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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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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 Bay Lake (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 Bay Lake. 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 Bay Lake ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bay Lake: Bay Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bay Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bay Lake.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Bay Lake is located in Orange 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 Orange County: Brevard, Lake, Osceola, Polk & Seminole.

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

  • Orange County     (The home county of Bay Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Lake Buena Vista
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
    • Bay Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Hill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
    • Doctor Phillips
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Doctor Phillips is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctor Phillips
    • Windermere
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Williamsburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Williamsburg is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Lake Butter
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Lake Butter is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Butter
    • Sand Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hunters Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Hunters Creek is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
    • Tangelo Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Tangelo Park is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tangelo Park
    • Gotha
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Oak Ridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Ridge is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
    • Killarney
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Four Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Waits Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Waits Junction is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waits Junction
    • Mohawk
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mohawk is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
    • Montverde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clermont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Minneola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ferndale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Groveland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Mascotte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Astatula
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Jem
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Lake Jem is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jem
    • Howey-in-the-Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Celebration
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Reunion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • ChampionsGate
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Intercession City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Campbell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Kissimmee
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Ventura Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Poinciana Place
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
    • Poinciana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Saint Cloud
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Runnymede
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Runnymede is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Loughman
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Davenport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Haines City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Lake Hammock Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Polk City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Alfred
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Hamilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Dundee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Auburndale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Winter Haven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Fox Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Fox Town is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Town
    • Inwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Inwood is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Forest City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Altamonte Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fern Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
    • Sanlando Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
    • Casselberry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Longwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Winter Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Heathrow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Mary
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oviedo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oviedo is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oviedo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oviedo <1>
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Lake, with the one closest to Bay Lake listed first.
    • Mabel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Linden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Linden is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden

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

Cemeteries Near Bay Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bay Lake.

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 Bay Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Doctor Phillips Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Winter Garden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Oak Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Loughman Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • West Orange Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Taft Memorial Gardens
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft Memorial Gardens
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Taft Memorial Gardens is a large cemetery that is located in Taft.
    • The Taft Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
    • Taft Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1217063 <2>
  • Washington Park Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Ocoee Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Davenport.
      • The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Davenport Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71888 <2>
    • Osceola Memory Gardens
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)

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

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

  • Windermere
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Gotha
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Killarney
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Kissimmee
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Minorville ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Minorville is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
  • Oakland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Winter Garden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Ocoee
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Ocoee is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocoee <1>
  • Tildenville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Tildenville is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
  • Pine Castle
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Crown Point
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Crown Point is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Point
  • Waits Junction
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Waits Junction is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waits Junction
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Montverde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Orlando
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mohawk
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mohawk is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk

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

Newspapers Published in Bay Lake ...

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 85 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bay Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bay Lake, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bay Lake.

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 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 Bay Lake:

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 Bay Lake, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bay Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.