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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 Taft (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 Taft. 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 doctors and 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.

Taft is located in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County: Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas & Polk.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Taft)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Taft, with the one closest to Taft listed first.
    • Dover
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Sydney
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Valrico Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Valrico Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valrico Village
    • Seffner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Valrico
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Lakeview Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Lakeview Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Village
    • Windhorst Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Windhorst Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windhorst Village
    • Cedar Run
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Run is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
    • Strawberry Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Strawberry Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Village
    • West Plant City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
    • West Plant City Farms
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • West Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City Farms
    • Brandon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mango
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Taft, with the one closest to Taft listed first.
    • Duette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Taft, with the one closest to Taft listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Zephyrhills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Richland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Land O' Lakes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Leo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • San Antonio
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • San Antonio is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,506 people
      • Former name for San Antonio:
      • Lake Jovita
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonio <1>
    • Odessa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Dade City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Blanton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Blanton is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Taft, with the one closest to Taft listed first.
    • Gandy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Oldsmar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • East Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • High Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Lealman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Saint Petersburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinellas Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • South Highpoint
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Taft, with the one closest to Taft listed first.
    • Winston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Willow Oak
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Nichols
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Medulla
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Kathleen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Mulberry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Gibsonia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Combee Settlement
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
    • Crystal Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Eaton Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Taft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Taft.

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 Taft - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mathews Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Loving Care Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Limona Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Limona Cemetery is located in Brandon.
  • Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Garden of Peace Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hopewell Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (110 more) ...
    • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hackney - Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Hackney - Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Hackney Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72067 <3>
    • Lithia Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Sydney
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Seffner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Valrico
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Mango
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Brandon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Limona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Plant City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Thonotosassa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bloomingdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Knights
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
  • Keene
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Keysville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Ybor City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
    • Tampa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407,599 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Taft:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Taft) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Taft, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.