Place:Bradford, Florida, United States

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NameBradford
Alt namesBradfordsource: Getty Vocabulary Program
New Riversource: Resource:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990, 1860 census
TypeCounty
Coordinates29.95°N 87.167°W
Located inFlorida, United States     (1858 - )
See alsoAlachua, Florida, United StatesParent county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
Baker, Florida, United StatesChild county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
Columbia, Florida, United StatesParent county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
Union, Florida, United StatesChild county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
Contained Places
Inhabited place
Brooker
Clayno
Graham
Hampton Beach
Hampton
Heilbronn
Lawtey
New River
Pleasant Grove
Sampson
Saxton
Starke
Theressa
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Bradford County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,303. Its county seat and largest city is Starke.

Contents

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History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

New River County, as it was known at the time, was created in 1858 from segments of Columbia and Alachua counties. It was renamed Bradford County in 1861 in honor of Confederate Captain Richard Bradford, who fought in the American Civil War and was killed in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island, becoming the first officer from Florida to die during the Civil War.

During the county's early history, Lake Butler served as the county seat. However, the growth of Starke as an important city on the Fernandina to Cedar Key railroad led to an 1875 vote on the location of the county seat, with Starke winning by 46 votes. A successful legal challenge brought the county seat back to Lake Butler, and an 1885 referendum reaffirmed the move by 19 votes.

Yet another referendum was held in 1887, and saw the courthouse and county seat moved back to Starke, where it would remain. The dispute brought on the attention of the Florida Legislature, and in 1921, the western portion of Bradford County and Lake Butler were separated to form Union County.[1]

The county was home to numerous citrus farms in its early days prior to the Great Freeze in the winter of 1894-1895. Even after the freeze, Starke and Lawtey continued to be major regional agricultural producers, with the primary exports being cotton, tobacco, and strawberries.[1]

Significant growth would come to the county during the World War II era, with the construction of U.S. Route 301 and nearby Camp Blanding.

Post-war, the county saw the construction of Florida State Prison on the Bradford-Union County line in Raiford, along with several moments in the national media spotlight. Ted Bundy was executed at the prison in 1989, while Starke and Bradford County faced a series lawsuits in the 2000s over a cross on the city's water tower and a Ten Commandments statue in front of the county courthouse.

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Timeline

Date Event Source
1858 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1860 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1868 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1875 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1875 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1875 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1930 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
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Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1860 3,820
1870 3,671
1880 6,112
1890 7,516
1900 10,295
1910 14,090
1920 12,503
1930 9,405
1940 8,717
1950 11,457
1960 12,446
1970 14,625
1980 20,023
1990 22,515
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Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Bradford County, Florida, United States

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Research Tips

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External links

www.rootsweb.com/~flbradfo/

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