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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 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 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 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
    • Myakka City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Verna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
    • Parrish
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Sandy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Manatee County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samoset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
    • Memphis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Samoset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
  • 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)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
      • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyette
      • Boyette is located in Hillsborough County
    • Freedom Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freedom Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Montero Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montero Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Welcome
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayou Pass Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Park Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Summerfield Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
      • Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Fish Hawk
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fish Hawk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Hawk
      • Fish Hawk is located in Hillsborough County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
    • Nichols
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Willow Oak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oponys Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oponys Town
      • Oponys Town is located in Polk County
    • Armour ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Armour. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
      • Armour is located in Polk County
    • Bartow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyle Corner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyle Corner
      • Lyle Corner is located in Polk County
    • Medulla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medulla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
    • Desoto Lakes
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Desoto Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
    • Fruitville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kensington Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kensington Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
    • Lake Sarasota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Sarasota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sarasota
      • Lake Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
    • North Sarasota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Sarasota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
    • Pinecraft
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sarasota Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sarasota Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
    • Bee Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bee Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
      • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
    • Sarasota
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Shiney Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiney Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiney Town
      • Shiney Town is located in Sarasota County
    • South Gate Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gate Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Ridge
      • South Gate Ridge is located in Sarasota County
    • Southgate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southgate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Keentown, see our County-by-County Page for 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]<4>. 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 begin 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 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.

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 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)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keen Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Olive Branch Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olive Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olive Branch Cemetery
  • Fortner Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Myakka Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myakka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myakka Cemetery
  • Watson Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Blue Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Cemetery
  • Hunter Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hunter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hunter Cemetery
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lithia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lithia Cemetery
  • Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruskin Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruskin Memorial Gardens
  • Ruskin Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruskin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruskin Cemetery
  • Continue List   (55 more) ...
    • Sardis Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sardis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sardis Cemetery
    • Wauchula Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • 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.<6>

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)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
  • Bowling Green
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Sandy
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
    • Sandy is located in Manatee County
  • Wauchula
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Keysville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
  • Erie
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
  • Zolfo Springs
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Gulf City
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
  • Pine Level
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
  • Bloomingdale
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peru have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
  • Calvinia ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
    • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manatee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
      • Manatee is located in Manatee County

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.

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

The official website for Manatee County: www.co.manatee.fl.us/

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Keentown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Keentown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.5714, Longitude: -82.1376       In this case, the coordinates for Keentown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Keentown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024