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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 Lakeland (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 Lakeland. 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 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.

Lakeland is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco & Sumter.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Lakeland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
      • Acton is located in Polk County
    • Combee Settlement
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Combee Settlement have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
    • Crystal Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystal Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
    • Winston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
      • Winston is located in Polk County
    • Gibsonia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibsonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
    • Eaton Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fussels Corner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fussels Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fussels Corner
      • Fussels Corner is located in Polk County
    • Medulla
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medulla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
    • Kossuthville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuthville
      • Kossuthville is located in Polk County
    • Kathleen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
    • Fox Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fox Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Town
      • Fox Town is located in Polk County
    • Highland City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardee County
    • Bowling Green
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Kings Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kings Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • South Plant City Farms
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Plant City Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
    • Plant City Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plant City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
      • Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Plant City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • West Plant City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Plant City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Cedar Run
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
    • Knights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Strawberry Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Woodfield Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Parrish
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parrish have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
    • West Plant City Farms
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Plant City Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City Farms
      • West Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
    • Dover
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Lake County
    • Four Corners
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • ChampionsGate
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
    • Reunion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Poinciana Place
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poinciana Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
    • Poinciana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
    • Zephyrhills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
    • Dade City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Leo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
    • Wesley Chapel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • San Antonio
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <2>
    • Blanton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
      • Blanton is located in Pasco County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lakeland ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lakeland.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Lakeland. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Lakeland and those printed in the larger area surrounding Lakeland.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of Lakeland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Lakeland:

Cemeteries Near Lakeland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lakeland.

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

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

  • Stephenson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephenson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Stephenson Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Morehead Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephenson Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72660 <4>
  • Roselawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Tiger Flowers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Gapway Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Serenity Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Lakeland Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens
  • Carpenters Home Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Griffin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • New Home Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Medulla Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (108 more) ...
    • Fitzgerald Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Malloy Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Hill Burial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Lakeland had a population of 552 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lakeland had a population of 115,283 people.

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

  • Kathleen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Plant City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Auburndale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Gordonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
  • Knights
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
  • Keene
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keene have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
  • Bartow
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Eagle Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Winter Haven
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Keysville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
  • Wahneta
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
  • Sydney
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Homeland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Valrico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Green Pond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Pond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
      • Green Pond is located in Polk County

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

The official website for Lakeland: www.lakelandgov.net/

The official website for Polk County: www.polk-county.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Lakeland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lakeland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.0496, Longitude: -81.9574    
<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 Lakeland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024