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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 Center Ridge (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 Center Ridge. 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.

Name Variations for Center Ridge ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Center Ridge: Center Rdg. (or less commonly used: Center Rdge. or Center Ridg.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Center Ridge is located in Walton 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 Walton County: Covington (AL), Geneva (AL), Bay, Holmes, Okaloosa & Washington.

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

  • Walton County     (The home county of Center Ridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Pleasant Grove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Walton County
    • De Funiak Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Argyle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Knox Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
    • Mossy Head
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Paxton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Freeport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Point Washington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Santa Rosa Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Holmes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Ponce de Leon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Westville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Izagora
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Izagora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County
    • Bonifay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Esto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esto
      • Esto is located in Holmes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Noma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Okaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Svea
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
      • Svea is located in Okaloosa County
    • Laurel Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Garden City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Okaloosa County
    • Crestview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Niceville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Coosada Old Town ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coosada Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosada Old Town
      • Coosada Old Town is located in Washington County
    • Caryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Five Points
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Washington County
    • Millers Ferry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
    • Vernon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Brock Crossroad
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock Crossroad
      • Brock Crossroad is located in Washington County
    • Ebro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebro
      • Ebro is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ebro <1>
  • Coffee County (AL)
    • Kinston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kinston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinston
      • Kinston is located in Coffee County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kinston <1>
  • Covington County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Florala
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
      • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>
    • Lockhart
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockhart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Beulah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beulah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
      • Beulah is located in Covington County (AL)
    • Onycha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onycha
      • Onycha is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
  • Geneva County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Center Ridge, with the one closest to Center Ridge listed first.
    • Samson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samson
      • Samson is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,853 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Samson <1>
    • Eunola ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunola
      • Eunola is located in Geneva County (AL)
    • Geneva
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geneva <1>
    • Costilla ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Costilla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costilla
      • Costilla is located in Geneva County (AL)
    • Black
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black
      • Black is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
    • Coffee Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffee Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Springs
      • Coffee Springs is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Chancellor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chancellor
      • Chancellor is located in Geneva County (AL)
    • Scranton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
      • Scranton is located in Geneva County (AL)

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

Newspapers Published in Center Ridge ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Center Ridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Center Ridge, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Center Ridge.

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 helpful 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 Center Ridge:

Cemeteries Near Center Ridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Center Ridge.

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

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

  • Ray Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ray Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ray Cemetery
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
  • Broxton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Padgett Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Padgett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Padgett Cemetery
  • Leonia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leonia Cemetery
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
  • Ponce de Leon Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ponce de Leon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ponce de Leon Cemetery
  • Merrill Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Merrill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Merrill Cemetery
  • Limestone Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Limestone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Limestone Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Continue List   (101 more) ...
    • New Home Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Home Cemetery
    • Westville Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westville Cemetery
    • Harris Chapel Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Chapel 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.<5>

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

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

  • Union
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Union is located in Walton County
  • Argyle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ealum
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ealum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ealum
    • Ealum is located in Walton County
  • Ponce de Leon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Eucheeanna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eucheeanna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eucheeanna
    • Eucheeanna is located in Walton County
  • Cerrogordo
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerrogordo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
    • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
  • Gordon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Gordon is located in Walton County
  • Mossy Head
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Knox Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
  • Westville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Izagora
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Izagora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
    • Izagora is located in Holmes County
  • Redbay
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redbay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbay
    • Redbay is located in Walton County
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Caryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Vaughanville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughanville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
      • Vaughanville is located in Geneva County (AL)
    • Florala
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
      • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>

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

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

The official website for Walton County: www.co.walton.fl.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Center Ridge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Center Ridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.8027, Longitude: -86.0947       In this case, the coordinates for Center Ridge have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Center Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024