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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 Rocksprings (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 Rocksprings. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Rocksprings is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Levy, Putnam, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Rocksprings)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocksprings, with the one closest to Rocksprings listed first.
    • York
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • York is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • Chatmire
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Chatmire is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmire
    • Dunnellon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fellowship
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fellowship is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
    • Ocala
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Ocala is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <1>
    • Martin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Martin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Danks Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Heijahs Town ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Heijahs Town is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heijahs Town
    • Fairfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairfield is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
    • Lowell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Belleview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Anthony
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Reddick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Alachua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocksprings, with the one closest to Rocksprings listed first.
    • Evinston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Micanopy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Island Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Archer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocksprings, with the one closest to Rocksprings listed first.
    • Citrus Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Holder
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Pine Ridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Beverly Hills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Hernando
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Black Diamond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Diamond is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
    • Citrus Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Citrus Hills is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Hills
    • Inverness Highlands North
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Inverness
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Lecanto
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Crystal River
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Mannfield ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Mannfield is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannfield
  • Lake County
    • Conant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Conant is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
  • Levy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocksprings, with the one closest to Rocksprings listed first.
    • Morriston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • East Williston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • East Williston is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williston
    • Williston Highlands
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Williston Highlands is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston Highlands
    • Inglis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Williston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Yankeetown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Raleigh
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Raleigh is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
    • Gulf Hammock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Bronson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • East Bronson is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bronson
    • Bronson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Otter Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Meredith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Meredith is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocksprings, with the one closest to Rocksprings listed first.
    • Oxford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wildwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Coleman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • The Villages
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Bay Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bay Hill is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
    • Orange Home
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home

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

Cemeteries Near Rocksprings ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocksprings.

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

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

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

  • Wesley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Johns United Methodist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sonshine Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rockwell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Dunnellon Community Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Episcopal Church of the Advent Memorial Garden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Zion Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Dog Ear Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Burke Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Sand Pond Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (85 more) ...
    • Carter Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Barber Family Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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

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

  • Leroy ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Leroy is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
  • York
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • York is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
  • Cotton Plant
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cotton Plant is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Plant
  • Romeo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Romeo is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
  • Early Bird
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Early Bird is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Early Bird
  • Martel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Martel is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martel
  • Fellowship
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fellowship is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
  • Blitchton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Blitchton is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blitchton
  • Citronelle
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Citronelle is located in Citrus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citronelle
  • Hernando
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Ocala
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ocala is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <1>
  • Kendrick
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kendrick is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendrick
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Martin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Martin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Arlington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Arlington is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Santos
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Santos is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santos

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

Newspapers Published in Rocksprings ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocksprings.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocksprings, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rocksprings.

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 Rocksprings:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Rocksprings) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Rocksprings, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.