History & Genealogy

Text Us: 941-234-0394

Manatee Library offers extensive local history and genealogy collections at the downtown Central Library, located on the Manatee River. This library was built on the former site of the Stanton family home.  Samuel Stanton built the steamership Manatee to bring visitors and goods to Bradenton in the late 1800s; it docked where Pier 22 Restaurant is now. His son, Samuel Ward Stanton, died on the Titanic in 1912 returning from an art excursion in Europe.

Visit our Historic Digital Collections for more images and interviews related to this incredible local story and many more! While there, also check out our digital exhibitions and Manatee County Neighborhood Histories.

Do you need help using our research collections? Make an appointment with a librarian at the Central Library by calling 941-748-5555 ext 6310 or email [email protected]. Please note that we are unable to provide in-depth genealogical research. See the end of this page for detailed information about our historical and genealogy collections.


Old Manatee Florida Stories Walking TourHistorical Walking Tour

Old Manatee historical tour, developed by Manatee Library Information Services staff Available on the Florida Stories Walking Tour app, from Florida Humanities Council. Download the app for free from the app store on your mobile device. Learn more

Digital Collections- Images, Interviews, Speeches and More

Our Historic Digital Collections include over 40,000 images, interviews, speeches, maps, and postcards which feature Manatee County people, activities, and buildings from the late nineteenth century to the 1990s.  Images are free to download for personal use and fair use. Please give credit to the Manatee County Public Library Historic Digital Collections if re-using these items. 

Full text of the Manatee River Journal (published 1897 to 1924) is available courtesy of the University of Florida's Florida Digital Newspaper Library.

Elizabeth Eaton Florida History Reading Room & Collection

The Eaton Room was created by a trust provision in the will of Elizabeth M. Eaton, a local philanthropist who died in 1973. Local history materials, books, yearbooks, telephone books, city directories, and items such as oral interviews and archival negatives from the Manatee County Historical Society have been added to the Eaton Room collection over decades. 

The Eaton Room Collection houses the following resources at the Central Library:

  • City directories of Manatee County dating back to 1897. Please note, some years are missing.
  • Yearbooks from local high schools and private schools, some dating back to 1916. Please note, some years are missing.
  • Federal census records of Florida on microfilm dating back to 1830
  • Soundex indexes and later state census statistics and microfilm
  • Local newspapers, weekly and daily, on microfilm
  • Historical maps and aerial photos (aerial photos also available from Manatee Property Appraiser)
  • Files containing clippings, programs, and other ephemera
  • Transcribed oral interviews and speeches
  • Books on local and Florida history
  • Bound journals and magazines such as The Florida Historical Quarterly, Sarasota Magazine, Florida Monthly, Florida Trend, and more.
  • State of Florida and Manatee County government documents
  • historical Florida Statistical Abstracts
  • historical Florida Handbook is available online via the FSU Digital Library (1947-2012) and the Florida House of Representatives (2014). After 2014, data published in The Florida Handbook is available  via www.myfloridahouse.gov

Genealogy Collection

The Central Library has an extensive genealogy collection that is available to the public for in-house use, as well as a selection of general genealogy materials that may be checked out. Our collection's scope is largely for states east of the Mississippi River, concentrating on the original colonial states and Florida, though we do have some materials from west of the Mississippi. Types of materials include:

  • Census Indexes
  • Census records in either book or microform format
  • historical vital records (e.g. birth, marriage, death records, etc.)
  • General “how-to” references on tracing family records, how to do research or how to obtain and organize genealogical data
  • Maps, gazetteers, and atlases that assist in defining geographic boundaries of localities in this collection
  • State, county, city, or township histories that trace or identify early settlers or suggest research sources
  • Materials that identify or trace geographic name changes
  • Books or pamphlets that identify national migration trails, or ethnic migration patterns or dates
  • Nationally recognized genealogical periodicals; periodicals and newsletters from genealogical societies
  • Military rosters, church records or other community registers
  • Florida materials relating to genealogy will be placed in this collection and not in the Eaton Room 

This collection also includes materials on international ancestry including:

  • Immigration and passenger lists and related indexes
  • Introductions and general guides to research sources for foreign countries
  • Books that trace a particular nationality’s arrival, migration and settlement in the U.S.

Additional Genealogy Resources

Heritage Quest (library database; log-in required)

FamilySearch.org (Manatee Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate. Patrons can access additional FamilySearch records through their free account, accessed on library public computers)

Find a Grave

Ellis Island Passenger Search

The Voyages Database

History Day Resources

The National History Day Contest encourages students to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Manatee County students have competed at the state and national level many times. Be prepared for National History Day with these resources: