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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 Lake Forest (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 Lake Forest. 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 Lake Forest ...

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 Lake Forest: Lk. Forest

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Lake Forest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Lake Forest.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Lake Forest is located in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Lake Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Forest, with the one closest to Lake Forest listed first.
    • John Knox Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • John Knox Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Knox Village
    • University
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • University is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
    • The Villas at University Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • College Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • College Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
    • University Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • University Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Brant Lake Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Brant Lake Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake Village
    • Poinsettia Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Poinsettia Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinsettia Village
    • Terrace Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Terrace Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrace Village
    • Rustic Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Rustic Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustic Village
    • Indian Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
    • Indian Mound Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
    • Lake Magdalene
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Lake Magdalene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Magdalene
    • Northwood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Northwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood Village
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Forest, with the one closest to Lake Forest listed first.
    • Masaryktown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Spring Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • Timber Pines
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Timber Pines is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Pines
    • Weeki Wachee Acres
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Weeki Wachee Acres is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeki Wachee Acres
    • South Brooksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • South Brooksville is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brooksville
    • Hernando Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Forest, with the one closest to Lake Forest listed first.
    • Land O' Lakes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Odessa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Crystal Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Zephyrhills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Trinity
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Leo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <1>
    • Elfers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Holiday
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Forest, with the one closest to Lake Forest listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • East Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • Safety Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Gandy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Feather Sound
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Palm Harbor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Tarpon Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • High Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Cove Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Cove Springs is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Springs
    • Crystal Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Dunedin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Ozona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Forest, with the one closest to Lake Forest listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Gibsonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Nichols
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Lakeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Fox Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Fox Town is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Town
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Mulberry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Lake Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lake Forest.

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 Lake Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Robles Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Gan Shalom Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • The Home Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Home Cemetery
    • The Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oakland Cemetery
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Garden of Memories
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden of Memories
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Garden of Memories is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Garden of Memories has also been known as:
    • Garden of Memories Cemetery
    • Tampa Garden of Memories Cemetery
    • Tampa Garden of Memories
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72022 <2>
  • Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
    • Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71837 <2>
  • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <2>
  • Continue List   (108 more) ...
    • Rose Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rose Hill Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Rose Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Rose Hills Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72535 <2>
    • Orange Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Lake Forest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lake Forest.

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

  • Thonotosassa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Tampa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>
  • Ybor City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Mango
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Odessa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Seffner
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Limona
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Ehren
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
  • Brandon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Valrico
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Keystone Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Sydney
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Port Tampa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Peru ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Keene
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Lake Forest:

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 Lake Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.