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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 Sampson (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 Sampson. 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.

Sampson is located in Bradford 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 Bradford County: Alachua, Baker, Clay, Putnam & Union.

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

  • Bradford County     (The home county of Sampson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Graham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hampton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Starke
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Brooker
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Lawtey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Alachua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Waldo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • La Crosse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Earleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hague
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
      • Hague is located in Alachua County
    • Melrose
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Campville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Campville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campville
      • Campville is located in Alachua County
    • Windsor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Windsor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
      • Windsor is located in Alachua County
    • Burnetts Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnetts Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnetts Lake
      • Burnetts Lake is located in Alachua County
    • Gainesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Alachua
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Rutledge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
      • Rutledge is located in Alachua County
    • Rochelle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rochelle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
      • Rochelle is located in Alachua County
    • Hawthorne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Baker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Sanderson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Olustee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Glen Saint Mary
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • MacClenny
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Kingsley Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley Lake
      • Kingsley Lake is located in Clay County
    • Kingsley Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsley Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley Village
      • Kingsley Village is located in Clay County
    • Keystone Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Geneva
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Middleburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Asbury Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asbury Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Lake
      • Asbury Lake is located in Clay County
    • Penney Farms
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Doctors Inlet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lakeside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
      • Lakeside is located in Clay County
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Lulu
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • McColskey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
    • Watertown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County
    • Fort White
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Duval County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Maxville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
      • Maxville is located in Duval County
    • Baldwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Putnam Hall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Grandin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Florahome
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Edgar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Interlachen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Keuka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keuka. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keuka
      • Keuka is located in Putnam County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
    • Raiford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lake Butler
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Worthington Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Sampson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sampson.

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

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

  • Prescott Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Brown Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<4> to the east of Starke.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71809 <5>
  • Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Sparkman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sparkman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sparkman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72646 <5>
  • Santa Fe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odd Fellows Cemetery came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<6>
    • The Odd Fellows Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Clark Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1135724 <5>
  • Prevatt Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Crosby Lake Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crosby Lake Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Crosby Lake Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Starke.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71876 <5>
  • Rock Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hampton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bob Lov Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • DeSue Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the DeSue Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the DeSue Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2280442 <5>
  • Continue List   (149 more) ...
    • New River Baptist Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dedan Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dedan Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dedan Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Brooker.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71894 <5>
    • McKinney Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<7>

While we didn't find Sampson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sampson.

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

  • New River
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New River
    • New River is located in Bradford County
  • Hampton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Waldo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Theressa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Theressa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theressa
    • Theressa is located in Bradford County
  • Lake Butler
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • La Crosse
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lawtey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Fairbanks
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairbanks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
    • Fairbanks is located in Alachua County
  • Earleton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Kingsley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley
    • Kingsley is located in Clay County
  • Orange Heights
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Heights
    • Orange Heights is located in Alachua County
  • Hague
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
    • Hague is located in Alachua County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Paradise
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
      • Paradise is located in Alachua County
    • Highland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
      • Highland is located in Clay County
    • Newnansville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newnansville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newnansville
      • Newnansville is located in Alachua County

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

Newspapers Published in Sampson ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sampson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sampson, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sampson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Sampson:

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

The official website for Bradford County: www.bradford-co-fla.org/

The official website for State of Florida: https://www.myflorida.com/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sampson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sampson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9166, Longitude: -82.2079       In this case, the coordinates for Sampson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<7>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 Sampson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025