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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 Alavista (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 Alavista. 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 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.

Alavista is located in Hillsborough County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Alavista)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alavista, with the one closest to Alavista listed first.
    • East Bay Lakes
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • East Bay Lakes is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bay Lakes
    • Gibsonton
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Riverview
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Adamsville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Adamsville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Garden City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Progress Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Progress Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress Village
    • Stelling Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Stelling Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stelling Village
    • Countryside Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Countryside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Summerfield Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
    • Indian Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Indian Hills is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
    • Clair-Mel City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Clair-Mel City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clair-Mel City
    • Apollo Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alavista, with the one closest to Alavista listed first.
    • Parrish
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Duette
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Terra Ceia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellenton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Memphis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Palmetto
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bradenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • Waterbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Palma Sola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • West Bradenton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
    • West Samoset
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alavista, with the one closest to Alavista listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Odessa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Wesley Chapel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Zephyrhills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Trinity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alavista, with the one closest to Alavista listed first.
    • Gandy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Saint Petersburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Pinellas Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • High Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Kenneth City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • South Highpoint
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Oldsmar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Four Corners
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Gulfport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alavista, with the one closest to Alavista listed first.
    • Nichols
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Bradley Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Mulberry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Winston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Medulla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Kathleen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Eaton Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton

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

Cemeteries Near Alavista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alavista.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Alavista - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Samford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hackney Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <2>
  • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Limona Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Limona Cemetery is located in Brandon.
  • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <2>
  • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rodeph Sholom Cemetery is located in Tampa.
    • The Rodeph Sholom Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2500750 <2>
  • Orange Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
    • Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71837 <2>
  • Continue List   (100 more) ...
    • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <2>
    • Rose Hill Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Rose Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Rose Hills Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72535 <2>
    • Garden of Memories
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden of Memories
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Garden of Memories is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Garden of Memories has also been known as:
      • Garden of Memories Cemetery
      • Tampa Garden of Memories Cemetery
      • Tampa Garden of Memories
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72022 <2>

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.<3>

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

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

  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Brandon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Limona
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Bloomingdale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Ybor City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Valrico
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Mango
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Tampa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>
  • Seffner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Port Tampa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Gulf City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Sydney
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Thonotosassa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Keysville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Plant City
      (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 Alavista. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alavista.

Newspapers Published in Alavista ...

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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alavista.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alavista, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alavista.

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 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 Alavista:

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 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.
<3>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 Alavista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Alavista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.