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 Providence (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 Providence. 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 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.
Providence 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 Providence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Providence:
- Polk County (The home county of Providence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Fox Town
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Fox Town is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Town
- Gibsonia
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Gibsonia is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
- Kathleen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Acton ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Acton is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
- Lakeland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Combee Settlement
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
- Winston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Winston is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
- Polk City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Crystal Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Fussels Corner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fussels Corner is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fussels Corner
- Eaton Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kossuthville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kossuthville is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuthville
- Hernando County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Richloam ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Richloam is located in Hernando County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richloam
- Ridge Manor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Hillsborough County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Colonial Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Knights
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Knights is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
- Kings Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
- Cedar Run
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
- Plant City Heights
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Plant City Heights is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City Heights
- Plant City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Strawberry Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
- South Plant City Farms
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
- Woodfield Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
- West Plant City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
- Kingston City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kingston City is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston City
- Parrish
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Four Corners
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Groveland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Mascotte
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Clermont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Orange County
- Bay Lake
(29 miles [46.7 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
- Osceola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- ChampionsGate
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- ChampionsGate is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for ChampionsGate
- Reunion
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Intercession City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Poinciana Place
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Poinciana Place is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poinciana Place
- Celebration
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Poinciana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Pasco County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Crystal Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
- Richland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Richland is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Zephyrhills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Dade City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Leo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- San Antonio
(22 miles [35.4 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>
- Wesley Chapel South
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
- Wesley Chapel
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Blanton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Blanton is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
- Lacoochee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Moss Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Moss Town is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Town
- Trilby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence 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
- Bucker Womans Town ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bucker Womans Town is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucker Womans Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Providence, see our County-by-County Page for Providence.
Cemeteries Near Providence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Providence.
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 Providence - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Providence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Socrum Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Socrum Cemetery
- The Socrum Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethel Baptist Cemetery
- Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #521310 <2>
- Carpenters Home Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Griffin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin Cemetery
- The Griffin Cemetery has also been known as:
- Galloway Cemetery
- Sleepy Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72061 <2>
- Serenity Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Home Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Stephenson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lakeview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Roselawn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tiger Flowers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Collins Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gapway Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (121 more) ...
- Glen Abbey Memorial Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lakeland Memorial Gardens
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery is located 17 miles [27.4 km]<3> to the north of Lakeland.
- The Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hancock - Raulerson Cemetery
- Little Flock Church Cemetery
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 Providence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Providence.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
- Kathleen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Keene
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Keene is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
- Knights
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Knights is located in Hillsborough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
- Green Pond
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Green Pond is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Auburndale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Plant City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Richland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Richland is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Ellerslie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ellerslie is located in Pasco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie
- Gordonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gordonville is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
- Eagle Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Winter Haven
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Sydney
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bartow
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wahneta
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wahneta is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahneta
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Providence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Providence.
Newspapers Published in Providence ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Providence.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Providence, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Providence.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Providence:
- Websites specific to Florida
- Pages specific to Polk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hernando County
- Hillsborough County
- Lake County
- Orange County
- Osceola County
- Pasco County
- Sumter County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Florida
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- Providence) 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 Providence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |