RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Seminole County >> Sanford >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Florida

The Commemorative Quarter for Florida





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 Sanford (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 Sanford. 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 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.

Sanford is located in Seminole County and is the County Seat.

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 Seminole County: Lake, Orange & Volusia.

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

  • Seminole County     (The home county of Sanford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanford, with the one closest to Sanford listed first.
    • Midway
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Seminole County
    • Indian Mound Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Mound Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Seminole County
    • Lake Monroe
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cameron City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron City
      • Cameron City is located in Seminole County
    • Lake Mary
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Heathrow
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Winter Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Longwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Casselberry
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Oviedo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oviedo
      • Oviedo is located in Seminole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oviedo <2>
    • Geneva
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Iowa City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
      • Iowa City is located in Seminole County
  • Brevard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanford, with the one closest to Sanford listed first.
    • Aurantia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
      • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
    • Scottsmoor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mims
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanford, with the one closest to Sanford listed first.
    • Cassia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassia
      • Cassia is located in Lake County
    • Pine Lakes
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes
      • Pine Lakes is located in Lake County
    • Mount Plymouth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Plymouth
      • Mount Plymouth is located in Lake County
    • Lake Mack - Forest Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sorrento
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Lake Kathryn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kathryn
      • Lake Kathryn is located in Lake County
    • Acron ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Acron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acron
      • Acron is located in Lake County
    • Paisley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Dora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Lake Jem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jem
      • Lake Jem is located in Lake County
    • Oakland Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
      • Oakland Park is located in Lake County
    • Altoona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanford, with the one closest to Sanford listed first.
    • Aloma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Goldenrod
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Maitland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Winter Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Eatonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Alafaya
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Union Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Fairview Shores
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Shores
      • Fairview Shores is located in Orange County
    • Lockhart
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Azalea Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Apopka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairvilla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanford, with the one closest to Sanford listed first.
    • Enterprise
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Valdez
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
      • Valdez is located in Volusia County
    • De Bary
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fort Florida
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
    • Deltona
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Osteen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lemon Bluff
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Bluff
      • Lemon Bluff is located in Volusia County
    • Orange City Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County
    • Kalamazoo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
      • Kalamazoo is located in Volusia County
    • Orange City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cassadaga
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Lake Helen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sanford ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sanford.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sanford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sanford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sanford.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4> of Sanford.

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 helpful 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 Sanford:

Cemeteries Near Sanford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sanford.

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

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

  • Restlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Sanford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanford Cemetery
  • Oaklawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaklawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaklawn Memorial Park
  • Enterprise Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Garfield Settlement Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garfield Settlement Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garfield Settlement Cemetery
  • Longwood Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Longwood Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Longwood Memorial Gardens
  • Deltona Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • MB Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the MB Church Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the MB Church Cemetery
  • Osteen Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Hollywood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Geneva Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Geneva Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Geneva Cemetery
  • Continue List   (99 more) ...
    • Osteen Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Slavia Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Slavia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Slavia Cemetery
    • Lake Helen - Cassadega Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Helen - Cassadega Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Lake Helen - Cassadega Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Lake Helen - Cassadaga Cemetery
      • Lake Helen - Cassdaga Cemetery
      • Lake Helen - Cassdega Cemetery
      • Lake Helen Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Helen - Cassadega Cemetery

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.<6>

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

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

  • Enterprise
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Osteen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ethel
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ethel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
    • Ethel is located in Lake County
  • Orange City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Fatio
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fatio have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fatio
    • Fatio is located in Volusia County
  • Lake Helen
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Maitland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Goldenrod
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Cassia
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassia
    • Cassia is located in Lake County
  • Eatonville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Winter Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Piedmont
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piedmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
    • Piedmont is located in Orange County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • West De Land
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West De Land
      • West De Land is located in Volusia County
    • Beresford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
    • Crows Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crows Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crows Bluff
      • Crows Bluff is located in Lake County

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

The official website for Sanford: www.ci.sanford.fl.us/

The official website for Seminole County: www.seminolecountyfl.gov/

The official website for State of Florida: 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>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- Sanford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sanford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.8008, Longitude: -81.2731    
<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>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 Sanford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024