RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Lee County >> Iona >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Florida

The Commemorative Quarter for Florida





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 Iona (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 Iona. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Iona is located in Lee County.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Iona)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iona, with the one closest to Iona listed first.
    • Truckland ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Truckland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truckland
      • Truckland is located in Lee County
    • Shell Point Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shell Point Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Point Village
      • Shell Point Village is located in Lee County
    • Harlem Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem Heights
      • Harlem Heights is located in Lee County
    • Cape Coral
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Punta Rassa
      (3 miles [4.8 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
    • Biggar
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Cypress Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Lake
      • Cypress Lake is located in Lee County
    • McGregor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Whiskey Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Fort Myers Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Forest Island Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Island Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Island Park
      • Forest Island Park is located in Lee County
    • Pine Manor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Sanibel
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iona, with the one closest to Iona listed first.
    • Charlotte Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Fishermens Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Punta Gorda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Placida
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Solana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Cleveland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Cape Haze
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Collier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iona, with the one closest to Iona listed first.
    • Barefoot Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barefoot Beach
      • Barefoot Beach is located in Collier County
    • Naples Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Vanderbilt Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pelican Bay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Ridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Vineyards
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Naples
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Golden Gate
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Orangetree
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • East Naples
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Naples have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Naples
      • East Naples is located in Collier County

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

Cemeteries Near Iona ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Iona.

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

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

  • Ft. Myers Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sanibel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Coral Ridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Koreshan Cemetery #2
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Frierson - Hendry Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Ft. Myers Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Coral Ridge Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coral Ridge Gardens
    • 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.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Prospect Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
      • 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.
    • Lee Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Punta Rassa
    (3 miles [4.8 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
  • Sanibel
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Saint James City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Buckingham
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Alva
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Punta Gorda
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Naples
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Iona ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Iona.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Iona, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Iona.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Iona:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Iona. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Iona, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Iona) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Iona. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.5204, Longitude: -81.9640       In this case, the coordinates for Iona have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025