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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 Shell Island (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 Shell Island. 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.

Name Variations for Shell Island ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Shell Island: Shell Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Shell Island is located in Wakulla 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 Wakulla County: Franklin, Jefferson, Leon & Liberty.

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

  • Wakulla County     (The home county of Shell Island)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shell Island, with the one closest to Shell Island listed first.
    • Saint Marks
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Wakulla Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Crawfordville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Panacea
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Sopchoppy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Curtis Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtis Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Mill
      • Curtis Mill is located in Wakulla County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shell Island, with the one closest to Shell Island listed first.
    • Saint Teresa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lanark Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Gadsden County
    • Midway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shell Island, with the one closest to Shell Island listed first.
    • Thomas City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomas City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas City
      • Thomas City is located in Jefferson County
    • Wacissa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Waukeenah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lloyd
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Lamont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Leon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shell Island, with the one closest to Shell Island listed first.
    • Woodville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Tallahassee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Capitola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitola
      • Capitola is located in Leon County

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

Cemeteries Near Shell Island ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shell Island.

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

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

  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Magnolia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Magnolia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Raher Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Raher Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Raher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Richardson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richardson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richardson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mays Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mays Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mays Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Walker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Causseaux Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Causseaux Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Causseaux Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stewart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Debra Nell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Debra Nell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Debra Nell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harvey Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harvey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harvey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Duggar Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duggar Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duggar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Council Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Council Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Council Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (57 more) ...
    • Sutton Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sutton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sutton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Raker Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Raker Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Raker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Woodville Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodville Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Woodville.
      • The Woodville Cemetery has also been known as:
      • White Church Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2152016 <4>

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

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

  • Saint Marks
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Newport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Newport is located in Wakulla County
  • Wakulla
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakulla have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakulla
    • Wakulla is located in Wakulla County
  • Crawfordville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Woodville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Sopchoppy
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Tallahassee
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Wacissa
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Chaires
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chaires have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaires
    • Chaires is located in Leon County
  • Curtis Mill
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtis Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Mill
    • Curtis Mill is located in Wakulla County
  • Saint Teresa
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Waylonzo
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waylonzo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waylonzo
    • Waylonzo is located in Taylor County
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Waukeenah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lloyd
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Holland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Leon County

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

Newspapers Published in Shell Island ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shell Island.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shell Island, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shell Island.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Shell Island:

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

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>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 Shell Island, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Shell Island) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shell Island. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.1596, Longitude: -84.2166       In this case, the coordinates for Shell Island have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025