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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 Rainforest East (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 Rainforest East. 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Rainforest East)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Lake Keen
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Lake Keen is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Keen
    • Florida Townsend Colony
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Lutz
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Brant Lake Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Brant Lake Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake Village
    • Lake Brooker Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Brooker Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Brooker Village
    • Kambridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Kambridge is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kambridge
    • Lake Sapphire Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Lake Sapphire Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sapphire Village
    • Yocam Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Yocam Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yocam Village
    • Heritage Harbor Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Indian Mound Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
    • Northwood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Northwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood Village
    • Woodbriar Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodbriar Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbriar Village
    • Cheval Wimbledon Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Masaryktown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Weeki Wachee Acres
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Weeki Wachee Acres is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeki Wachee Acres
    • Timber Pines
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Timber Pines is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Pines
    • Spring Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • South Brooksville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • South Brooksville is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brooksville
    • Weeki Wachee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hernando Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Brookridge is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookridge
    • High Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • High Point is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Hill 'n Dale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Hill 'n Dale is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill 'n Dale
    • Wiscon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Wiscon is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscon
    • Brooksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Land O' Lakes
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Odessa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Trinity
      (14 miles [22.5 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
    • Saint Leo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio
      (17 miles [27.4 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>
    • Zephyrhills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Elfers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Holiday
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
    • Safety Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Cove Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Cove Springs is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Springs
    • Palm Harbor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Tarpon Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Crystal Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Ozona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Dunedin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Feather Sound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gandy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • High Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainforest East, with the one closest to Rainforest East listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Gibsonia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Lakeland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Nichols
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak

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

Cemeteries Near Rainforest East ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rainforest East.

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 Rainforest East - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Gan Shalom Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Robles Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Carmel Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the north of Land O' Lakes.
    • The Mt. Carmel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ehren African American Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2319666 <2>
  • Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • The Home Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Home Cemetery
    • The Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oakland Cemetery
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 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
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (106 more) ...
    • Rose Hill Memorial Park
      (10 miles [16.1 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
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
      • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <2>

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

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

  • Odessa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Ehren
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
  • Thonotosassa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Tampa
    (11 miles [17.7 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>
  • Ybor City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Keystone Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Mango
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Seffner
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Limona
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Brandon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Keene
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
  • Saint Leo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • San Antonio
      (17 miles [27.4 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>
    • Valrico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Sydney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Rainforest East:

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rainforest East) 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 Rainforest East, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.