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 Keentown (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 Keentown. 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 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.
Keentown is located in Manatee 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 Manatee County: DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Polk & Sarasota.
Below are the counties that are near Keentown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Keentown:
- Manatee County (The home county of Keentown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Duette
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Waterbury
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Waterbury is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
- Myakka City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Verna
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Verna is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
- Parrish
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sandy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sandy is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Lakewood Ranch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ellenton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Samoset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Samoset is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
- Memphis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Memphis is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Oneco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Palmetto
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Samoset
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Samoset is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
- DeSoto County
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Calvinia ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
- Arcadia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hardee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Ona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bowling Green
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wauchula
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Zolfo Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hillsborough County
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Wimauma
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Balm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sun City Center
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Boyette
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Boyette is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyette
- Freedom Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
- Montero Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
- Welcome
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- Bayou Pass Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
- Cypress Creek Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
- Park Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
- Summerfield Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
- Fish Hawk
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fish Hawk is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Hawk
- Lithia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Brewster ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brewster is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
- Bradley Junction
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
- Nichols
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Willow Oak
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Willow Oak is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
- Fort Meade
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mulberry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Homeland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oponys Town ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oponys Town is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
- Armour ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Armour is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
- Bartow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lyle Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lyle Corner is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyle Corner
- Medulla
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Medulla is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
- Lakeland Highlands
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
- Sarasota County
- The following are listed by their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- The Meadows
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
- Desoto Lakes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
- Fruitville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kensington Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
- Lake Sarasota
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sarasota
- North Sarasota
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
- Pinecraft
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sarasota Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
- Bee Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
- Sarasota
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shiney Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shiney Town is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiney Town
- South Gate Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Gate Ridge is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Ridge
- Southgate
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Southgate is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Keentown, see our County-by-County Page for Keentown.
Cemeteries Near Keentown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Keentown.
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 Keentown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Keentown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Keen Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- Olive Branch Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fortner Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fortner Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Fortner Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of Parrish.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72006 <3>
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Myakka Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Watson Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Blue Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Hunter Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lithia Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ruskin Memorial Gardens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ruskin Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (56 more) ...
- Sardis Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Wauchula Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauchula Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wauchula Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Wauchula.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72732 <3>
- Old Elim Church Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 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.<4>
While we didn't find Keentown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Keentown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Keentown, with the one closest to Keentown listed first.
- Rye
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Rye is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
- Bowling Green
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sandy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sandy is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Wauchula
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Keysville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
- Erie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Erie is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
- Zolfo Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Gulf City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
- Pine Level
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
- Bloomingdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Peru ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Peru is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
- Calvinia ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Fort Meade
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ellenton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Manatee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Manatee is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Keentown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Keentown.
Newspapers Published in Keentown ...
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 Keentown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Keentown, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Keentown.
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 Keentown:
- Websites specific to Florida
- Pages specific to Manatee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DeSoto County
- Hardee County
- Hillsborough County
- Polk County
- Sarasota County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Florida
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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Keentown) 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 Keentown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |