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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 Bradenton (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 Bradenton. 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 Bradenton ...

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.

Other variations include: Braden Town, Braiden Town and Braidenton.

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.

Bradenton is located in Manatee County and is the County Seat.

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 Manatee County: DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Polk & Sarasota.

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

  • Manatee County     (The home county of Bradenton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradenton, with the one closest to Bradenton listed first.
    • Palmetto
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • West Samoset
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Samoset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
    • Memphis
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
    • South Bradenton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bradenton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bradenton
      • South Bradenton is located in Manatee County
    • Samoset
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samoset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
    • West Bradenton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bradenton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
      • West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
    • Ellenton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oneco
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Palma Sola
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Bayshore Gardens
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayshore Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore Gardens
      • Bayshore Gardens is located in Manatee County
    • Terra Ceia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Whitfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitfield
      • Whitfield is located in Manatee County
    • Tallevast
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradenton, with the one closest to Bradenton listed first.
    • Sun City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gulf City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Manatee Harbor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee Harbor
      • Manatee Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
    • Park Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayou Pass Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Ruskin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Freedom Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freedom Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Montero Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montero Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Golf and Sea Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golf and Sea Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golf and Sea Village
      • Golf and Sea Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Sun City Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Apollo Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Apollo Key Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apollo Key Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo Key Village
      • Apollo Key Village is located in Hillsborough County
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradenton, with the one closest to Bradenton listed first.
    • Tierra Verde
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Petersburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Gulfport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Petersburg Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Petersburg Beach came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Petersburg Beach
      • Saint Petersburg Beach is located in Pinellas County
    • South Pasadena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Pasadena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
      • South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
    • Treasure Island
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lealman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lealman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
    • Kenneth City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Madeira Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gandy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gandy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
    • Pinellas Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bay Pines
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradenton, with the one closest to Bradenton listed first.
    • North Sarasota
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Sarasota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
    • Desoto Lakes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Desoto Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
    • Sarasota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Kensington Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kensington Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
    • The Meadows
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
    • Pinecraft
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Southgate
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southgate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County
    • Fruitville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridge Wood Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridge Wood Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights
      • Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
    • South Sarasota
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Sarasota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sarasota
      • South Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
    • Sarasota Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sarasota Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
    • Bee Ridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bee Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
      • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
    • Siesta Key
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bradenton ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bradenton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bradenton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bradenton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bradenton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4> of Bradenton.

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 Bradenton:

Cemeteries Near Bradenton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bradenton.

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

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

  • Major Adams Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Skyway Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Skyway Memorial Gardens
  • Fogartyville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Adams & Rogers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Manatee Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mansion Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mansion Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mansion Memorial Park
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Skyway Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Skyway Memorial Gardens
  • Braden River Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Braden River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Braden River Cemetery
  • Galilee Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Fortner Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Palms Memorial Park Gardens
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palms Memorial Park Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palms Memorial Park Gardens
  • Continue List   (25 more) ...
    • Palms Memorial Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palms Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palms Memorial Park
    • Bethel Mennonite Church Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sarasota Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sarasota Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sarasota Memorial Park

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bradenton had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Bradenton had a population of 59,737 people.

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

  • Manatee
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manatee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
    • Manatee is located in Manatee County
  • Palmetto
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ellenton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Palma Sola
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Terra Ceia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Erie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
  • Rye
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
  • Gulf City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
  • Port Tampa
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Tampa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peru have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County

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

The official website for Bradenton: www.cityofbradenton.com/

The official website for Manatee County: www.co.manatee.fl.us/

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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bradenton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bradenton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.4954, Longitude: -82.5712    
<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 Bradenton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024