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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 Starkes Ferry (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 Starkes Ferry. 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 Starkes Ferry ...

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 occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Starkes Ferry: Starkes Fry. (or less commonly used: Starkes Frry.)
  • While the name of this community is Starkes Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Starkes Ferry may originally have been Starke's Ferry.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Starkes Ferry might be written as Starke Ferry.

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 and 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.

Starkes Ferry is located in Marion County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marion County: Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Levy, Putnam, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Starkes Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Starkes Ferry, with the one closest to Starkes Ferry listed first.
    • Eastlake Weir
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Weirsdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Ocklawaha
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Electra
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Electra is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • Candler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Summerfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Lynne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
    • Danks Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Silver Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Ocala
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ocala is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <2>
    • Salt Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Starkes Ferry, with the one closest to Starkes Ferry listed first.
    • Carlton Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Carlton Village is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton Village
    • Conant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Conant is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
    • Lady Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lisbon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Orange Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Grand Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mid Florida Lakes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mid Florida Lakes is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid Florida Lakes
    • Lakeview Terrace Retirement Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Umatilla
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Silver Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Fruitland Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Altoona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bassville Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Bassville Park is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Starkes Ferry, with the one closest to Starkes Ferry listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Zellwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Plymouth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Apopka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • South Apopka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
    • Paradise Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
  • Putnam County
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Starkes Ferry, with the one closest to Starkes Ferry listed first.
    • The Villages
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Oxford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Orange Home
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Wildwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Adamsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Coleman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Center Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bushnell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Mabel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Webster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wahoo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wahoo is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Starkes Ferry, with the one closest to Starkes Ferry listed first.
    • Volusia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia
    • Emporia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Emporia is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia
    • Pierson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Highland Park ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Highland Park is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
    • Barberville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Beresford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
    • Fort Florida
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
    • Glenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • De Leon Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • West De Land
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • West De Land is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West De Land
    • Seville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Starkes Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Starkes Ferry.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Starkes Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Starkes Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Simpson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Stanton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lady Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Ocklawaha Community Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Grand Island Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Electra Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Marsh Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Umatilla Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (111 more) ...

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

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

  • Stanton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Stanton is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
  • Conant
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Conant is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
  • Ocklawaha
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lady Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Moss Bluff
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Lisbon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lisbon is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
  • Electra
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
  • Orange Bend
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
  • Grand Island
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Candler
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake Weir ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Lake Weir is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Weir
  • Fruitland Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Umatilla
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Fort Mason
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fort Mason is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Mason
    • Altoona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Starkes Ferry ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Starkes Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Starkes Ferry, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Starkes Ferry.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Starkes Ferry:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Starkes Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Starkes Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.