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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 O'Brien (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 O'Brien. 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.

O'Brien is located in Suwannee 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 Suwannee County: Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette & Madison.

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

  • Suwannee County     (The home county of O'Brien)
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • Branford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • McAlpin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Wellborn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Live Oak
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Rixford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
      • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
    • Dowling Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling Park
      • Dowling Park is located in Suwannee County
  • Alachua County
    • High Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • Fort White
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Five Points
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Columbia County
    • Watertown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County
    • McColskey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
    • Lulu
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Dixie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • Cross City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Suwanee Old Town ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suwanee Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suwanee Old Town
      • Suwanee Old Town is located in Dixie County
    • Old Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Gilchrist County
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • Little Lake City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake City
      • Little Lake City is located in Gilchrist County
    • Bell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Gilchrist County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell <1>
    • Waters Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waters Lake
      • Waters Lake is located in Gilchrist County
    • Fanning Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Trenton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • White Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Marion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Hamilton County
  • Lafayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from O'Brien, with the one closest to O'Brien listed first.
    • Mayo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
      • Mayo is located in Lafayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,289 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayo <1>
    • Buckville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckville
      • Buckville is located in Lafayette County
    • Day
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Taylor County

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

Newspapers Published in O'Brien ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around O'Brien.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of O'Brien, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for O'Brien.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 O'Brien:

Cemeteries Near O'Brien ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of O'Brien.

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 O'Brien covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • O'Brien Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the O'Brien Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the O'Brien Cemetery
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Grove Cemetery
  • Maypop Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maypop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maypop Cemetery
  • Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grove Cemetery
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Byrd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byrd Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Hunts Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hunts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hunts Cemetery
  • Santa Fe Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Fe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Fe Cemetery
  • Elliott Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elliott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elliott Cemetery
  • Sand Pond Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sand Pond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Pond Cemetery
  • Walker Creek Baptist Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Creek Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Creek Baptist Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (124 more) ...
    • Little River Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little River Cemetery
    • Smith Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Grant Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Cemetery

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 in 1895, O'Brien had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Branford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • McAlpin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Padlock
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Padlock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padlock
    • Padlock is located in Suwannee County
  • Columbia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
    • Columbia is located in Columbia County
  • Luraville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luraville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luraville
    • Luraville is located in Suwannee County
  • Mayo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
    • Mayo is located in Lafayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,289 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayo <1>
  • Fort White
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Wellborn
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Houston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
    • Houston is located in Suwannee County
  • Live Oak
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Lake City
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Mikesville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mikesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mikesville
    • Mikesville is located in Columbia County
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Winfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
      • Winfield is located in Columbia County
    • Rixford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
      • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
    • Watertown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County

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

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

The official website for State of Florida: 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>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- O'Brien) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in O'Brien. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.0383, Longitude: -82.9404    
<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 O'Brien, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024