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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 Osceola (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 Osceola. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Osceola is located in Seminole 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 Seminole County: Lake, Orange & Volusia.

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

  • Seminole County     (The home county of Osceola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osceola, with the one closest to Osceola listed first.
    • Geneva
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Iowa City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Iowa City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
    • Cameron City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Cameron City is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron City
    • Indian Mound Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
    • Midway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Midway is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Chuluota
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Oviedo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Oviedo is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oviedo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oviedo <1>
    • Sanford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Winter Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Mary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lake Monroe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Casselberry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Brevard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osceola, with the one closest to Osceola listed first.
    • Scottsmoor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Aurantia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
    • Turnbull
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Turnbull is located in Brevard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
    • Mims
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Titusville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian River City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Indian River City is located in Brevard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian River City
    • Port Saint John
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Port Saint John is located in Brevard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Saint John
    • Sharpes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osceola, with the one closest to Osceola listed first.
    • Ethel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Ethel is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Pine Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Lakes is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes
    • Cassia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Cassia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassia
    • Lake Mack - Forest Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Plymouth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Mount Plymouth is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Plymouth
    • Lake Kathryn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Kathryn is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kathryn
    • Sorrento
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osceola, with the one closest to Osceola listed first.
    • Bithlo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Bithlo is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bithlo
    • Christmas
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Alafaya
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Goldenrod
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Aloma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wedgefield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Wedgefield is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wedgefield
    • Maitland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Winter Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Azalea Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Eatonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairview Shores is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Shores
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osceola, with the one closest to Osceola listed first.
    • Cow Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Cow Creek is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cow Creek
    • Kalamazoo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Kalamazoo is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
    • Lemon Bluff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Lemon Bluff is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Bluff
    • Maytown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Maytown is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
    • Osteen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Alamana
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Alamana is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamana
    • Enterprise
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ambrose Hull Grant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ambrose Hull Grant is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose Hull Grant
    • Deltona
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgewater
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rogers ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Rogers is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers

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

Cemeteries Near Osceola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Osceola.

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

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

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

  • Geneva Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Davis Grave Site
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Osteen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Osteen Memorial Gardens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Chuluota Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Garfield Settlement Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • St.s & Sinners Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St.s & Sinners Cemetery
    • The St.s & Sinners Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Saints Cemetery
  • Sinners Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Clinton Family Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Restlawn Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Sanford Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (68 more) ...
    • Slavia Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Enterprise Evergreen Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise Evergreen Cemetery
      • The Enterprise Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Enterprise Cemetery
      • Evergreen Cemetery
    • Deep Creek Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Creek Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Deep Creek Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the east of Cassadaga.

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

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

  • Cow Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cow Creek is located in Volusia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cow Creek
  • Maytown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Maytown is located in Volusia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
  • Osteen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Aurantia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
  • Enterprise
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Turnbull
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Turnbull is located in Brevard County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
  • Oak Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Mims
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Glencoe
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Glencoe is located in Volusia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
  • Lake Helen
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Goldenrod
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Orange City
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Titusville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • New Smyrna ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • New Smyrna is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Smyrna
    • Fatio
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Fatio is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fatio

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

Newspapers Published in Osceola ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Osceola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Osceola, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Osceola.

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 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 Osceola:

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 '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- Osceola) 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 Osceola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.