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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 Orangedale (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 Orangedale. 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 hospitals 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.

Orangedale is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco & Sumter.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Orangedale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Fox Town
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Fox Town is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Town
    • Polk City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Gibsonia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Combee Settlement
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Fussels Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Fussels Corner is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fussels Corner
    • Kathleen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Crystal Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Kossuthville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Kossuthville is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuthville
    • Lakeland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Auburndale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Eaton Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Winston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Richloam ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Richloam is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richloam
    • Ridge Manor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Kings Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
    • Knights
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Plant City Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
    • Plant City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Run
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
    • South Plant City Farms
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
    • Strawberry Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
    • West Plant City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
    • Woodfield Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
    • Parrish
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
    • Kingston City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Kingston City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston City
    • West Plant City Farms
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • West Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City Farms
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Four Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Groveland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clermont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Mascotte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Minneola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Mohawk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mohawk is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Bay Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Lake Buena Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Buena Vista is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Buena Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • ChampionsGate
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
    • Reunion
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Intercession City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Poinciana Place
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
    • Celebration
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Poinciana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Campbell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Campbell is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Richland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Zephyrhills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Dade City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Leo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • San Antonio
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Lacoochee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Moss Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Moss Town is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Town
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Blanton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Blanton is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
    • Trilby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orangedale, with the one closest to Orangedale listed first.
    • Linden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Linden is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
    • Tarrytown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Tarrytown is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarrytown
    • Mabel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel

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

Cemeteries Near Orangedale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orangedale.

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 Orangedale - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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

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

  • Kathleen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lakeland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Auburndale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Green Pond
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Green Pond is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
  • Winter Haven
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Keene
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
  • Knights
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
  • Gordonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Gordonville is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
  • Eagle Lake
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Plant City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Wahneta
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wahneta is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
  • Haines City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Richland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Bartow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Ellerslie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ellerslie is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie

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

Newspapers Published in Orangedale ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orangedale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orangedale, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orangedale.

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 Orangedale:

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 Orangedale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Orangedale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.