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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 Oak Forest (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 Oak Forest. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Oak Forest is located in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Oak Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Meadowood Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Meadowood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowood Village
    • Temple Terrace
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Del Rio
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Del Rio is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rio
    • Rustic Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Rustic Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustic Village
    • Terrace Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Terrace Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrace Village
    • Silva City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Silva City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silva City
    • Montana City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Montana City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montana City
    • Shadowlawn Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Shadowlawn Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadowlawn Village
    • Bay Hills Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Hills Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hills Village
    • College Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • College Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
    • John Knox Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • John Knox Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Knox Village
    • Central Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Central Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Village
    • Evelyn City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Evelyn City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evelyn City
  • Hernando County
  • Manatee County
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Land O' Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Odessa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Crystal Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Zephyrhills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Saint Leo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • San Antonio
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <1>
    • Richland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Trinity
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Elfers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Gandy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Oldsmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • East Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • High Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • South Highpoint
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Lealman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Pinellas Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunedin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Four Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Ozona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Winston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Kathleen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Nichols
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Medulla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Gibsonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Lakeland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Mulberry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Combee Settlement
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
    • Crystal Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Bradley Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Forest.

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 Oak Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Orange Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rodeph Sholom Cemetery is located in Tampa.
    • The Rodeph Sholom Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2500750 <2>
  • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <2>
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Robles Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rose Hill Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Rose Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Rose Hills Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72535 <2>
  • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <2>
  • Garden of Memories
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden of Memories
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Garden of Memories is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Garden of Memories has also been known as:
    • Garden of Memories Cemetery
    • Tampa Garden of Memories Cemetery
    • Tampa Garden of Memories
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72022 <2>
  • Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
    • Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71837 <2>
  • Loving Care Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (111 more) ...
    • Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the La Unione Italiana Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The La Unione Italiana Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Italian Clud Cemetery
      • L'Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979335 <2>
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Centro Espanol Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cemeterio Espanol
      • Centro Espanol Memorial Park Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2355874 <2>

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

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

  • Mango
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Ybor City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Thonotosassa
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Tampa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>
  • Limona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Seffner
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Brandon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Valrico
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Sydney
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Bloomingdale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Port Tampa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Knights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Keene
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
    • Plant City
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Oak Forest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Forest.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Oak Forest:

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 Oak Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.