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 Leon (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 Leon. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Leon 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 Leon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Leon:
- Hillsborough County (The home county of Leon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Park Village
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
- Ruskin
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Bayou Pass Village
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
- Gulf City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
- Manatee Harbor
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Manatee Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee Harbor
- Montero Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
- Sun City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sun City Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Golf and Sea Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Golf and Sea Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golf and Sea Village
- Cypress Creek Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
- Freedom Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
- Apollo Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Manatee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Parrish
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Terra Ceia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ellenton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Palmetto
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bradenton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Palma Sola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Samoset
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Samoset is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
- West Bradenton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
- West Samoset
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Samoset is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
- Oneco
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- South Bradenton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- South Bradenton is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bradenton
- Pinellas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Saint Petersburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Gandy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gandy is located in Pinellas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
- Lealman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lealman is located in Pinellas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
- Gulfport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Tierra Verde
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Kenneth City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pinellas Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Pete Beach
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- South Pasadena
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
- Feather Sound
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Petersburg Beach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Treasure Island
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Brewster ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brewster is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
- Nichols
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bradley Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
- Willow Oak
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Willow Oak is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
- Mulberry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sarasota County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Desoto Lakes
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
- North Sarasota
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
- Kensington Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
- The Meadows
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
- Fruitville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pinecraft
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sarasota
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sarasota Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
- Lake Sarasota
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lake Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sarasota
- Southgate
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Southgate is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
- Bee Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
- Ridge Wood Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Leon, see our County-by-County Page for Leon.
Cemeteries Near Leon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Leon.
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 Leon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Leon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Ruskin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Ruskin Memorial Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Fortner Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- 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 <2>
- Skyway Memorial Gardens
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Samford Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mansion Memorial Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
- The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hackney Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <2>
- Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Skyway Memorial Gardens
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Major Adams Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Keen Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (76 more) ...
- Sunnyside Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Adams & Rogers Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams & Rogers Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Adams & Rogers Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Bradenton.
- The Adams & Rogers Cemetery has also been known as:
- Adams Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1989096 <2>
- Fogartyville Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
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 Leon in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Leon.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Leon, with the one closest to Leon listed first.
- Gulf City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
- Erie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Erie is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
- Terra Ceia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rye
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Rye is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
- Ellenton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Port Tampa
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
- Peru ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Peru is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
- Palmetto
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Manatee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Manatee is located in Manatee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
- Bradenton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Palma Sola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomingdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Continue List (11 more) ...
- Ybor City
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
- Brandon
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Limona
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Limona is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Leon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Leon.
Newspapers Published in Leon ...
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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Leon.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Leon, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Leon.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Leon:
- Websites specific to Florida
- Pages specific to Hillsborough County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Manatee County
- Pinellas 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> | 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 Leon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Leon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |