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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 Renaissance (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 Renaissance. 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 and hospitals 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.

Renaissance is located in Lee County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lee County: Charlotte, Collier, Glades & Hendry.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Renaissance)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renaissance, with the one closest to Renaissance listed first.
    • Gateway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gateway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateway
      • Gateway is located in Lee County
    • Page Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page Park
      • Page Park is located in Lee County
    • Pine Manor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Manor
      • Pine Manor is located in Lee County
    • Villas
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villas
      • Villas is located in Lee County
    • San Carlos Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Carlos Park
      • San Carlos Park is located in Lee County
    • Three Oaks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Oaks
      • Three Oaks is located in Lee County
    • Forest Island Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Island Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Island Park
      • Forest Island Park is located in Lee County
    • Biggar
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Whiskey Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiskey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiskey Creek
      • Whiskey Creek is located in Lee County
    • East Dunbar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dunbar
      • East Dunbar is located in Lee County
    • Cypress Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Lake
      • Cypress Lake is located in Lee County
    • McGregor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGregor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
      • McGregor is located in Lee County
    • Estero
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renaissance, with the one closest to Renaissance listed first.
    • Charlotte Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlotte Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte Park
      • Charlotte Park is located in Charlotte County
    • Cleveland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Fishermens Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishermens Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishermens Village
      • Fishermens Village is located in Charlotte County
    • Punta Gorda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Solana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solana
      • Solana is located in Charlotte County
  • Collier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renaissance, with the one closest to Renaissance listed first.
    • Barefoot Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barefoot Beach
      • Barefoot Beach is located in Collier County
    • Naples Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Vanderbilt Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Pelican Bay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Pine Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Pine Ridge is located in Collier County
    • North Naples
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Naples have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Naples
      • North Naples is located in Collier County
    • Vineyards
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vineyards have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyards
      • Vineyards is located in Collier County
    • Orangetree
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangetree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangetree
      • Orangetree is located in Collier County
    • Immokalee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Golden Gate
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Ave Maria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • East Naples
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Naples have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Naples
      • East Naples is located in Collier County
    • Naples
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Hendry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renaissance, with the one closest to Renaissance listed first.
    • Felda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • La Belle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sears ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sears. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
      • Sears is located in Hendry County
    • Port La Belle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port La Belle
      • Port La Belle is located in Hendry County

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

Cemeteries Near Renaissance ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Renaissance.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Memorial Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ft. Myers Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Calvary Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Ft. Myers Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Frierson - Hendry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hendry Frierson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Koreshan Cemetery #2
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Lehigh Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lehigh Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lehigh Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buckingham Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Prospect Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Coral Ridge Gardens
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coral Ridge Gardens
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coral Ridge Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

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

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

  • Buckingham
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Punta Rassa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Punta Rassa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Punta Rassa
    • Punta Rassa is located in Lee County
  • Sanibel
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Alva
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint James City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Naples
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Renaissance ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Renaissance.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Renaissance, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Renaissance.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Renaissance:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Renaissance. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Lee County: www.lee-county.com/

The official website for State of Florida: https://www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Renaissance, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Renaissance) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Renaissance. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.5486, Longitude: -81.8025       In this case, the coordinates for Renaissance have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025