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 Celebration (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 Celebration. 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 southeast 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 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.
Celebration is located in Osceola 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 Osceola County: Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Lake, Okeechobee, Orange & Polk.
Below are the counties that are near Celebration. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Celebration:
- Osceola County (The home county of Celebration)
- The following are listed by their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Intercession City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Reunion
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Campbell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Osceola County
- ChampionsGate
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kissimmee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Buena Ventura Lakes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Poinciana Place
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poinciana Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
- Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
- Poinciana
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Saint Cloud
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Runnymede
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Runnymede. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
- Runnymede is located in Osceola County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Runnymede
- From Celebration to Runnymede
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Four Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Waits Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Clermont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Montverde
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Minneola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ferndale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Groveland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mascotte
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Astatula
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Jem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Howey-in-the-Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Lake Buena Vista
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
- Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
- Bay Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
- Bay Lake is located in Orange County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Hunters Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
- Hunters Creek is located in Orange County
- Doctor Phillips
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doctor Phillips have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctor Phillips
- Doctor Phillips is located in Orange County
- Williamsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Williamsburg is located in Orange County
- Bay Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
- Bay Hill is located in Orange County
- Sand Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Southchase
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southchase have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southchase
- Southchase is located in Orange County
- Tangelo Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tangelo Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tangelo Park
- Tangelo Park is located in Orange County
- Meadow Woods
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Woods
- Meadow Woods is located in Orange County
- Windermere
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lake Butter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Butter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Butter
- Lake Butter is located in Orange County
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Loughman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Davenport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Haines City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lake Hammock Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hammock Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hammock Village
- Lake Hammock Village is located in Polk County
- Lake Hamilton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Lake Alfred
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Polk City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Auburndale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Waverly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Inwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
- Inwood is located in Polk County
- Winter Haven
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Seminole County
- The following are listed by their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Forest City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Forest City is located in Seminole County
- Fern Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Altamonte Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sanlando Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Wekiwa Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wekiwa Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
- Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
- Casselberry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Longwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Winter Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oviedo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Celebration, see our County-by-County Page for Celebration.
Cemeteries Near Celebration ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Celebration.
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 Celebration covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Loughman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Oak Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Howard Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Osceola Memory Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Doctor Phillips Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Doctor Phillips Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Doctor Phillips Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ret Row Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Taft Memorial Gardens
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Winter Garden Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winter Garden Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winter Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (69 more) ...
- Barber Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barber Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- East Lake Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lock Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lock Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<5>
While we didn't find Celebration in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Celebration.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Celebration, with the one closest to Celebration listed first.
- Kissimmee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Windermere
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Gotha
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Pine Castle
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Minorville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Haines City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Winter Garden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Tildenville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tildenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
- Tildenville is located in Orange County
- Oakland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Ocoee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Killarney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Cloud
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Conway
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- Conway is located in Orange County
- Orlando
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Runnymede
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Runnymede. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
- Runnymede is located in Osceola County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Runnymede
- From Celebration to Runnymede
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Celebration. See our List of 1890's Communities around Celebration.
Newspapers Published in Celebration ...
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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Celebration.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Celebration, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Celebration.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Celebration:
- Websites specific to Florida
- Pages specific to Osceola County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lake County
- Orange County
- Polk County
- Seminole County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Florida
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Celebration. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Osceola County: www.osceola.org/
The official website for State of Florida: https://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> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Celebration, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Celebration) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Celebration. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.3267, Longitude: -81.5357 |