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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Calvinia. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Calvinia to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Calvinia, please Contact Us.

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 Calvinia (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 Calvinia. 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 and hospitals 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Calvinia is historic, it would have been located within present day DeSoto 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 DeSoto County: Charlotte, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Manatee & Sarasota.

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

  • DeSoto County     (The home county of Calvinia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Arcadia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Nocatee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Fort Ogden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Harbour Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbour Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Heights
      • Harbour Heights is located in Charlotte County
    • Cleveland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbor View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Murdock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Port Charlotte
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Solana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solana
      • Solana is located in Charlotte County
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Zolfo Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Ona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wauchula
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Bowling Green
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Highlands County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Avon Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sebring
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • De Soto City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Soto City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto City
      • De Soto City is located in Highlands County
    • Placid Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Placid Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placid Lakes
      • Placid Lakes is located in Highlands County
    • Lake Placid
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Alpine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Highlands County
    • Sylvan Shores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Shores
      • Sylvan Shores is located in Highlands County
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Sandy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Manatee County
    • Myakka City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Duette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Verna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
    • Waterbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calvinia, with the one closest to Calvinia listed first.
    • Fort Meade
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Pittsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Polk County
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
    • Oponys Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oponys Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
      • Oponys Town is located in Polk County

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

Newspapers Published in Calvinia ...

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 Calvinia.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Calvinia:

Cemeteries Near Calvinia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Calvinia.

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

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

  • Coker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coker Cemetery
  • Lamp Grounds Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lamp Grounds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lamp Grounds Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
  • Joshua Creek Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joshua Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joshua Creek Cemetery
  • Pine Level Campground Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Level Campground Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Level Campground Cemetery
  • Owens Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Owens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Owens Cemetery
  • Wauchula Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Oak Creek Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Creek Cemetery
  • Hull Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hull Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hull Cemetery
  • Whitten Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitten Cemetery
  • Prescott Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prescott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prescott Cemetery
  • Continue List   (28 more) ...
    • Olive Branch Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olive Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olive Branch Cemetery
    • Ogden Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ogden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ogden Cemetery
    • Hart Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hart 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.

Calvinia itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Arcadia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Zolfo Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Pine Level
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
  • Nocatee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Wauchula
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Crewsville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crewsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crewsville
    • Crewsville is located in Hardee County
  • Sandy
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
    • Sandy is located in Manatee County
  • Fort Ogden
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Bowling Green
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Avon Park
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Fort Meade
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Cleveland
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
  • Harbor View
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County

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

The official website for DeSoto County: www.co.desoto.fl.us/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Calvinia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Calvinia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Calvinia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.3492, Longitude: -81.8247    
<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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024