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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 Lonesome (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 Lonesome. 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 Lonesome ...

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.

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

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 and doctors 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.

Fort Lonesome 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 Lonesome. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Lonesome:

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Fort Lonesome)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonesome, with the one closest to Fort Lonesome listed first.
    • Balm
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Welcome
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Boyette
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Boyette is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyette
    • Wimauma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Fish Hawk
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Fish Hawk is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Hawk
    • Lithia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Pinecrest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Parkside Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Parkside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside Village
    • Summerfield Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
    • Sun City Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Countryside Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Countryside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Freedom Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonesome, with the one closest to Fort Lonesome listed first.
    • Bowling Green
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Ona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Wauchula
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Zolfo Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonesome, with the one closest to Fort Lonesome listed first.
    • Duette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Waterbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Verna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
    • Myakka City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Ellenton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Memphis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Terra Ceia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bradenton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Palmetto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonesome, with the one closest to Fort Lonesome listed first.
    • Gandy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Saint Petersburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Lonesome, with the one closest to Fort Lonesome listed first.
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Bradley Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Nichols
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mulberry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Medulla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Fort Meade
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Homeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Oponys Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Oponys Town is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
    • Armour ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Armour is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Bartow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Sarasota County
    • The Meadows
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows

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

Cemeteries Near Fort Lonesome ...

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

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 Lonesome - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<2> to the southwest of Bradley Junction.
    • The Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Keen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Hunter Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Blue Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Olive Primitive Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Little Alafia Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Samford Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Olive Branch Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Watson Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Old Elim Church Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Willow Oak Baptist Church Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (93 more) ...
    • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Hackney Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <3>
    • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Prairie Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Cemetery
      • The Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Bone Valley Cemetery
      • Fuller Heights Cemetery
      • Laurel Hill Cemetery
      • Shiloh Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72484 <3>

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

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

  • Keysville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
  • Bloomingdale
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Valrico
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Sydney
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Rye
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
  • Brandon
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Limona
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Gulf City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Seffner
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Bowling Green
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Fort Meade
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mango
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Homeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Plant City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Fort Lonesome ...

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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Lonesome.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Lonesome, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Lonesome.

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 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 Fort Lonesome:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fort Lonesome) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Lonesome, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.