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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Altoona (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Altoona. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Altoona is located in Lake County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lake County: Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter & Volusia.

Below are the counties that are near Altoona. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Altoona:

  • Lake County     (The home county of Altoona)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • Pittman
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman
      • Pittman is located in Lake County
    • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village is located in Lake County
    • Umatilla
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Paisley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Grand Island
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Acron ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Acron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acron
      • Acron is located in Lake County
    • Eustis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Mid Florida Lakes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mid Florida Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid Florida Lakes
      • Mid Florida Lakes is located in Lake County
    • Lake Kathryn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kathryn
      • Lake Kathryn is located in Lake County
    • Lisbon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
    • Mount Dora
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Oakland Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
      • Oakland Park is located in Lake County
    • Bassville Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassville Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
      • Bassville Park is located in Lake County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • Eastlake Weir
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Weirsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Ocklawaha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Electra
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Candler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Lynne
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
    • Summerfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Springs Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs Shores
      • Silver Springs Shores is located in Marion County
    • Belleview
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Salt Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Danks Corner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Kerr City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerr City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr City
      • Kerr City is located in Marion County
    • Silver Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Zellwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Apopka
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • South Apopka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Apopka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
    • Paradise Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
    • Clarcona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Lockhart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Winter Garden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Oakland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Ocoee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoee
      • Ocoee is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocoee <2>
    • Tildenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tildenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
      • Tildenville is located in Orange County
    • Eatonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Putnam County
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • Heathrow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Monroe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wekiwa Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Forest City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
    • Lake Mary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sanford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sanlando Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Altamonte Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Longwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Winter Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Casselberry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Fern Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian Mound Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Mound Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Seminole County
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • The Villages
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Villages have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
    • Oxford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Wildwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Adamsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
    • Coleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Center Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.
    • Volusia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
    • Beresford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
    • Fort Florida
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
    • Highland Park ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Highland Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Highland Park is located in Volusia County
    • West De Land
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West De Land
      • West De Land is located in Volusia County
    • Emporia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia
      • Emporia is located in Volusia County
    • Glenwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • De Bary
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • De Land Southwest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Land Southwest
      • De Land Southwest is located in Volusia County
    • Barberville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • De Leon Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • De Land
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Orange City Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Altoona, see our County-by-County Page for Altoona.

Newspapers Published in Altoona ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Altoona.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Altoona, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Altoona.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Altoona:

Cemeteries Near Altoona ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Altoona.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Altoona covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.

  • Altoona Hinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Altoona Hinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Altoona Hinson Cemetery
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
  • Umatilla Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Umatilla Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Umatilla Cemetery
  • Ponceannah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ponceannah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ponceannah Cemetery
  • Marsh Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Marsh Memorial Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marsh Memorial Park
  • Lakeside Memory Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memory Gardens
  • Shockley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shockley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shockley Cemetery
  • Grand Island Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Island Cemetery
  • Seneca Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seneca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seneca Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Pine Forest Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Forest Cemetery
  • Seminole Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seminole Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seminole Cemetery
  • Continue List   (115 more) ...
    • Cassia Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cassia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cassia Cemetery
    • Tavares Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tavares Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tavares Cemetery
    • Sorrento Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sorrento Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sorrento Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Altoona had a population of 120 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Altoona, with the one closest to Altoona listed first.

  • Umatilla
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pittman
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman
    • Pittman is located in Lake County
  • Fort Mason
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Mason
    • Fort Mason is located in Lake County
  • Paisley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Grand Island
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Seneca
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
    • Seneca is located in Lake County
  • Eustis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Lisbon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Lisbon is located in Lake County
  • Orange Bend
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
  • Mount Dora
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Tavares
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Sorrento
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cassia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassia
      • Cassia is located in Lake County
    • Tangerine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lane Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lane Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Park
      • Lane Park is located in Lake County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Altoona. See our List of 1890's Communities around Altoona.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Altoona. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Lake County: www.lakegovernment.com/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Altoona) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Altoona. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.9663, Longitude: -81.6487    
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Altoona, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024