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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 Lynchburg (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 Lynchburg. 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 northwest 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 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.

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

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Lynchburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lynchburg, with the one closest to Lynchburg listed first.
    • Lake Alfred
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Auburndale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Inwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Inwood is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
    • Winter Haven
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jan-Phyl Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jan-Phyl Village is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jan-Phyl Village
    • Eloise
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Kossuthville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Kossuthville is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuthville
    • Fussels Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Fussels Corner is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fussels Corner
    • Lake Hammock Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Polk City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Eagle Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Cypress Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lynchburg, with the one closest to Lynchburg listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Kings Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
    • Plant City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • South Plant City Farms
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
    • Knights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Plant City Heights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
    • Parrish
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
    • Cedar Run
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
    • Strawberry Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
    • West Plant City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
    • Woodfield Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
    • Welcome
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
  • Lake County
    • Four Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lynchburg, with the one closest to Lynchburg listed first.
    • Bay Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Lake Buena Vista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
    • Hunters Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hunters Creek is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
    • Bay Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Hill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
    • Doctor Phillips
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Doctor Phillips is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctor Phillips
    • Williamsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsburg is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Sand Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Southchase
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Southchase is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southchase
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lynchburg, with the one closest to Lynchburg listed first.
    • ChampionsGate
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Reunion
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Poinciana Place
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
    • Poinciana
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Intercession City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Celebration
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kissimmee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Buena Ventura Lakes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Cloud
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lynchburg, with the one closest to Lynchburg listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Richland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Zephyrhills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Lynchburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lynchburg.

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 Lynchburg - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Auburndale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Inman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakeside Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Rolling Hills Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Lake Lowery Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Auburndale Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Collins Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Glover Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (84 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Church of Christ Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church of Christ Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Church of Christ Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Eagle Lake.
      • The Church of Christ Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Eagle Lake Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71920 <2>
    • Forest Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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.<3>

While we didn't find Lynchburg in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lynchburg.

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

  • Auburndale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Winter Haven
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Eagle Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Haines City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Wahneta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
  • Gordonville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
  • Lakeland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Bartow
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Kathleen
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Green Pond
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Pond is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
  • Homeland
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Plant City
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Fort Meade
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Knights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Keene
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • 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 Lynchburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lynchburg.

Newspapers Published in Lynchburg ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lynchburg.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lynchburg, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lynchburg.

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 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 Lynchburg:

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 Lynchburg, 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- Lynchburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.