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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 Alturas (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 Alturas. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 east contained birth and death records; the county to the south 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.

Alturas is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco & Sumter.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Alturas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alturas, with the one closest to Alturas listed first.
    • Cox Corner ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Corner
      • Cox Corner is located in Polk County
    • Lake Garfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Garfield
      • Lake Garfield is located in Polk County
    • Roux Quarters ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roux Quarters have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roux Quarters
      • Roux Quarters is located in Polk County
    • Wahneta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
      • Wahneta is located in Polk County
    • Connersville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connersville
      • Connersville is located in Polk County
    • Eagle Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Gordonville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
      • Gordonville is located in Polk County
    • Homeland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Oponys Town ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oponys Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
      • Oponys Town is located in Polk County
    • Bartow
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Crooked Lake Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crooked Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crooked Lake Park
      • Crooked Lake Park is located in Polk County
    • Cypress Gardens
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alturas, with the one closest to Alturas listed first.
    • Bowling Green
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Wauchula
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Zolfo Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Ona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Highlands County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alturas, with the one closest to Alturas listed first.
    • Alpine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Highlands County
    • Avon Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alturas, with the one closest to Alturas listed first.
    • Welcome
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
    • South Plant City Farms
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Plant City Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
    • Kings Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kings Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Parrish
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parrish have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
    • Colonial Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Lithia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Pinecrest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Plant City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • West Plant City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Plant City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Woodfield Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Plant City Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plant City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
      • Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
    • West Plant City Farms
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Plant City Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City Farms
      • West Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alturas, with the one closest to Alturas listed first.
    • Poinciana Place
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poinciana Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
    • Poinciana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • ChampionsGate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
    • Reunion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Intercession City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Alturas ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alturas.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alturas, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alturas.

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 websites either 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 Alturas:

Cemeteries Near Alturas ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alturas.

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 Alturas covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Fortner Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fortner Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Fortner Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Peace Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fortner Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2349899 <4>
  • Gandy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gandy Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the southwest of Bartow.
    • The Gandy Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Connersville Cemetery
    • Polk Lake Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gandy Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72018 <4>
  • Wahneta Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lake Buffum Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Shady Oaks Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Homeland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Church of Christ Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Church of Christ Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Eagle Lake.
    • The Church of Christ Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Eagle Lake Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church of Christ Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71920 <4>
  • Garden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden Cemetery
  • Lake Wales Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Willow Lawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Crum - Durrance Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Crum - Durrance Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Homeland.
    • The Crum - Durrance Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Crum Cemetery
    • Durrance Cemetery
    • Homeland Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crum - Durrance Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2198368 <4>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...

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.<5>

While we didn't find Alturas in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alturas.

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

  • Wahneta
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
  • Homeland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Eagle Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Gordonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
  • Bartow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Fort Meade
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Winter Haven
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Auburndale
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Bowling Green
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Haines City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Lakeland
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Avon Park
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Wauchula
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Keysville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
    • Kathleen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)

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

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

The official website for Polk County: www.polk-county.net/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alturas) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alturas. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.8717, Longitude: -81.7152    
<4>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.
<5>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 Alturas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024