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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 Alton (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 Alton. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Alton is located in Lafayette 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 Lafayette County: Dixie, Gilchrist, Madison, Suwannee & Taylor.

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

  • Lafayette County     (The home county of Alton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Mayo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
      • Mayo is located in Lafayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,289 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayo <1>
    • Buckville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckville
      • Buckville is located in Lafayette County
    • Day
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Columbia County
    • Fort White
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Dixie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Cross City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Steward City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steward City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steward City
      • Steward City is located in Dixie County
  • Gilchrist County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Little Lake City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake City
      • Little Lake City is located in Gilchrist County
    • Bell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 <1>
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Hamilton County
    • White Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Madison County
    • Lee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
      • Lee is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lee <1>
  • Suwannee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • O'Brien
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • McAlpin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Dowling Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling Park
      • Dowling Park is located in Suwannee County
    • Branford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Live Oak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Wellborn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rixford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
      • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
  • Taylor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Salem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Perry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Steinhatchee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Alton ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alton, 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 Alton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Alton:

Cemeteries Near Alton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alton.

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

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

  • Winburn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winburn Cemetery
  • Wayfare Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wayfare Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wayfare Cemetery
  • Alton Church of God Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Land Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Land Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Land Cemetery
  • Sand Pond Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sand Pond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Pond Cemetery
  • Elliott Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elliott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elliott Cemetery
  • Grant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Cemetery
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Ivey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ivey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ivey Cemetery
  • Mt. Willing Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Willing Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Willing Cemetery
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
  • Brown Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
  • Continue List   (105 more) ...
    • Maypop Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maypop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maypop Cemetery
    • Head Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Head Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Head Cemetery
    • Smith Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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

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 Alton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alton.

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

  • Mayo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
    • Mayo is located in Lafayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,289 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayo <1>
  • Luraville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luraville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luraville
    • Luraville is located in Suwannee County
  • O'Brien
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • McAlpin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Branford
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Padlock
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Padlock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padlock
    • Padlock is located in Suwannee County
  • Houston
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
    • Houston is located in Suwannee County
  • Live Oak
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Salem
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Wellborn
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Rixford
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
    • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
  • Fort White
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Columbia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
      • Columbia is located in Columbia County
    • Perry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Lee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
      • Lee is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lee <1>

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

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

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.0530, Longitude: -83.1379       In this case, the coordinates for Alton 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 Alton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024