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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 Marion (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 Marion. 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.

Marion is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Columbia, Madison, Suwannee, Echols (GA) & Lowndes (GA).

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Marion)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Five Points
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Watertown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • McColskey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
  • Lafayette County
  • Madison County
  • Suwannee County
  • Brooks County (GA)
    • McIntyre Spring ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntyre Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre Spring
      • McIntyre Spring is located in Brooks County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 605 people
  • Clinch County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Ernest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ernest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernest
      • Ernest is located in Clinch County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ernest
      • From Marion to Ernest
    • Fargo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Echols County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Potter
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 870 people
    • Statenville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Statenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statenville
      • Statenville is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Statenville <1>
    • Fruitland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Howell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Lowndes County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Melrose
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dasher
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dasher have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dasher
      • Dasher is located in Lowndes County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
    • Clyattville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Marion ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marion.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Marion had a population of 156 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Jasper
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Rixford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rixford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
    • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Rixford
    • From Marion to Rixford
  • Genoa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genoa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Genoa is located in Hamilton County
  • Bakers Mill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bakers Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakers Mill
    • Bakers Mill is located in Hamilton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bakers Mill
    • From Marion to Bakers Mill
  • Live Oak
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Avoca
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avoca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
    • Avoca is located in Hamilton County
  • Houston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
    • Houston is located in Suwannee County
  • White Springs
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Padlock
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Padlock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padlock
    • Padlock is located in Suwannee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Padlock
    • From Marion to Padlock
  • Jennings
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Wellborn
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Suwannee Valley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suwannee Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suwannee Valley
    • Suwannee Valley is located in Columbia County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Benton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Benton is located in Columbia County
    • Melrose
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Octahatchee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Octahatchee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Octahatchee
      • Octahatchee is located in Hamilton County

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

Newspapers Published in Marion ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marion.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Marion, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Marion.

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 either 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 Marion:

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

The official website for Hamilton County: www.hamiltoncountyflorida.com/

The official website for State of Florida: https://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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>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.
<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- Marion) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Marion. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.4412, Longitude: -82.9466       In this case, the coordinates for Marion have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Marion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025