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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 Holden Heights (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 Holden Heights. 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 Holden Heights ...

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 Holden Heights: Holden Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 and doctors 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.

Holden Heights is located in Orange 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 Orange County: Brevard, Lake, Osceola, Polk & Seminole.

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

  • Orange County     (The home county of Holden Heights)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Orlando
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Sky Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Sky Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sky Lake
    • Belle Isle
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Belle Isle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Isle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,294 people
    • Pine Castle
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Ridge is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
    • Conway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Conway is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
    • Taft
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Taft is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft
    • Tangelo Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tangelo Park is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tangelo Park
    • Fairvilla
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Orlovista
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Orlovista is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlovista
    • Pine Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sand Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Four Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Montverde
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Waits Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Waits Junction is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waits Junction
    • Ethel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Ethel is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Ferndale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mohawk
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Mohawk is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
    • Minneola
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Mount Plymouth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Plymouth is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Plymouth
    • Sorrento
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Clermont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lake Jem
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Jem is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jem
    • Astatula
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Dora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Buena Ventura Lakes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Kissimmee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Celebration
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Campbell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Runnymede
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Runnymede is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
    • Intercession City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Cloud
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Reunion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • ChampionsGate
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Poinciana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Poinciana Place
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Loughman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Davenport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Haines City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Hammock Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Fern Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Altamonte Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Forest City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Sanlando Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
    • Casselberry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Longwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
    • Winter Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Oviedo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oviedo is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oviedo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oviedo <1>
    • Heathrow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Lake Mary
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Chuluota
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Iowa City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Iowa City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holden Heights, with the one closest to Holden Heights listed first.
    • Valdez
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Valdez is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
    • Fort Florida
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
    • De Bary
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lemon Bluff
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lemon Bluff is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Bluff
    • Enterprise
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Osteen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Deltona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Kalamazoo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kalamazoo is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
    • Orange City Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills

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

Cemeteries Near Holden Heights ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Holden Heights.

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 Holden Heights - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Washington Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Doctor Phillips Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Taft Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft Memorial Gardens
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Taft Memorial Gardens is a large cemetery that is located in Taft.
    • The Taft Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
    • Taft Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1217063 <2>
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinewood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lock Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Palm Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Doctor Phillips Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (68 more) ...
    • Glen Haven Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Ocoee Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Howard Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<3>

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

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

  • Pine Castle
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Orlando
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Conway
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Conway is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
  • Winter Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Eatonville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Gotha
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Windermere
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Goldenrod
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Maitland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Minorville ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Minorville is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
  • Piedmont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Piedmont is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
  • Clarcona
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Ocoee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Crown Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown Point is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Point
    • Winter Garden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Holden Heights ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Holden Heights.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Holden Heights, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Holden Heights.

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 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 Holden Heights:

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 Holden Heights, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Holden Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.