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450th Anniversary of St. Augustine, the Oldest City in the U.S.

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this blog article, Mary celebrates the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida – the oldest city in the United States.

This week, St. Augustine, Florida – the oldest continuously-occupied European settlement in the continental United States – celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.

Photo: re-enactor at the 450th anniversary celebration at St. Augustine, Florida, dressed in Spanish costume. Credit: Mary Harrell-Sesniak.

Although this tropical area in what is now the state of Florida was settled by Native Americans much earlier, “San Agustin” was founded by Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on 8 September 1565. Many family roots can be traced there – and even if yours can’t, many of our ancestors visited the historical city, a popular tourist attraction with breathtaking beaches.

Photo: Cherokee women at the 450th anniversary celebration at St. Augustine, Florida; they were there to give a blessing to Native Americans of all tribes who had been imprisoned there. Credit: Mary Harrell-Sesniak.

This map shows how our ancestors would have driven there a mere 100 years ago.

Miami Herald (Miami, Florida), 30 August 1915, page 5

Fun Facts About St. Augustine

Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

See: https://floridamemory.com/items/show/140584

Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

See: https://floridamemory.com/items/show/158399

If you search GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for “St. Augustine Florida,” you’ll find over 138,000 references – very good resources for hunting North Florida family roots.

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Genealogy Tip:

St. Augustine’s church the Cathedral Basilica has records dating back to 1594. Some of these are early African American slave records.

Baltimore American (Baltimore, Maryland), 10 February 1905, page 12

Does your family have roots traced back to St. Augustine, Florida? Tell us about them in the comments section.

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