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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 Park 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 Park 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.

Name Variations for Park Forest ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Park Forest: Park Frst.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Park Forest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Park Forest.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Park Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Forest, with the one closest to Park Forest listed first.
    • Lake Keen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Lake Keen is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Keen
    • Brant Lake Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Brant Lake Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake Village
    • Kambridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Kambridge is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kambridge
    • John Knox Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • John Knox Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Knox Village
    • University
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • University is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
    • Northwood Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Northwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood Village
    • Woodbriar Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodbriar Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbriar Village
    • Florida Townsend Colony
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Lake Sapphire Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Sapphire Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sapphire Village
    • Lake Magdalene
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Magdalene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Magdalene
    • Hampton Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Hampton Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village
    • Indian Mound Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Forest, with the one closest to Park Forest listed first.
    • Masaryktown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Spring Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • Weeki Wachee Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Weeki Wachee Acres is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeki Wachee Acres
    • Timber Pines
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Timber Pines is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Pines
    • Hill 'n Dale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hill 'n Dale is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill 'n Dale
    • South Brooksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • South Brooksville is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brooksville
    • Weeki Wachee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Wiscon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Wiscon is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscon
    • Hernando Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Brookridge is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookridge
    • Brooksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Forest, with the one closest to Park Forest listed first.
    • Land O' Lakes
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Odessa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Trinity
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Crystal Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Zephyrhills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Elfers
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Holiday
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Forest, with the one closest to Park Forest listed first.
    • East Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • Oldsmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Tarpon Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Gandy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Cove Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Cove Springs is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Springs
    • Palm Harbor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • High Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Crystal Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Dunedin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Forest, with the one closest to Park Forest listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Gibsonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Nichols
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Lakeland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton

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

Cemeteries Near Park Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Park 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 Park Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Gan Shalom Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Robles Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Rose Hill Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Orange Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (110 more) ...
    • Showmans Rest Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Beth Israel Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beth Israel Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Beth Israel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Beth Israel Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2425075 <2>
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodlawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.

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

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

  • Thonotosassa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Ybor City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Odessa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Tampa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Ehren
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
  • Mango
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Seffner
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Limona
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Keystone Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Brandon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Valrico
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sydney
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Keene
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
    • Port Tampa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Peru ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru

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

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