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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 Moss Bluff (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 Moss Bluff. 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.

Name Variations for Moss Bluff ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Moss Bluff: Moss Blf. (or less commonly used: Moss Bluf.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Moss Bluff. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Moss Bluff.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Moss Bluff is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Levy, Putnam, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Moss Bluff)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • Electra
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Electra is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • Ocklawaha
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eastlake Weir
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Candler
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Weirsdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Lynne
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Summerfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Belleview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Silver Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Danks Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Ocala
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ocala is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <1>
    • Anthony
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Alachua County
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • Carlton Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Carlton Village is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton Village
    • Conant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Conant is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
    • Lady Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Pittman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Pittman is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman
    • Fruitland Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Lisbon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Orange Bend
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Altoona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Grand Island
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Umatilla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Mid Florida Lakes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mid Florida Lakes is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid Florida Lakes
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Zellwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • Georgetown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Welaka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • The Villages
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Oxford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wildwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Orange Home
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Adamsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Coleman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Center Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Bluff, with the one closest to Moss Bluff listed first.
    • Volusia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia
    • Emporia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Emporia is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia
    • Pierson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Barberville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Seville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Moss Bluff ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Moss Bluff.

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 Moss Bluff - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Electra Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ocklawaha Community Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Ocklawaha Bridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Stanton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Waldena Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Gore Family Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Lady Lake Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Old Grahamsville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (97 more) ...
    • Burrell Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Crum Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine Level Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Moss Bluff had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Ocklawaha
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Electra
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
  • Candler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Stanton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Stanton is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
  • Lake Weir ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Weir is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Weir
  • Lynne
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lynne is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
  • Summerfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Conant
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Conant is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
  • Belleview
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Lady Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Grahamsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Grahamsville is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamsville
  • Montague
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Montague is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Santos
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Santos is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santos
    • Silver Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Oxford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Moss Bluff ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Moss Bluff.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Moss Bluff, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Moss Bluff.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Moss Bluff:

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 Moss Bluff, 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 from Point A (ie- Moss Bluff) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.