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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 Myers (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 Myers. 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 Myers ...

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 have occurred.

Another variation: Fort Mose.

  • A typical abbreviation for Fort Myers: Ft. Myers

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 southwest 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 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.

Fort Myers is located in Lee County and is the County Seat.

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 Lee County: Charlotte, Collier, Glades & Hendry.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Fort Myers)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Myers, with the one closest to Fort Myers listed first.
    • East Dunbar
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dunbar
      • East Dunbar is located in Lee County
    • North Fort Myers
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lochmoor Waterway Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      • Lochmoor Waterway Estates is located in Lee County
    • Palmona Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmona Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmona Park
      • Palmona Park is located in Lee County
    • Samville ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Samville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samville
      • Samville is located in Lee County
    • Suncoast Estates
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suncoast Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suncoast Estates
      • Suncoast Estates is located in Lee County
    • Tice
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Page Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page Park
      • Page Park is located in Lee County
    • Pine Manor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Manor
      • Pine Manor is located in Lee County
    • Whiskey Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiskey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiskey Creek
      • Whiskey Creek is located in Lee County
    • Morse Shores
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Shores
      • Morse Shores is located in Lee County
    • McGregor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGregor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
      • McGregor is located in Lee County
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Myers, with the one closest to Fort Myers listed first.
    • Charlotte Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlotte Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte Park
      • Charlotte Park is located in Charlotte County
    • Punta Gorda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cleveland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Fishermens Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishermens Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishermens Village
      • Fishermens Village is located in Charlotte County
    • Solana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solana have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solana
      • Solana is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbor View
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbour Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbour Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Heights
      • Harbour Heights is located in Charlotte County
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Charlotte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Placida
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cape Haze
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • El Jobean
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Collier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Myers, with the one closest to Fort Myers listed first.
    • Barefoot Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barefoot Beach
      • Barefoot Beach is located in Collier County
    • Naples Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Vanderbilt Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Pelican Bay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Pine Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Pine Ridge is located in Collier County
    • North Naples
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Naples have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Naples
      • North Naples is located in Collier County
    • Orangetree
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangetree have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangetree
      • Orangetree is located in Collier County
    • Vineyards
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vineyards have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyards
      • Vineyards is located in Collier County
  • Hendry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Myers, with the one closest to Fort Myers listed first.
    • Felda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • La Belle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Port La Belle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port La Belle
      • Port La Belle is located in Hendry County
    • Sears ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
      • Sears is located in Hendry County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fort Myers ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Myers.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fort Myers. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fort Myers and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fort Myers.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Fort Myers.

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 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 Fort Myers:

Cemeteries Near Fort Myers ...

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

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 Fort Myers covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Frierson - Hendry Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Calvary Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ft. Myers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Ft. Myers Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Coral Ridge Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coral Ridge Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coral Ridge Gardens
  • Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
  • Lee Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Coral Ridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Buckingham Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Lehigh Memorial Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lehigh Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lehigh Memorial Park
    • Koreshan Cemetery #2
      (14 miles [22.5 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.<6>

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

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

  • Buckingham
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Punta Rassa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Punta Rassa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Punta Rassa
    • Punta Rassa is located in Lee County
  • Saint James City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sanibel
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Alva
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Punta Gorda
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cleveland
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
  • Harbor View
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
  • Charlotte Harbor
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)

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

The official website for Fort Myers: www.cityftmyers.com/

The official website for Lee County: www.lee-county.com/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

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 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.
<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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fort Myers) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Myers. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.6407, Longitude: -81.8728    
<5>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.
<6>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 Myers, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024