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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 Forest City (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 Forest City. 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 doctors 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.

Forest City is located in Seminole 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 Seminole County: Lake, Orange & Volusia.

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

  • Seminole County     (The home county of Forest City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
    • Sanlando Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
    • Altamonte Springs
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fern Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Longwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Casselberry
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Winter Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Heathrow
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Mary
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Monroe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Sanford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Cameron City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cameron City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron City
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Ethel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Ethel is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Mount Plymouth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Plymouth is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Plymouth
    • Sorrento
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Jem
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Lake Jem is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jem
    • Montverde
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Cassia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Cassia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassia
    • Mount Dora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Waits Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Waits Junction is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waits Junction
    • Ferndale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Oakland Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Oakland Park is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
    • Astatula
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Mohawk
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Mohawk is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Lockhart
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • South Apopka
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
    • Eatonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairview Shores
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairview Shores is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Shores
    • Maitland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarcona
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Apopka
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Fairvilla
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Paradise Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
    • Plymouth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Pine Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Winter Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Buena Ventura Lakes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Celebration
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Kissimmee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Campbell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Intercession City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Reunion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • ChampionsGate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Runnymede
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Runnymede is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
    • Saint Cloud
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Polk County
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Fort Florida
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
    • Valdez
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Valdez is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
    • De Bary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Enterprise
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Deltona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Orange City Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills
    • Lemon Bluff
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lemon Bluff is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Bluff
    • Orange City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Osteen
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kalamazoo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Kalamazoo is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
    • Beresford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
    • Cassadaga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Forest City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest City.

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 Forest City - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Highland Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Memory Gardens
    • The Highland Memory Gardens has also been known as:
    • Highland Memorial Garden
    • Highland Memorial Gardens
  • Edgewood - Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Florida Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • West Orange Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Palm Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Glen Haven Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Longwood Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Plymouth Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Zellwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Ocoee Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (96 more) ...
    • Woodlawn Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Doctor Phillips Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Pinewood Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Piedmont
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Piedmont is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
  • Clarcona
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Eatonville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Maitland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Apopka
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Plymouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Winter Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McDonald
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • McDonald is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
  • Crown Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Crown Point is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Point
  • Ocoee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ocoee is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocoee <1>
  • Minorville ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Minorville is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
  • Orlando
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Ethel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Ethel is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Bay Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bay Ridge is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Ridge
    • Gotha
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Forest City ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest City, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest City.

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 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 Forest City:

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>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 Forest City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Forest City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.