RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Columbia County >> Columbia >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Florida

The Commemorative Quarter for Florida





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 Columbia (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 Columbia. 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 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.

Columbia is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Alachua, Baker, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Suwannee, Union, Clinch (GA) & Echols (GA).

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Columbia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Lake City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Watertown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County
    • Five Points
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Columbia County
    • Fort White
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • McColskey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
    • Lulu
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Alachua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • High Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Alachua
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Burnetts Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnetts Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnetts Lake
      • Burnetts Lake is located in Alachua County
    • La Crosse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Hague
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
      • Hague is located in Alachua County
    • Newberry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Jonesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Baker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Olustee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Sanderson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bradford County
    • Brooker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Gilchrist County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Little Lake City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake City
      • Little Lake City is located in Gilchrist County
    • Bell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Gilchrist County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell <1>
    • Waters Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waters Lake
      • Waters Lake is located in Gilchrist County
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • White Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Lafayette County
    • Mayo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • 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>
  • Suwannee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Wellborn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • O'Brien
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Branford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • McAlpin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Live Oak
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Rixford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Worthington Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Butler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Raiford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Columbia ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Columbia.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Columbia, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Columbia.

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 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 Columbia:

Cemeteries Near Columbia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Columbia.

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

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

  • Columbia Community Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Columbia Community Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Columbia Community Cemetery
  • Athens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Athens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Athens Cemetery
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
  • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Tabor AME Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Tabor AME Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor AME Cemetery
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hope Henry Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Hope Henry Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hope Henry Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery
  • Hawthorne Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Hawthorne Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hawthorne Cemetery
  • Ichetucknee Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ichetucknee Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ichetucknee Cemetery
  • Fellowship Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fellowship Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fellowship Cemetery
  • Continue List   (134 more) ...
    • Farnell Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Columbia had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Lake City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Watertown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Watertown is located in Columbia County
  • Fort White
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Mikesville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mikesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mikesville
    • Mikesville is located in Columbia County
  • Lulu
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Wellborn
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Winfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
    • Winfield is located in Columbia County
  • Mount Carrie
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Carrie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carrie
    • Mount Carrie is located in Columbia County
  • O'Brien
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Branford
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Suwannee Valley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suwannee Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suwannee Valley
    • Suwannee Valley is located in Columbia County
  • McAlpin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Houston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
      • Houston is located in Suwannee County
    • White Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • High Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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

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

The official website for Columbia County: www.columbiacountyfla.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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Columbia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Columbia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.0738, Longitude: -82.6957       In this case, the coordinates for Columbia 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>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 Columbia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024