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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 Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores (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 Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Charlotte, Collier, Glades & Hendry.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.
    • Matlacha
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Pine Island Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Island Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island Center
      • Pine Island Center is located in Lee County
    • Flamingo Bay
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flamingo Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flamingo Bay
      • Flamingo Bay is located in Lee County
    • Pineland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bokeelia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Burnt Store Marina
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnt Store Marina have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Store Marina
      • Burnt Store Marina is located in Lee County
    • Cape Coral
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lochmoor Waterway Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      • Lochmoor Waterway Estates is located in Lee County
    • Saint James City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Shell Point Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shell Point Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Point Village
      • Shell Point Village is located in Lee County
    • Iona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iona
      • Iona is located in Lee County
    • McGregor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGregor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
      • McGregor is located in Lee County
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.
    • Charlotte Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlotte Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte Park
      • Charlotte Park is located in Charlotte County
    • Placida
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Fishermens Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishermens Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishermens Village
      • Fishermens Village is located in Charlotte County
    • Punta Gorda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cape Haze
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Solana
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solana have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solana
      • Solana is located in Charlotte County
    • Rotonda West
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Cleveland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbor View
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Port Charlotte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • El Jobean
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Collier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.
    • Barefoot Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barefoot Beach
      • Barefoot Beach is located in Collier County
    • Vanderbilt Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Naples Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.
    • Englewood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • North Port
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores.

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 Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.

  • Coral Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Coral Ridge Gardens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coral Ridge Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coral Ridge Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Captiva Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Captiva Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Captiva Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Captiva Cemetery is located in Captiva.
    • The Captiva Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chapel by the Sea Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1961480 <3>
  • Ft. Myers Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Frierson - Hendry Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Calvary Gardens
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Ft. Myers Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Sanibel Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Indian Springs Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Springs Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

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

These communities are listed based on their distance from Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, with the one closest to Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores listed first.

  • Saint James City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Punta Rassa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Punta Rassa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Punta Rassa
    • Punta Rassa is located in Lee County
  • Sanibel
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Buckingham
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Punta Gorda
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Charlotte Harbor
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Cleveland
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
  • Harbor View
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
  • Grove City
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Alva
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores.

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 Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores:

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

The official website for Lee County: www.lee-county.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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores) to Point B.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025