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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 Alachua (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 Alachua. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Alachua is located in Alachua 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 Alachua County: Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion, Putnam & Union.

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

  • Alachua County     (The home county of Alachua)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Burnetts Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnetts Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnetts Lake
      • Burnetts Lake is located in Alachua County
    • Hague
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
      • Hague is located in Alachua County
    • La Crosse
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • High Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jonesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Rutledge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
      • Rutledge is located in Alachua County
    • Newberry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Arredondo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arredondo
      • Arredondo is located in Alachua County
    • Gainesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Archer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Waldo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Windsor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
      • Windsor is located in Alachua County
    • Earleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Baker County
  • Bradford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Brooker
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Graham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Hampton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Starke
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lawtey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Keystone Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Lake Geneva
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Fort White
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lulu
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • McColskey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
    • Lake City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Watertown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County
    • Five Points
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Columbia County
  • Dixie County
    • Suwanee Old Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suwanee Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suwanee Old Town
      • Suwanee Old Town is located in Dixie County
  • Gilchrist County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Waters Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waters Lake
      • Waters Lake is located in Gilchrist County
    • Bell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Gilchrist County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell <2>
    • Trenton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Lake City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake City
      • Little Lake City is located in Gilchrist County
    • Fanning Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Levy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • East Bronson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bronson
      • East Bronson is located in Levy County
    • Raleigh
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
      • Raleigh is located in Levy County
    • Bronson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • East Williston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Williston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williston
      • East Williston is located in Levy County
    • Williston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Andrews
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Andrews have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
      • Andrews is located in Levy County
    • Chiefland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • McIntosh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Irvine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine
      • Irvine is located in Marion County
    • Orange Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Paynes Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paynes Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynes Town
      • Paynes Town is located in Marion County
  • Suwannee County
    • Branford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alachua, with the one closest to Alachua listed first.
    • Worthington Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Butler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Raiford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Alachua ...

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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alachua.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Alachua. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Alachua and those printed in the larger area surrounding Alachua.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4> of Alachua.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Alachua:

Cemeteries Near Alachua ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alachua.

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

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

  • Old Thomas Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Thomas Cemetery
  • Newnansville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newnansville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newnansville Cemetery
  • Cathcart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cathcart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cathcart Cemetery
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery
  • Hague Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hague Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hague Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Asberry Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Asberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Asberry Cemetery
  • Pine Hills Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hills Cemetery
  • Forest Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Grove Cemetery
  • Damascus Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Damascus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Damascus Cemetery
  • High Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the High Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the High Springs Cemetery
  • New Oak Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Continue List   (166 more) ...
    • Antioch Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Richard Family Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richard Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richard Family 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Alachua had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Alachua had a population of 9,916 people.

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

  • Newnansville
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newnansville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newnansville
    • Newnansville is located in Alachua County
  • Hague
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
    • Hague is located in Alachua County
  • La Crosse
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • High Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Jonesville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Rutledge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
    • Rutledge is located in Alachua County
  • Paradise
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Paradise is located in Alachua County
  • Mikesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mikesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mikesville
    • Mikesville is located in Columbia County
  • Arredondo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arredondo
    • Arredondo is located in Alachua County
  • Gainesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Fairbanks
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairbanks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
    • Fairbanks is located in Alachua County
  • Fort White
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New River
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New River
      • New River is located in Bradford County
    • Archer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Lake Butler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)

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

The official website for Alachua: www.cityofalachua.com/

The official website for Alachua County: www.alachua-county.org/

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alachua) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alachua. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.7937, Longitude: -82.4943    
<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 Alachua, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024