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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 Ridgway (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 Ridgway. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Ridgway)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridgway, with the one closest to Ridgway listed first.
    • Catherine City
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Catherine City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine City
    • Kirby Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Kirby Creek is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirby Creek
    • Richardsons Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Richardsons Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardsons Village
    • Wellswood
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Wellswood is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellswood
    • Drew Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Drew Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drew Park
    • West Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • West Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Park
    • Citrus Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Citrus Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Park
    • Evelyn City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Evelyn City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evelyn City
    • Carroll City Center
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Carroll City Center is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll City Center
    • Carroll City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Carroll City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll City
    • Mullis City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Mullis City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullis City
    • Forest Hills Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Hills Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills Village
    • Cedarwood Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedarwood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarwood Village
  • Hernando County
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridgway, with the one closest to Ridgway listed first.
    • Parrish
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Terra Ceia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridgway, with the one closest to Ridgway listed first.
    • Odessa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Trinity
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Holiday
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Elfers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Beacon Square
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Beacon Square is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Square
    • New Port Richey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Crystal Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Jasmine Estates
      (23 miles [37 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 Ridgway, with the one closest to Ridgway listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Gandy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Safety Harbor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • East Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • High Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • South Highpoint
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Four Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Lealman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Pinellas Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunedin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Ozona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridgway, with the one closest to Ridgway listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Nichols
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • 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 Ridgway, see our County-by-County Page for Ridgway.

Cemeteries Near Ridgway ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ridgway.

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

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Marti Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
  • Showmans Rest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • American Legion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Centro Espanol Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 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>
  • La Unione Italiana Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 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>
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jackson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • The Home Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • 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 Ridgway in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ridgway.

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

  • Tampa
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Port Tampa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Mango
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Odessa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Limona
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Thonotosassa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Brandon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Seffner
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Keystone Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Valrico
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Bloomingdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Sydney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Ehren
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Ehren is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren

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

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 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 Ridgway:

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