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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 Auburndale (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 Auburndale. 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.

Auburndale 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 Auburndale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Auburndale:

  • Polk County     (The home county of Auburndale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Auburndale, with the one closest to Auburndale listed first.
    • Inwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
      • Inwood is located in Polk County
    • Jan-Phyl Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jan-Phyl Village
      • Jan-Phyl Village is located in Polk County
    • Kossuthville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuthville
      • Kossuthville is located in Polk County
    • Lake Alfred
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Winter Haven
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fussels Corner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fussels Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fussels Corner
      • Fussels Corner is located in Polk County
    • Eloise
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Combee Settlement
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Combee Settlement have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
    • Crystal Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystal Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
    • Cypress Gardens
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
      • Acton is located in Polk County
  • Hardee County
    • Bowling Green
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Auburndale, with the one closest to Auburndale listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Kings Village
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • South Plant City Farms
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • Plant City Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • Plant City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
    • Knights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Strawberry Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • West Plant City
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Parrish
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • West Plant City Farms
      (24 miles [38.6 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
  • Lake County
    • Four Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Auburndale, with the one closest to Auburndale listed first.
    • Bay Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
      • Bay Lake is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Lake Buena Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
      • Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
    • Hunters Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
      • Hunters Creek is located in Orange County
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Auburndale, with the one closest to Auburndale listed first.
    • ChampionsGate
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
    • Reunion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Poinciana Place
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Intercession City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Celebration
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
    • Kissimmee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Auburndale, with the one closest to Auburndale listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
    • Richland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
    • Zephyrhills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Auburndale ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Auburndale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Auburndale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Auburndale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Auburndale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3> of Auburndale.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Auburndale:

Cemeteries Near Auburndale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Auburndale.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Auburndale had a population of 132 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Auburndale had a population of 17,204 people.

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

  • Winter Haven
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Eagle Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Gordonville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
  • Wahneta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
  • Haines City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Lakeland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Bartow
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Kathleen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Homeland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Green Pond
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Pond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
    • Green Pond is located in Polk County
  • Plant City
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Fort Meade
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Knights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Keene
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keene have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
    • Keysville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • 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

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

The official website for Auburndale: www.ci.auburndale.fl.us/

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Auburndale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Auburndale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.0672, Longitude: -81.7886    
<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 Auburndale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024