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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 Hawthorne (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 Hawthorne. 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 northeast 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 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.

Hawthorne is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Hawthorne)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Okahumpka
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Yalaha
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Leesburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Sunnyside
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunnyside is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Montclair
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Montclair is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
    • Whitney
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Whitney is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Howey-in-the-Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fruitland Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Orange Bend
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Orange Bend is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Silver Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Silver Lake is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Tavares
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Bassville Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bassville Park is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Floral City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Inverness
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Richloam ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Richloam was located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richloam
    • Ridge Manor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Istachatta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Nobleton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Hill 'n Dale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hill 'n Dale is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill 'n Dale
    • Lake Lindsey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Lake Lindsey is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lindsey
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Weirsdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Eastlake Weir
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Ocklawaha
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Summerfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Candler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Danks Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Electra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Electra is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Lynne
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Zellwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Plymouth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Killarney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Apopka
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Crown Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Crown Point is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Point
    • Paradise Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
    • Tildenville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tildenville is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
    • Winter Garden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • South Apopka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
    • Ocoee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Lacoochee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Moss Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Moss Town is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Town
    • Trilby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Forest City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
    • Altamonte Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Heathrow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Sanlando Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hawthorne, with the one closest to Hawthorne listed first.
    • Orange Home
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Adamsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Center Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Wildwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Coleman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • The Villages
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Mabel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Oxford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Webster
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Bushnell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Hawthorne ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hawthorne.

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

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

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

  • Oakridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Yalaha Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Lone Oak Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cool Spring Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Taylor Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lane Park Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Tavares Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Merritt Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Astatula Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (85 more) ...

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.<2>

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

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

  • Okahumpka
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Leesburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Yalaha
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Eldorado
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Eldorado is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
  • Montclair
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Montclair is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
  • Whitney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitney is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
  • Lane Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lane Park is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Park
  • Fruitland Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Orange Bend
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Orange Bend is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
  • Bamboo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bamboo is located in Sumter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
  • Ellsworth Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ellsworth Junction is also located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth Junction
  • Tavares
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Orange Home
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Astatula
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lisbon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lisbon is also located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon

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

Newspapers Published in Hawthorne ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hawthorne.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hawthorne, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hawthorne.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Hawthorne:

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>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 Hawthorne, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Hawthorne) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.