Federal and Florida state population census enumerators divided counties into smaller areas called precincts, enumeration districts (ED), and supervisors districts (SD). The tables on these pages reveal the relationship between the various assigned numbers and the areas they covered. Indexes to federal censuses listed here may be viewed at Ancestry.com or Heritage Quest. Digitized images of the actual censuses may be viewed there also, or on National Archives and Records Administration microfilms at many public libraries or your local Family History Center.
Bay County was created in 1913 from portions of Washington and Calhoun counties. Researchers looking for Bay County ancestors residing there before 1913 may need to examine records created in the latter two counties. Of particular interest are census records. Knowing the relationship between the census precincts and the areas they cover can be useful in determining more precisely where an ancestor lived.
Census Precincts | ||
| Record Description | Dates | Compiler |
| Federal Census Washington County | 1900 | BCGS |
| Federal Census Washington County | 1910 | BCGS |
| Federal Census Bay County | 1920 | BCGS |
| Federal Census Bay County | 1930 | BCGS |
| Florida State Census Bay County | 1935 | BCGS |
| Florida State Census Bay County | 1945 | BCGS |
Miscellaneous Transcripts | ||
| Record Description | Dates | Transcriber |
| St. Andrews Messenger Index | 1889-1891 | Judy Bennett |
| St. Andrews Voters Index | 1908-1926 | Linda Pazics Kleback |
| St. Andrews Assessments Index | 1912 | Jo Hanson |
| Histories of Bay County Index | 1957-2008 | BCGS |
| First Families of Bay County | 2007-2008 | BCGS |
| Panama City Pilot searchable images | 1907-1908 | Library of Congress |
| Panama City Pilot searchable images | 1907-1941 | PLAN |
Table notes:
Digitized images of the Florida state censuses for 1935 and 1945 are available at FamilySearch.org under {Search Records} {Record Search Pilot}, then click on USA. Before you go there, make a note of the precinct and page numbers provided on this GenWeb site, because that is how the images are listed at FamilySearch.org. Indexes to the 1935 and 1945 censuses can be found at Ancestry.com
