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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 Sparkman (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 Sparkman. 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 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.

Sparkman is located in Charlotte 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 Charlotte County: DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Lee & Sarasota.

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

  • Charlotte County     (The home county of Sparkman)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • Cleveland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbour Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbour Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Heights
      • Harbour Heights is located in Charlotte County
    • Solana
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solana
      • Solana is located in Charlotte County
    • Harbor View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
      • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
    • Punta Gorda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Charlotte Harbor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Charlotte Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlotte Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte Park
      • Charlotte Park is located in Charlotte County
    • Fishermens Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishermens Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishermens Village
      • Fishermens Village is located in Charlotte County
    • Port Charlotte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Murdock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • El Jobean
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • DeSoto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • Nocatee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fort Ogden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Arcadia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Calvinia ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
      • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
  • Glades County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • Palmdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Hall City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hall City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hall City
      • Hall City is located in Glades County
  • Hendry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • La Belle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Port La Belle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port La Belle
      • Port La Belle is located in Hendry County
  • Highlands County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • Venus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Placid Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Placid Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placid Lakes
      • Placid Lakes is located in Highlands County
    • Archbold
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archbold
      • Archbold is located in Highlands County
    • Lake Placid
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparkman, with the one closest to Sparkman listed first.
    • Olga
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
      • Olga is located in Lee County
    • Fort Myers Shores
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Myers Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Myers Shores
      • Fort Myers Shores is located in Lee County
    • Upcohall ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Upcohall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upcohall
      • Upcohall is located in Lee County
    • Alva
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Slater
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slater
      • Slater is located in Lee County
    • Buckingham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
      • Buckingham is located in Lee County
    • Charleston Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston Park
      • Charleston Park is located in Lee County
    • Samville ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Samville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samville
      • Samville is located in Lee County
    • Suncoast Estates
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suncoast Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suncoast Estates
      • Suncoast Estates is located in Lee County
    • Morse Shores
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Shores
      • Morse Shores is located in Lee County
    • Tice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Palmona Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmona Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmona Park
      • Palmona Park is located in Lee County
    • North Fort Myers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Manatee County
    • Sandy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Manatee County

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

Newspapers Published in Sparkman ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sparkman.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sparkman, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sparkman.

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 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 Sparkman:

Cemeteries Near Sparkman ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sparkman.

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

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

  • Joshua Creek Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joshua Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joshua Creek Cemetery
  • Hull Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hull Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hull Cemetery
  • Ogden Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ogden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ogden Cemetery
  • Ft. Ogden Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Ogden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Ogden Cemetery
  • Cleveland Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cleveland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cleveland Cemetery
  • Owens Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Owens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Owens Cemetery
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
  • Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens
  • Alva Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Indian Springs Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Springs Cemetery
  • Lamp Grounds Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lamp Grounds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lamp Grounds Cemetery
  • Ft. Denaud Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Denaud Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Denaud Cemetery
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Buckingham Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Prospect Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Coral Ridge Gardens
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coral Ridge Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coral Ridge Gardens

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

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

  • Nocatee
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fort Ogden
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Cleveland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Charlotte County
  • Arcadia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Harbor View
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
    • Harbor View is located in Charlotte County
  • Punta Gorda
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Alva
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Buckingham
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Buckingham is located in Lee County
  • Charlotte Harbor
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Calvinia ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvinia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvinia
    • Calvinia is located in DeSoto County
  • Pine Level
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pine Level is located in DeSoto County
  • Crewsville
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crewsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crewsville
    • Crewsville is located in Hardee County

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

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

The official website for Charlotte County: www.charlottecountyfl.com/

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sparkman) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sparkman. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.0064, Longitude: -81.7115       In this case, the coordinates for Sparkman have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Sparkman, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024