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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 South Fork (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 South Fork. 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 South Fork ...

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 South Fork: S. Fork

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

South Fork is located in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of South Fork)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Summerfield Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Village
      • Summerfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Stelling Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stelling Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stelling Village
      • Stelling Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Adamsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
      • Adamsville is located in Hillsborough County
    • East Bay Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bay Lakes
      • East Bay Lakes is located in Hillsborough County
    • Balm
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress Creek Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek Village
      • Cypress Creek Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Edgewater Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewater Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater Village
      • Edgewater Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Countryside Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Countryside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
      • Countryside Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Garden City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Gibsonton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Freedom Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freedom Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
      • Freedom Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Apollo Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Parrish
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Duette
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Terra Ceia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellenton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Memphis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
    • Waterbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Waterbury is located in Manatee County
    • Palmetto
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Bradenton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samoset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
    • Lakewood Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Oneco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Palma Sola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
    • Odessa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Gandy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gandy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
    • Saint Petersburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lealman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
    • Feather Sound
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Gulfport
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Pinellas Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Kenneth City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • High Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
    • Saint Pete Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • South Highpoint
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Highpoint have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
    • South Pasadena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Pasadena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pasadena
      • South Pasadena is located in Pinellas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,067 people
    • Tierra Verde
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Nichols
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Oak
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brewster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
    • Mulberry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medulla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
    • Winston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
      • Winston is located in Polk County
    • Lyle Corner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyle Corner
      • Lyle Corner is located in Polk County
    • Lakeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Armour ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Armour. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
      • Armour is located in Polk County
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
      • Acton is located in Polk County
    • Eaton Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Sarasota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Fork, with the one closest to South Fork listed first.
    • Desoto Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Desoto Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto Lakes
      • Desoto Lakes is located in Sarasota County
    • The Meadows
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
      • The Meadows is located in Sarasota County
    • North Sarasota
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Sarasota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sarasota
      • North Sarasota is located in Sarasota County

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

Cemeteries Near South Fork ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Fork.

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

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

  • Samford Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hackney Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <4>
  • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Ruskin Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruskin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruskin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruskin Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruskin Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Commemorative Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Commemorative Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lithia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lithia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillsboro Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Limona Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Limona Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Limona Cemetery is located in Brandon.
  • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <4>
  • Orange Hill Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Orange Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72409 <4>
  • Continue List   (94 more) ...
    • Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Centro Espanol Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Centro Espanol Cemetery
      • Memorial Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71837 <4>
    • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <4>
    • Rose Hill Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peru have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
  • Bloomingdale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
  • Gulf City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
  • Brandon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Valrico
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Limona
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Limona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
  • Mango
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Port Tampa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Port Tampa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
  • Keysville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
  • Ybor City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ybor City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
  • Tampa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
    • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <2>
  • Sydney
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Seffner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Erie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Erie is located in Manatee County
    • Rye
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rye have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
      • Rye is located in Manatee County

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

Newspapers Published in South Fork ...

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 2 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Fork.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Fork, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Fork.

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 South Fork:

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

The official website for Hillsborough County: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/

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 South Fork, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Fork) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Fork. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.7841, Longitude: -82.3207       In this case, the coordinates for South Fork have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025