page. It is important to note that the “page numbers” do not correlate with the actual page numbers within the document. They are simply the order in which the militia rolls appear within the volume. As you scroll through the volumes, you will get a feel for what I am describing.

Here are the ten volumes, all of which are found within the University of Florida’s digital collections:

With our example of Edward Weeks above, he is listed on various pages within Volume 9. Click on the link to the Volume indicated by the idex and scroll to the “pages” noted.

Often, this is far as you can go as a researcher. This derivative source is the best we can access as the originals are too fragile to be allowed to be handled. But, a final step can be performed. And, if you are very, very, VERY lucky, a copy of the original muster or payroll can be viewed within the digital collections of the State Archives and Library of Florida. Click on “FLORIDA MILITIA MUSTER ROLLS, 1826-1900” link.

Scroll down to search by name (I suggest going broad and just searching by last name). Read the descriptions of the resulting rolls because you won’t see the name you searched for within the titles of the militia rolls. The search is performed on the transcription within each document, but you will only see the title for each roll. You need to see if the title matches the company name and dates you found within the derivative source above.