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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 Manatee (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 Manatee. 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 doctors 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.

Manatee is located in Manatee 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 Manatee County: DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Polk & Sarasota.

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

  • Manatee County     (The home county of Manatee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manatee, with the one closest to Manatee listed first.
    • Ellenton
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Samoset
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • Bradenton
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Palmetto
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • West Samoset
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
    • Memphis
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Oneco
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • South Bradenton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • South Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bradenton
    • West Bradenton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
    • Bayshore Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayshore Gardens is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore Gardens
    • Palma Sola
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Tallevast
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manatee, with the one closest to Manatee listed first.
    • Sun City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Gulf City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Manatee Harbor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Manatee Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee Harbor
    • Park Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Fort Dade ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort Dade is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Dade
    • Ruskin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
    • Freedom Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
    • Montero Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
    • Sun City Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Golf and Sea Village
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manatee, with the one closest to Manatee listed first.
    • Tierra Verde
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Petersburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Gulfport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Petersburg Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • South Pasadena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
    • Lealman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Treasure Island
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Kenneth City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Madeira Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinellas Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bay Pines
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manatee, with the one closest to Manatee listed first.
    • North Sarasota
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
    • Desoto Lakes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
    • Kensington Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
    • Sarasota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • The Meadows
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Fruitville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Pinecraft
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Sarasota Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
    • Southgate
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
    • Ridge Wood Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights
    • South Gate Ridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • South Gate Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Ridge
    • South Sarasota
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • South Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sarasota

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

Cemeteries Near Manatee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Manatee.

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

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

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

  • Major Adams Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Mansion Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Manatee Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fogartyville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Braden River Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Adams & Rogers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Palma Sola Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Galilee Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Fortner Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Manatee had a population of 289 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Ellenton
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Bradenton
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Palmetto
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Palma Sola
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Terra Ceia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Erie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
  • Rye
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
  • Gulf City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Port Tampa
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Manatee ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Manatee.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Manatee. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Manatee and those printed in the larger area surrounding Manatee.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3> of Manatee.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Manatee:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Manatee) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Manatee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.