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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 Sumatra (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 Sumatra. 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 northeast 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 north.

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 north 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.

Sumatra is located in Liberty 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 Liberty County: Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Leon & Wakulla.

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

  • Liberty County     (The home county of Sumatra)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sumatra, with the one closest to Sumatra listed first.
    • Central City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Liberty County
    • Estiffanulga
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estiffanulga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estiffanulga
      • Estiffanulga is located in Liberty County
    • Telogia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Hosford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Bay County
    • Mexico Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sumatra, with the one closest to Sumatra listed first.
    • Marysville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
      • Marysville is located in Calhoun County
    • Kinard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • McNeal ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McNeal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeal
      • McNeal is located in Calhoun County
    • Blountstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sumatra, with the one closest to Sumatra listed first.
    • Bay City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
      • Bay City is located in Franklin County
    • Apalachicola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Eastpoint
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Carrabelle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lanark Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Gulf County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sumatra, with the one closest to Sumatra listed first.
    • Wewahitchka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • White City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Gulf County
    • Port Saint Joe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Wakulla County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sumatra, with the one closest to Sumatra listed first.
    • Curtis Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtis Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Mill
      • Curtis Mill is located in Wakulla County
    • Sopchoppy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Sumatra ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sumatra.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sumatra, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sumatra.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Sumatra:

Cemeteries Near Sumatra ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sumatra.

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

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

  • Brown & Smith Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown & Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown & Smith Cemetery
  • Robertson Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robertson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robertson Cemetery
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Cemetery
  • Nixon Garden Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nixon Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nixon Garden Cemetery
  • Orange Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orange Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Cemetery
  • Jehu Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jehu Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jehu Cemetery
  • Williamsburg Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williamsburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williamsburg Cemetery
  • Humility Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Humility Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Humility Cemetery
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Chestnut Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Eastpoint Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Porters Bar Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porters Bar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porters Bar Cemetery
  • Continue List   (22 more) ...
    • Kemp Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kemp Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kemp Cemetery
    • Wetappo Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wetappo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wetappo Cemetery
    • Woods Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woods Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woods Cemetery

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

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

  • Orange
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
    • Orange is located in Liberty County
  • Lewis
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
    • Lewis is located in Liberty County
  • Wewahitchka
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Apalachicola
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Marysville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
    • Marysville is located in Calhoun County
  • Estiffanulga
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estiffanulga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estiffanulga
    • Estiffanulga is located in Liberty County
  • Carrabelle
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith Creek
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smith Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Creek
    • Smith Creek is located in Wakulla County
  • Abe Springs
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abe Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abe Springs
    • Abe Springs is located in Calhoun County
  • Curtis Mill
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtis Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Mill
    • Curtis Mill is located in Wakulla County
  • Bristol
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Sopchoppy
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Blountstown
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

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

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>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- Sumatra) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sumatra. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.0203, Longitude: -84.9796    
<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 Sumatra, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024