RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Marion County >> Sunset Harbor >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Sunset Harbor (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 Sunset Harbor. 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 Sunset Harbor ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sunset Harbor: Sunset Hbr. (or less commonly used: Sunset Harb. or Sunset Hrbr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sunset Harbor. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sunset Harbor.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Sunset Harbor 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 Sunset Harbor. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sunset Harbor:

  • Marion County     (The home county of Sunset Harbor)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • Weirsdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Summerfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Eastlake Weir
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ocklawaha
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Candler
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Belleview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Danks Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Electra
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Electra is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • Lynne
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
    • Silver Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Ocala
      (16 miles [25.7 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 <1>
    • Anthony
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • Inverness
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Hernando
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Floral City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness Highlands North
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Holder
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Citrus Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Citrus Hills is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Hills
    • Beverly Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Citrus Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Pine Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Pine Ridge is located in Citrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • Istachatta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Nobleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • Conant
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Conant is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
    • Lady Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Carlton Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Carlton Village is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton Village
    • Fruitland Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Montclair
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Montclair is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
    • Whitney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Whitney is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Leesburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lisbon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Orange Bend
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Silver Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Sunnyside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunnyside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Bassville Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bassville Park is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
    • Grand Island
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Zellwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Harbor, with the one closest to Sunset Harbor listed first.
    • The Villages
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
    • Oxford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wildwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Orange Home
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Adamsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Coleman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bushnell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Center Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Wahoo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Wahoo is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
    • Bay Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bay Hill is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
    • Webster
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Volusia County
    • Volusia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia

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

Cemeteries Near Sunset Harbor ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunset Harbor.

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 Sunset Harbor - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Stanton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Ocklawaha Community Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine Level Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Crum Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Lady Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Royal Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (102 more) ...
    • Burrell Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Olivet Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fisher Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Lake Weir ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Lake Weir is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Weir
  • Stanton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Stanton is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
  • Summerfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Conant
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Conant is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
  • Ocklawaha
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Oxford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Candler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lady Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Belleview
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Moss Bluff
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Royal
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Royal is located in Sumter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
  • Wildwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Fruitland Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Santos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Santos is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santos
    • Orange Home
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home

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

Newspapers Published in Sunset Harbor ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunset Harbor.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunset Harbor, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunset Harbor.

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 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 Sunset Harbor:

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 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.
<3>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 Sunset Harbor, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sunset Harbor) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.