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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 Riviera Lagoons (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 Riviera Lagoons. 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 and doctors 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.

Riviera Lagoons is located in Charlotte 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 Charlotte County: DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Lee & Sarasota.

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

  • Charlotte County     (The home county of Riviera Lagoons)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riviera Lagoons, with the one closest to Riviera Lagoons listed first.
    • Charlotte Park
      (3 miles [4.8 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
    • Solana
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Fishermens Village
      (4 miles [6.4 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
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cleveland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbor View
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Harbour Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbour Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Heights
      • Harbour Heights is located in Charlotte County
    • Port Charlotte
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Murdock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • El Jobean
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Placida
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • DeSoto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riviera Lagoons, with the one closest to Riviera Lagoons listed first.
    • Fort Ogden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Nocatee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Arcadia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riviera Lagoons, with the one closest to Riviera Lagoons listed first.
    • Burnt Store Marina
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnt Store Marina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Store Marina
      • Burnt Store Marina is located in Lee County
    • Slater
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Slater. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slater
      • Slater is located in Lee County
    • Suncoast Estates
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suncoast Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suncoast Estates
      • Suncoast Estates is located in Lee County
    • Palmona Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmona Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmona Park
      • Palmona Park is located in Lee County
    • Samville ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Samville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samville
      • Samville is located in Lee County
    • Bokeelia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Fort Myers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lochmoor Waterway Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochmoor Waterway Estates
      • Lochmoor Waterway Estates is located in Lee County
    • Matlacha Isles - Matlacha Shores
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Matlacha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pineland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Boca Grande
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Manatee County
    • Sandy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Manatee County
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riviera Lagoons, with the one closest to Riviera Lagoons listed first.
    • North Port
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Warm Mineral Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Englewood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Plantation
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantation
      • Plantation is located in Sarasota County
    • South Venice
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Venice Gardens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venice Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venice Gardens
      • Venice Gardens is located in Sarasota County
    • Shiney Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiney Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiney Town
      • Shiney Town is located in Sarasota County

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

Cemeteries Near Riviera Lagoons ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Riviera Lagoons.

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 Riviera Lagoons covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Springs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cleveland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cleveland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cleveland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Restlawn Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ft. Ogden Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Ogden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Ogden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coral Ridge Gardens
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • 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.
  • Ogden Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ogden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ogden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Hull Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hull Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hull Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coral Ridge Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Calvary Gardens
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Ft. Myers Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Frierson - Hendry Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hendry Frierson Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)

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

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

  • Punta Gorda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cleveland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
  • Harbor View
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
  • Charlotte Harbor
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fort Ogden
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Nocatee
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Grove City
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Buckingham
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Arcadia
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Saint James City
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Alva
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Level
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
  • Sandy
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
    • Sandy is located in Manatee County
  • Punta Rassa
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • 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

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

Newspapers Published in Riviera Lagoons ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Riviera Lagoons.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Riviera Lagoons, 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 Riviera Lagoons.

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 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 Riviera Lagoons:

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

The official website for Charlotte County: www.charlottecountyfl.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 Riviera Lagoons, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Riviera Lagoons) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Riviera Lagoons. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.8828, Longitude: -82.0029       In this case, the coordinates for Riviera Lagoons have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025