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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 Southmere (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 Southmere. 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 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.

Southmere is located in Brevard 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 Brevard County: Indian River, Orange, Osceola & Volusia.

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

  • Brevard County     (The home county of Southmere)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmere, with the one closest to Southmere listed first.
    • Aurantia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
      • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
    • Mims
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Scottsmoor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Titusville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian River City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian River City
      • Indian River City is located in Brevard County
    • Port Saint John
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Saint John
      • Port Saint John is located in Brevard County
    • Sharpes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cocoa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocoa
      • Cocoa is located in Brevard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,694 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cocoa <1>
    • Merritt Island
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Canaveral
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockledge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Angel City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel City
      • Angel City is located in Brevard County
    • Cape Canaveral
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmere, with the one closest to Southmere listed first.
    • Christmas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Bithlo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bithlo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bithlo
      • Bithlo is located in Orange County
    • Wedgefield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wedgefield
      • Wedgefield is located in Orange County
    • Alafaya
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Goldenrod
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Aloma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Azalea Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Winter Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Maitland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Conway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Orange County
    • Lake Hart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hart
      • Lake Hart is located in Orange County
    • Eatonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmere, with the one closest to Southmere listed first.
    • Geneva
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Chuluota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Iowa City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
      • Iowa City is located in Seminole County
    • Oviedo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • 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 <1>
    • Cameron City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron City
      • Cameron City is located in Seminole County
    • Indian Mound Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Mound Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Seminole County
    • Midway
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Seminole County
    • Sanford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winter Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Casselberry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Fern Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lake Mary
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Longwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmere, with the one closest to Southmere listed first.
    • Maytown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
      • Maytown is located in Volusia County
    • Lemon Bluff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Bluff
      • Lemon Bluff is located in Volusia County
    • Oak Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kalamazoo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
      • Kalamazoo is located in Volusia County
    • Osteen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Alamana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamana
      • Alamana is located in Volusia County
    • Ambrose Hull Grant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose Hull Grant
      • Ambrose Hull Grant is located in Volusia County
    • Edgewater
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Glencoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
      • Glencoe is located in Volusia County
    • Mission City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission City
      • Mission City is located in Volusia County
    • New Smyrna Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Deltona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Southmere ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Southmere.

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

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

  • Christmas Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christmas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christmas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chuluota Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chuluota Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chuluota Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Davis Grave Site
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Grave Site
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Grave Site have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crook Family Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Geneva Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Geneva Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Geneva Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sinners Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • St.s & Sinners Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St.s & Sinners Cemetery
    • The St.s & Sinners Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Saints Cemetery
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Rouse Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rouse Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rouse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Slavia Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Slavia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Slavia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clinton Family Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (46 more) ...
    • Osteen Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sea Pines Memorial Gardens
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Aurantia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
    • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
  • Mims
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Turnbull
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnbull have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
    • Turnbull is located in Brevard County
  • Maytown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
    • Maytown is located in Volusia County
  • Titusville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Cow Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cow Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cow Creek
    • Cow Creek is located in Volusia County
  • Oak Hill
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Osteen
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Goldenrod
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Sharpes
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • City Point
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for City Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City Point
    • City Point is located in Brevard County
  • Enterprise
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Winter Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Indianola
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indianola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianola
      • Indianola is located in Brevard County
    • Cocoa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocoa
      • Cocoa is located in Brevard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,694 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cocoa <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Southmere ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Southmere.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Southmere, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Southmere.

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 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 Southmere:

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

The official website for Brevard County: www.brevardcounty.us/

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>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.
<4>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 Southmere, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Southmere) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Southmere. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.6653, Longitude: -80.9562       In this case, the coordinates for Southmere have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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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.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025