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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 Eloise Woods (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 Eloise Woods. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Eloise Woods is located in Polk County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Polk County: Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco & Sumter.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Eloise Woods)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eloise Woods, with the one closest to Eloise Woods listed first.
    • Cypress Gardens
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Winter Haven
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Eloise
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Wahneta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wahneta is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
    • Dundee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Inwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Inwood is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
    • Eagle Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Waverly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Lake Hamilton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jan-Phyl Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jan-Phyl Village is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jan-Phyl Village
    • Lake Alfred
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Auburndale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hardee County
    • Bowling Green
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Highlands County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eloise Woods, with the one closest to Eloise Woods listed first.
    • Alpine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Alpine is located in Highlands County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Avon Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eloise Woods, with the one closest to Eloise Woods listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Kings Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
    • South Plant City Farms
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
    • Parrish
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
    • Plant City Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
    • Plant City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • West Plant City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
    • Woodfield Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
    • Welcome
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Cedar Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
    • Knights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Strawberry Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
  • Lake County
    • Four Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eloise Woods, with the one closest to Eloise Woods listed first.
    • Bay Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bay Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Lake Buena Vista
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
    • Hunters Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hunters Creek is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eloise Woods, with the one closest to Eloise Woods listed first.
    • Poinciana Place
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
    • Poinciana
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • ChampionsGate
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Reunion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Intercession City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Celebration
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kissimmee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Buena Ventura Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Cloud
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Pasco County
    • Crystal Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs

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

Cemeteries Near Eloise Woods ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eloise Woods.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Eloise Woods - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Eloise Woods covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Oakland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Wahneta Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lakeside Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Inman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Church of Christ Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church of Christ Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Church of Christ Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Eagle Lake.
    • The Church of Christ Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Eagle Lake Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71920 <2>
  • Friendship MB Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Rolling Hills Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Auburndale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Glover Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Lake Lowery Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (77 more) ...
    • Auburndale Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Gandy Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gandy Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the northeast of Bartow.
      • The Gandy Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Connersville Cemetery
      • Polk Lake Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72018 <2>

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.<4>

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

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

  • Winter Haven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Wahneta
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
  • Eagle Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Gordonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
  • Auburndale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Haines City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Bartow
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Homeland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Lakeland
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Fort Meade
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Kathleen
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Green Pond
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Pond is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Keysville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Bowling Green
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Kissimmee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Eloise Woods ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eloise Woods.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eloise Woods, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Eloise Woods.

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 websites either 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 Eloise Woods:

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 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.
<3>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- Eloise Woods) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Eloise Woods, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.