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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 River Rapids (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 River Rapids. 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 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of River Rapids)
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Rapids, with the one closest to River Rapids listed first.
    • Indian Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Indian Hills is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
    • Countryside Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Countryside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Parkside Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Parkside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside Village
    • Fish Hawk
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Fish Hawk is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Hawk
    • Bloomingdale Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Bloomingdale Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale Village
    • Bloomingdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Riverview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Brandon Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Brandon Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Boyette
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Boyette is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyette
    • Summerfield Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
    • East Bay Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • East Bay Lakes is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bay Lakes
    • Brandon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Rapids, with the one closest to River Rapids listed first.
    • Duette
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Parrish
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Terra Ceia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Waterbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Ellenton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Memphis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Palmetto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Rapids, with the one closest to River Rapids listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Zephyrhills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Odessa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Rapids, with the one closest to River Rapids listed first.
    • Gandy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Saint Petersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • High Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Pinellas Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Oldsmar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Gulfport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Kenneth City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • South Highpoint
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Rapids, with the one closest to River Rapids listed first.
    • Nichols
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Bradley Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Mulberry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Medulla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Winston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Kathleen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Eaton Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near River Rapids ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of River Rapids.

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 River Rapids - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hackney Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <2>
  • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Samford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Limona Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Limona Cemetery is located in Brandon.
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mathews Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Hunter Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Loving Care Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Blue Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (104 more) ...
    • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rodeph Sholom Cemetery is located in Tampa.
      • The Rodeph Sholom Cemetery has also been known as:
      • New Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
      • Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2500750 <2>
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Orange Hill Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Bloomingdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Valrico
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Brandon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Limona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Mango
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Seffner
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Sydney
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Keysville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
  • Ybor City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Tampa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Plant City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Thonotosassa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Gulf City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Port Tampa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 River Rapids:

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- River Rapids) 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 River Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.