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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 Dona Vista (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 Dona Vista. 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 Dona Vista ...

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 Dona Vista: Dona Vis.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Dona Vista is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Dona Vista)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village is located in Lake County
    • Umatilla
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Eustis
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Grand Island
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Mid Florida Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mid Florida Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid Florida Lakes
      • Mid Florida Lakes is located in Lake County
    • Altoona
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakland Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
      • Oakland Park is located in Lake County
    • Tavares
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mount Dora
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bassville Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassville Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
      • Bassville Park is located in Lake County
    • Lisbon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
    • Pittman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman
      • Pittman is located in Lake County
    • Orange Bend
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • Eastlake Weir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Weirsdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Ocklawaha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Electra
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Candler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Summerfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Belleview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Springs Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs Shores
      • Silver Springs Shores is located in Marion County
    • Lynne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
    • Danks Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Zellwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Plymouth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Apopka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • South Apopka
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Apopka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
    • Paradise Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
    • Clarcona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Tildenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tildenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
      • Tildenville is located in Orange County
    • Winter Garden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Lockhart
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Killarney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Ocoee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoee
      • Ocoee is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocoee <2>
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • Heathrow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wekiwa Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Forest City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
    • Lake Monroe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Sanlando Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Altamonte Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Mary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Longwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sanford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Casselberry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fern Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Winter Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Midway
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Seminole County
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • The Villages
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Villages have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
    • Adamsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
    • Oxford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wildwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Coleman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Center Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Mabel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Webster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bushnell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dona Vista, with the one closest to Dona Vista listed first.
    • Fort Florida
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
    • De Bary
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Volusia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
    • Beresford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
    • Valdez
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
      • Valdez is located in Volusia County
    • Highland Park ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Highland Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Highland Park is located in Volusia County
    • Orange City Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County
    • Orange City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • West De Land
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West De Land
      • West De Land is located in Volusia County
    • De Land Southwest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Land Southwest
      • De Land Southwest is located in Volusia County
    • De Land
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Emporia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia
      • Emporia is located in Volusia County
    • Glenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Dona Vista ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dona Vista.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dona Vista, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dona Vista.

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 Dona Vista:

Cemeteries Near Dona Vista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dona Vista.

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

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

  • Marsh Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Marsh Memorial Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marsh Memorial Park
  • Lakeside Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memory Gardens
  • Grand Island Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Island Cemetery
  • Umatilla Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Umatilla Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Umatilla Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
  • Altoona Hinson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Altoona Hinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Altoona Hinson Cemetery
  • Pine Forest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Forest Cemetery
  • Seneca Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seneca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seneca Cemetery
  • Tavares Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tavares Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tavares Cemetery
  • Lane Park Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lane Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lane Park Cemetery
  • Ponceannah Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ponceannah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ponceannah Cemetery
  • Continue List   (120 more) ...
    • Lake Jem Burying Grounds
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Tangerine Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sorrento Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sorrento Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sorrento 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.<6>

While we didn't find Dona Vista in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dona Vista.

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

  • Fort Mason
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Mason
    • Fort Mason is located in Lake County
  • Grand Island
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Eustis
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Umatilla
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Seneca
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
    • Seneca is located in Lake County
  • Altoona
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lisbon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Lisbon is located in Lake County
  • Tavares
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Mount Dora
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Orange Bend
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
  • Pittman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman
    • Pittman is located in Lake County
  • Lane Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lane Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Park
    • Lane Park is located in Lake County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Ellsworth Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth Junction
      • Ellsworth Junction is located in Lake County
    • Tangerine
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sorrento
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for Lake County: www.lakegovernment.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dona Vista) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dona Vista. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.8947, Longitude: -81.6873       In this case, the coordinates for Dona Vista have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Dona Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024