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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 Early Bird (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 Early Bird. 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 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.

Early Bird is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Levy, Putnam, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Early Bird)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Early Bird, with the one closest to Early Bird listed first.
    • Fellowship
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
      • Fellowship is located in Marion County
    • Martin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Marion County
    • Chatmire
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmire
      • Chatmire is located in Marion County
    • Fairfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Fairfield is located in Marion County
    • Heijahs Town ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heijahs Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heijahs Town
      • Heijahs Town is located in Marion County
    • Dunnellon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ocala
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
      • Ocala is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <2>
    • Lowell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Irvine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine
      • Irvine is located in Marion County
    • Reddick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Anthony
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Paynes Town ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paynes Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynes Town
      • Paynes Town is located in Marion County
    • Orange Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Alachua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Early Bird, with the one closest to Early Bird listed first.
    • Micanopy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Evinston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Island Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Archer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Lochloosa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Arredondo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arredondo
      • Arredondo is located in Alachua County
    • Gainesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Early Bird, with the one closest to Early Bird listed first.
    • Citrus Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Holder
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pine Ridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Pine Ridge is located in Citrus County
    • Beverly Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hernando
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Black Diamond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Diamond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
      • Black Diamond is located in Citrus County
    • Citrus Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Hills
      • Citrus Hills is located in Citrus County
    • Inverness Highlands North
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Crystal River
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Lecanto
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Mannfield ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mannfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannfield
      • Mannfield is located in Citrus County
  • Levy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Early Bird, with the one closest to Early Bird listed first.
    • Morriston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • East Williston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Williston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williston
      • East Williston is located in Levy County
    • Williston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Williston Highlands
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williston Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston Highlands
      • Williston Highlands is located in Levy County
    • Raleigh
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
      • Raleigh is located in Levy County
    • East Bronson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bronson
      • East Bronson is located in Levy County
    • Gulf Hammock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Inglis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bronson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Yankeetown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Otter Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Sumter County

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

Newspapers Published in Early Bird ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Early Bird.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Early Bird, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Early Bird.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Early Bird:

Cemeteries Near Early Bird ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Early Bird.

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

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

  • Sonshine Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sonshine Baptist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sonshine Baptist Church Cemetery
  • Wesley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wesley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wesley Cemetery
  • St. Johns United Methodist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns United Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns United Methodist Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Zion Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Hill Cemetery
  • Barber Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barber Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barber Family Cemetery
  • Church of Christ Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Church of Christ Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church of Christ Cemetery
  • Carter Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carter Cemetery
  • Plummers Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plummers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plummers Cemetery
  • Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens
  • Continue List   (99 more) ...
    • Watula Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watula Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watula Cemetery
    • Sistrunk Family Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sistrunk Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sistrunk Family Cemetery
    • Sand Pond Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sand Pond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Pond 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Early Bird had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Cotton Plant
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Plant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Plant
    • Cotton Plant is located in Marion County
  • Blitchton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blitchton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blitchton
    • Blitchton is located in Marion County
  • Romeo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romeo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
    • Romeo is located in Marion County
  • Fellowship
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
    • Fellowship is located in Marion County
  • Leroy ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Leroy is located in Marion County
  • York
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • York is located in Marion County
  • Martel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martel
    • Martel is located in Marion County
  • Martin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Martin is located in Marion County
  • Williston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kendrick
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendrick
    • Kendrick is located in Marion County
  • Ocala
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
    • Ocala is located in Marion County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <2>
  • Lowell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Flemington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flemington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
      • Flemington is located in Marion County
    • Reddick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Millwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
      • Millwood is located in Marion County

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

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

The official website for Marion County: www.marioncountyfl.org/

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- Early Bird) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Early Bird. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.2158, Longitude: -82.3676       In this case, the coordinates for Early Bird have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Early Bird, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024