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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 Manhattan (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 Manhattan. 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.

Manhattan 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 Manhattan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Manhattan:

  • Manatee County     (The home county of Manhattan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manhattan, with the one closest to Manhattan listed first.
    • Waterbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Parrish
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Verna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
    • Lakewood Ranch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellenton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Duette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Samoset
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • Myakka City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Memphis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Oneco
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • West Samoset
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
    • Bradenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Hardee County
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manhattan, with the one closest to Manhattan listed first.
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
    • Freedom Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
    • Sun City Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wimauma
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Park Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
    • Montero Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
    • Sun City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulf City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Manatee Harbor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Manatee Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee Harbor
    • Ruskin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Balm
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manhattan, with the one closest to Manhattan listed first.
    • Saint Petersburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Tierra Verde
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulfport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Gandy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Lealman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • South Pasadena
      (30 miles [48.3 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
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manhattan, with the one closest to Manhattan listed first.
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Bradley Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manhattan, with the one closest to Manhattan listed first.
    • The Meadows
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Desoto Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
    • Kensington Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
    • Fruitville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Sarasota
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
    • Lake Sarasota
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sarasota
    • Pinecraft
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sarasota Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
    • Sarasota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bee Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
    • South Gate Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • South Gate Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Ridge
    • Southgate
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate

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

Cemeteries Near Manhattan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Manhattan.

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

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

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

  • Fortner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Keen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Braden River Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethel Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mansion Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Myakka Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Manatee Memorial Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Palms Memorial Park Gardens
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Palms Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ruskin Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (32 more) ...
    • Major Adams Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Galilee Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Skyway Memorial Gardens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Rye
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
  • Erie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
  • Ellenton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Manatee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Manatee is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
  • Palmetto
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Bradenton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Gulf City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Terra Ceia
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Palma Sola
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Sandy
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sandy is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Pine Level
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Port Tampa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Bloomingdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Keysville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville

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

Newspapers Published in Manhattan ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Manhattan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Manhattan, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Manhattan.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Manhattan:

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 Manhattan, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Manhattan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.