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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 Avon Park Lakes (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 Avon Park Lakes. 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 Avon Park Lakes ...

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 Avon Park Lakes: Avon Park Lks.

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 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.

Avon Park Lakes is located in Highlands 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 Highlands County: Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Okeechobee, Osceola & Polk.

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

  • Highlands County     (The home county of Avon Park Lakes)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avon Park Lakes, with the one closest to Avon Park Lakes listed first.
    • Avon Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Alpine
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Highlands County
    • Sebring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • De Soto City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Soto City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto City
      • De Soto City is located in Highlands County
    • Lorida
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sylvan Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Shores
      • Sylvan Shores is located in Highlands County
    • Lake Placid
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Placid Lakes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Placid Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placid Lakes
      • Placid Lakes is located in Highlands County
  • DeSoto County
    • Calvinia ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
      • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avon Park Lakes, with the one closest to Avon Park Lakes listed first.
    • Bowling Green
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Wauchula
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Zolfo Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avon Park Lakes, with the one closest to Avon Park Lakes listed first.
    • Pittsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Polk County
    • Frostproof
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hillcrest Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillcrest Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest Heights
      • Hillcrest Heights is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Babson Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Crooked Lake Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crooked Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crooked Lake Park
      • Crooked Lake Park is located in Polk County
    • Highland Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Highland Park is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Indian Lake Estates
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Nalcrest
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Meade
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Wales
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Lakeshore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Oponys Town ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oponys Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
      • Oponys Town is located in Polk County
    • Alturas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Avon Park Lakes ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Avon Park Lakes.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Avon Park Lakes, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Avon Park Lakes.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Avon Park Lakes:

Cemeteries Near Avon Park Lakes ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avon Park Lakes.

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 Avon Park Lakes covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bougainvillea Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Corinth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lakeview Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Silver Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Hart Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hart Cemetery
  • Eden Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Biscuit Lake Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Pinecrest Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinecrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinecrest Cemetery
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
  • Prescott Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prescott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prescott Cemetery
  • Lake Buffum Baptist Church Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (36 more) ...
    • Whitten Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitten Cemetery
    • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)

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.<6>

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

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

  • Avon Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Crewsville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crewsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crewsville
    • Crewsville is located in Hardee County
  • Wauchula
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Bowling Green
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Zolfo Springs
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Fort Meade
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Homeland
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wahneta
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
  • Calvinia ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
    • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
  • Bartow
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Gordonville
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
  • Eagle Lake
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Winter Haven
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

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

The official website for Highlands County: www.hcbcc.net/

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>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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Avon Park Lakes) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Avon Park Lakes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.6284, Longitude: -81.5484       In this case, the coordinates for Avon Park Lakes have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Avon Park Lakes, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024