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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 Ranchester (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 Ranchester. 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Ranchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranchester, with the one closest to Ranchester listed first.
    • Indian Mound Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
    • Hampton Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Hampton Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village
    • Woodbriar Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Woodbriar Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbriar Village
    • Bay Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Bay Lake is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
    • Cherry Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Cherry Creek is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
    • North Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • North Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
    • Rolling Green Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Rolling Green Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Green Village
    • Northwood Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Northwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood Village
    • Country Club Village at Carrollwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Sunshine Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Sunshine Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine Village
    • Top of the Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Top of the Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Top of the Village
    • Northdale
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Northdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northdale
      • Northdale has also been known as:
      • Greater Northdale
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northdale <1>
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranchester, with the one closest to Ranchester listed first.
    • Masaryktown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Timber Pines
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Timber Pines is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Pines
    • 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
    • Hernando Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Weeki Wachee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Spring Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • High Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • High Point is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • North Weeki Wachee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • North Weeki Wachee is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weeki Wachee
    • South Brooksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • South Brooksville is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brooksville
    • Weeki Wachee Gardens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Weeki Wachee Gardens is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeki Wachee Gardens
    • Wiscon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Wiscon is located in Hernando County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscon
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranchester, with the one closest to Ranchester listed first.
    • Odessa
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Trinity
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Elfers
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Holiday
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • New Port Richey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Beacon Square
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Beacon Square is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Square
    • Jasmine Estates
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jasmine Estates is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasmine Estates
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranchester, with the one closest to Ranchester listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • East Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • Safety Harbor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Cove Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Cove Springs is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Springs
    • Palm Harbor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Tarpon Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Gandy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Crystal Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Dunedin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Ozona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranchester, with the one closest to Ranchester listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston

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

Cemeteries Near Ranchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ranchester.

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

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

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

  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Robles Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Gan Shalom Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 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>
  • Showmans Rest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 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.
  • Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old) is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old) has also been known as:
    • Old Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2346261 <2>
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Marti Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Centro Espanol Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Espanol Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cemeterio Espanol
    • Centro Espanol Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2355874 <2>
  • Continue List   (95 more) ...
    • La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the La Unione Italiana Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The La Unione Italiana Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Italian Clud Cemetery
      • L'Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979335 <2>
    • Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • The Home Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Home Cemetery
      • The Home Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Oakland 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.<3>

While we didn't find Ranchester in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ranchester.

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

  • Odessa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Tampa
    (9 miles [14.5 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>
  • Keystone Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Ybor City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Ehren
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
  • Thonotosassa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Mango
    (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
  • Seffner
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Tampa
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Brandon
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Richey
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Peru ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Valrico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sydney
      (20 miles [32.2 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 Ranchester. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ranchester.

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 Ranchester:

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