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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 Riverranch Preserve (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 Riverranch Preserve. 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 and doctors 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Riverranch Preserve)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • Sun City Center
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Wimauma
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Freedom Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
    • Bayou Pass Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayou Pass Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou Pass Village
    • Montero Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Montero Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montero Village
    • Park Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Park Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
    • Ruskin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Balm
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gulf City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Apollo Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgewater Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgewater Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater Village
    • Golf and Sea Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Golf and Sea Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golf and Sea Village
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • Ona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bowling Green
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • Parrish
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Duette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Waterbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Ellenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Memphis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Terra Ceia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lakewood Ranch
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Palmetto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Verna
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Verna is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
    • Bradenton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • West Samoset
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
    • Oneco
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • Saint Petersburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gandy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Gulfport
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Tierra Verde
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • South Pasadena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
    • Kenneth City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinellas Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Feather Sound
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Petersburg Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Treasure Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bay Pines
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Bradley Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Nichols
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Mulberry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Medulla
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverranch Preserve, with the one closest to Riverranch Preserve listed first.
    • The Meadows
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Desoto Lakes
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
    • Kensington Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Kensington Park is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington Park
    • North Sarasota
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
    • Fruitville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pinecraft
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Sarasota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Lake Sarasota is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Sarasota
    • Sarasota Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Sarasota Springs is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarasota Springs
    • Sarasota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Southgate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Southgate is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate
    • Bee Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
    • South Gate Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • South Gate Ridge is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Ridge
    • Ridge Wood Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ridge Wood Heights is located in Sarasota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Wood Heights

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

Cemeteries Near Riverranch Preserve ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Riverranch Preserve.

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 Riverranch Preserve - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Ruskin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Fortner Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Keen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Samford Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Mansion Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • 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
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Skyway Memorial Gardens
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Braden River Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the southwest of Bradley Junction.
    • The Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Lithia Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Major Adams Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Adams & Rogers Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams & Rogers Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Adams & Rogers Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Bradenton.
      • The Adams & Rogers Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Adams Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1989096 <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 Riverranch Preserve in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Riverranch Preserve.

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

  • Gulf City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Rye
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Rye is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
  • Erie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Erie is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Ellenton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Terra Ceia
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Manatee
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Manatee is located in Manatee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
  • Palmetto
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bloomingdale
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Bradenton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Port Tampa
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Brandon
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Palma Sola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Keysville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Valrico
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Riverranch Preserve ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Riverranch Preserve.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Riverranch Preserve, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Riverranch Preserve.

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 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 Riverranch Preserve:

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Riverranch Preserve) 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 Riverranch Preserve, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.