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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 Blue Springs (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 Blue Springs. 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 Blue Springs ...

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 Blue Springs: Blue Spgs. (or less commonly used: Blue Spngs. or Blue Sprngs.)

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 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.

Blue Springs is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Columbia, Madison, Suwannee, Echols (GA) & Lowndes (GA).

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Blue Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Jennings
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jasper
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Marion
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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 east)
  • Lafayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Day
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Buckville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckville
      • Buckville is located in Lafayette County
    • Mayo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • 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>
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Lee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Leland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Leland is located in Madison County
    • Pinetta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Madison
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Cherry Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Lake
      • Cherry Lake is located in Madison County
    • Hamburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
      • Hamburg is located in Madison County
    • Greenville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Suwannee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Dowling Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling Park
      • Dowling Park is located in Suwannee County
    • Rixford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Live Oak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • McAlpin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Wellborn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Taylor County
  • Brooks County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • McIntyre Spring ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntyre Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre Spring
      • McIntyre Spring is located in Brooks County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 605 people
    • Empress
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empress
      • Empress is located in Brooks County (GA)
    • Quitman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quitman
      • Quitman is located in Brooks County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,625 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quitman <1>
  • Echols County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Statenville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Statenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statenville
      • Statenville is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Statenville <1>
    • Potter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 870 people
    • Howell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
      • Howell is located in Echols County (GA)
  • Lowndes County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Springs, with the one closest to Blue Springs listed first.
    • Melrose
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Lowndes County (GA)
    • Lake Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Clyattville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dasher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dasher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dasher
      • Dasher is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
    • Valdosta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdosta
      • Valdosta is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56,668 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valdosta <1>
    • Remerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Remerton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remerton
      • Remerton is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
    • Barko Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barko Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barko Village
      • Barko Village is located in Lowndes County (GA)
    • Mineola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
      • Mineola is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 150 people
    • Naylor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naylor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylor
      • Naylor is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Naylor <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Blue Springs ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Springs.

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

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 Blue Springs:

Cemeteries Near Blue Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Springs.

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

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

  • Blue Springs Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • McCall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCall Cemetery
  • Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Hays Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Blair Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blair Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blair Cemetery
  • Hickory Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Stonewall Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Drew Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Drew Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drew Family Cemetery
  • West Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Macedonia MB Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Campbell Sink Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Campbell Sink Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campbell Sink Cemetery
  • Dean Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dean Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dean Cemetery
  • Continue List   (132 more) ...
    • Old Columbus Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Columbus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Columbus Cemetery
    • New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Church of the Nazarene Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Blue Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blue Springs.

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

  • Lee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Octahatchee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Octahatchee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Octahatchee
    • Octahatchee is located in Hamilton County
  • Jennings
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Leland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
    • Leland is located in Madison County
  • Melrose
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • Melrose is located in Lowndes County (GA)
  • Madison
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Avoca
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avoca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
    • Avoca is located in Hamilton County
  • Lake Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Cherry Lake
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Lake
    • Cherry Lake is located in Madison County
  • Clyattville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Marion
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Jasper
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rixford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Bakers Mill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bakers Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakers Mill
      • Bakers Mill is located in Hamilton County
    • Dasher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dasher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dasher
      • Dasher is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people

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

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

The official website for Hamilton County: www.hamiltoncountyflorida.com/

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Blue Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Blue Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.4866, Longitude: -83.2199       In this case, the coordinates for Blue Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<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 Blue Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024