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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 Fort Lonely (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 Fort Lonely. 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 Fort Lonely ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Lonely: Ft. Lonely

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 southeast 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 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.

Fort Lonely is located in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Fort Lonely)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonely, with the one closest to Fort Lonely listed first.
    • Sun City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gulf City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Manatee Harbor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Manatee Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee Harbor
    • Ruskin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Park Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
    • Golf and Sea Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Golf and Sea Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golf and Sea Village
    • McQueens Village ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • McQueens Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McQueens Village
    • Montero Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
    • Apollo Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Apollo Key Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Apollo Key Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo Key Village
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonely, with the one closest to Fort Lonely listed first.
    • Terra Ceia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Memphis
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Ellenton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Palmetto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bradenton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • West Bradenton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
    • Palma Sola
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • South Bradenton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • South Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bradenton
    • West Samoset
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
    • Anna Maria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonely, with the one closest to Fort Lonely listed first.
    • Saint Petersburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tierra Verde
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Gulfport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • South Pasadena
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
    • Lealman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Saint Petersburg Beach
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Gandy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Kenneth City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Treasure Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinellas Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Madeira Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonely, with the one closest to Fort Lonely listed first.
    • North Sarasota
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
    • Desoto Lakes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
    • Kensington Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
    • The Meadows
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Sarasota
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Fruitville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Pinecraft
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Sarasota Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
    • Southgate
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
    • Ridge Wood Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights
    • South Sarasota
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • South Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sarasota
    • Bee Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge

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

Cemeteries Near Fort Lonely ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Lonely.

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 Fort Lonely - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ruskin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Mansion Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Adams & Rogers Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams & Rogers Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Adams & Rogers Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Bradenton.
    • The Adams & Rogers Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Adams Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1989096 <2>
  • Fogartyville Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Major Adams Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Fortner Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Palma Sola Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Royal Palm South Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...
    • Woodlawn Memory Gardens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Memory Gardens
      • The Woodlawn Memory Gardens has also been known as:
      • Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Lincoln Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Manatee Memorial Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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 Fort Lonely in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fort Lonely.

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

  • Terra Ceia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Erie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
  • Gulf City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Palmetto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Ellenton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Palma Sola
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradenton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Manatee
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Manatee is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
  • Rye
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
  • Port Tampa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Tampa
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Ybor City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
    • Bloomingdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Brandon
      (25 miles [40.2 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 Fort Lonely. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fort Lonely.

Newspapers Published in Fort Lonely ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Lonely.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Lonely, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Lonely.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Fort Lonely:

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Lonely) 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 Fort Lonely, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.