RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Miami-Dade County >> South Miami >> 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 South Miami (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 Miami. 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 Miami ...

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 Miami: S. Miami

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 hospitals 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 Miami is located in Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County: Broward, Collier & Monroe.

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

  • Miami-Dade County     (The home county of South Miami)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Miami, with the one closest to South Miami listed first.
    • Coral Gables
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Ludlam
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinecrest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinecrest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecrest
      • Pinecrest is located in Miami-Dade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,006 people
      • Pinecrest has also been known as:
      • Pinecrest village
    • Glenvar Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Coral Terrace
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Terrace
      • Coral Terrace is located in Miami-Dade County
    • West Miami
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Miami have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Miami
      • West Miami is located in Miami-Dade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,749 people
    • Coral Way Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral Way Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Way Village
      • Coral Way Village is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Gables by the Sea
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Sunset
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Westchester
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westchester
      • Westchester is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Olympia Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Fountainebleau
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountainebleau have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainebleau
      • Fountainebleau is located in Miami-Dade County
  • Broward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Miami, with the one closest to South Miami listed first.
    • Lake Forest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Forest
      • Lake Forest is located in Broward County
    • Miami Gardens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Miramar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Carver Ranches
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carver Ranches have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carver Ranches
      • Carver Ranches is located in Broward County
    • Pembroke Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Pembroke Pines
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Utopia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utopia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
      • Utopia is located in Broward County
    • West Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Park
      • West Park is located in Broward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,038 people
    • West Hollywood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hallandale Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hallandale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallandale came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallandale
      • Hallandale is located in Broward County
    • Hollywood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Monroe County
    • North Key Largo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Key Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Key Largo
      • North Key Largo is located in Monroe County

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

Cemeteries Near South Miami ...

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

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

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

  • Miami Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Star of David Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Star of David Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Star of David Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Park Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graceland Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Flagler Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flagler Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flagler Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Park Cemetery South
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pine Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Lawn Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dade South Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dade South Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dade South Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pinelawn Memorial
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinelawn Memorial
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinelawn Memorial have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Lakeside Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memorial Park
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • City Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the City Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Miami City Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)

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

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

  • Cutler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutler
    • Cutler is located in Miami-Dade County
  • Miami
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of South Miami ...

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 267 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Miami.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of South Miami. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of South Miami and those printed in the larger area surrounding South Miami.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<6> of South Miami.

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 South Miami:

The official website for South Miami: www.cityofsouthmiami.net/

The official website for Miami-Dade County: www.miamidade.gov/

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>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.
<3>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.
<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 Miami, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- South Miami) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Miami. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 25.7043, Longitude: -80.2898    









 

Copyright 2025
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: 28 Mar 2025