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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 Ocala Waterway (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 Ocala Waterway. 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 hospitals and 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.

Ocala Waterway 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 Ocala Waterway. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ocala Waterway:

  • Marion County     (The home county of Ocala Waterway)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Danks Corner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Belleview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ocala
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • York
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • York is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Summerfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Candler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Silver Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fellowship
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Fellowship is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
    • Martin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Martin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Chatmire
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Chatmire is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmire
    • Anthony
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Alachua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Island Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Evinston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Micanopy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Hernando
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Holder
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Citrus Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Inverness Highlands North
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Beverly Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Citrus Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Citrus Hills is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Hills
    • Pine Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Black Diamond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Diamond is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Floral City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lecanto
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Istachatta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Nobleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Conant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Conant is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
    • Lady Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Carlton Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Carlton Village is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton Village
    • Fruitland Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Montclair
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Montclair is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
    • Whitney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Whitney is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Leesburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lisbon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Orange Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Okahumpka
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Sunnyside
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunnyside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
  • Levy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Morriston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • East Williston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • East Williston is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williston
    • Williston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Williston Highlands
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Williston Highlands is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston Highlands
    • Inglis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Raleigh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Raleigh is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocala Waterway, with the one closest to Ocala Waterway listed first.
    • Oxford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • The Villages
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Wildwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Coleman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Orange Home
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Adamsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Sumterville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Bay Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Bay Hill is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
    • Wahoo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Wahoo is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
    • Bushnell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ocala Waterway ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ocala Waterway.

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 Ocala Waterway - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Fisher Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Olivet Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Forest Lawn Memory Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Episcopal Church of the Advent Memorial Garden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Burrell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Watula Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Forest Hills Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Agnew Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Tucker Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Crum Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (96 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Greenwood Cemetery Section
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Highland Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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>

While we didn't find Ocala Waterway in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ocala Waterway.

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

  • Santos
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Santos is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santos
  • Martel
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Martel is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martel
  • Belleview
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Ocala
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • York
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • York is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
  • Montague
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Montague is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
  • Leroy ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Leroy is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
  • Summerfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Cotton Plant
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cotton Plant is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Plant
  • Lake Weir ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Lake Weir is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Weir
  • Kendrick
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Kendrick is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendrick
  • Royal
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Royal is located in Sumter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Oxford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fellowship
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Fellowship is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
    • Candler
      (13 miles [20.9 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 Ocala Waterway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ocala Waterway.

Newspapers Published in Ocala Waterway ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ocala Waterway.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ocala Waterway, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ocala Waterway.

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 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 Ocala Waterway:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ocala Waterway) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Ocala Waterway, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.