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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 Laurel (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 Laurel. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Laurel is located in Sarasota 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 Sarasota County: Charlotte, DeSoto & Manatee.

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

  • Sarasota County     (The home county of Laurel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Nokomis
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Venice
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venice
      • Venice is located in Sarasota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,634 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Venice <1>
    • Venice Gardens
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venice Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venice Gardens
      • Venice Gardens is located in Sarasota County
    • Osprey
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • South Venice
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Vamo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vamo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vamo
      • Vamo is located in Sarasota County
    • Plantation
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantation
      • Plantation is located in Sarasota County
    • Shiney Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Gulf Gate Estates
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Gate Estates
      • Gulf Gate Estates is located in Sarasota County
    • Bee Ridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Lake Sarasota
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Ridge Wood Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridge Wood Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights
      • Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
    • Siesta Key
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Manasota Key
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grove City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • El Jobean
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Rotonda West
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Murdock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cape Haze
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Placida
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Charlotte
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fishermens Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Harbor View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Charlotte Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Punta Gorda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • DeSoto County
  • Lee County
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Lakewood Ranch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Tallevast
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Longboat Key
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitfield
      • Whitfield is located in Manatee County
    • Verna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
    • Oneco
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Sandy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Manatee County
    • Bayshore Gardens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayshore Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore Gardens
      • Bayshore Gardens is located in Manatee County
    • Waterbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
    • Myakka City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Samoset
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • South Bradenton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bradenton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bradenton
      • South Bradenton is located in Manatee County
    • West Samoset
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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

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

Newspapers Published in Laurel ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel.

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 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 Laurel:

Cemeteries Near Laurel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel.

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

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

  • Venice Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Venice Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Venice Memorial Gardens
  • Gulf Pines Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gulf Pines Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gulf Pines Memorial Park
  • Sarasota National Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Sarasota Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sarasota Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sarasota Memorial Park
  • Gulf Pines Memorial Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gulf Pines Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gulf Pines Memorial Cemetery
  • Palms Memorial Park Gardens
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palms Memorial Park Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palms Memorial Park Gardens
  • Palms Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palms Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palms Memorial Park
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Bethel Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Galilee Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Myakka Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Sardis Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Braden River Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Braden River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Braden River Cemetery
    • Manatee Memorial Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Restlawn Memorial Gardens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)

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 Laurel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laurel.

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

  • Grove City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sandy
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
    • Sandy is located in Manatee County
  • Manatee
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Bradenton
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Charlotte Harbor
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Palmetto
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Harbor View
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
  • Rye
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Ellenton
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Palma Sola
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Punta Gorda
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Level
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • 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

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

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

The official website for Sarasota County: www.co.sarasota.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>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- Laurel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Laurel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.1306, Longitude: -82.4536    
<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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024