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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 Tavares (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 Tavares. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Tavares is located in Lake County and is the County Seat.

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 Lake County: Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter & Volusia.

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Tavares)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • Oakland Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
      • Oakland Park is located in Lake County
    • Bassville Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassville Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassville Park
      • Bassville Park is located in Lake County
    • Mid Florida Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mid Florida Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid Florida Lakes
      • Mid Florida Lakes is located in Lake County
    • Eustis
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Silver Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
    • Mount Dora
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Grand Island
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lisbon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
    • Orange Bend
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
    • Lake Jem
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jem
      • Lake Jem is located in Lake County
    • Astatula
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Howey-in-the-Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • Weirsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Eastlake Weir
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Ocklawaha
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Candler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Summerfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Electra
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Belleview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Danks Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Springs Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs Shores
      • Silver Springs Shores is located in Marion County
    • Lynne
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Zellwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Plymouth
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Apopka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Paradise Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Heights
      • Paradise Heights is located in Orange County
    • South Apopka
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Apopka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Apopka
      • South Apopka is located in Orange County
    • Killarney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Oakland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Tildenville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tildenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tildenville
      • Tildenville is located in Orange County
    • Winter Garden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarcona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ocoee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoee
      • Ocoee is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocoee <2>
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • Wekiwa Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wekiwa Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wekiwa Springs
      • Wekiwa Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Forest City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Seminole County
    • Heathrow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Sanlando Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanlando Springs
      • Sanlando Springs is located in Seminole County
    • Altamonte Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Mary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lake Monroe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Longwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Fern Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Casselberry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Winter Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Sanford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • The Villages
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Villages have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
    • Adamsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
    • Center Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wildwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Oxford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Coleman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Sumterville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Mabel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
      • Mabel is located in Sumter County
    • Webster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Bushnell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Linden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
      • Linden is located in Sumter County
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tavares, with the one closest to Tavares listed first.
    • Fort Florida
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Florida
      • Fort Florida is located in Volusia County
    • Valdez
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
      • Valdez is located in Volusia County
    • De Bary
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Orange City Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange City Hills
      • Orange City Hills is located in Volusia County
    • Beresford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
      • Beresford is located in Volusia County
    • Orange City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Highland Park ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Highland Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Highland Park is located in Volusia County
    • Volusia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volusia
      • Volusia is located in Volusia County
    • West De Land
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West De Land
      • West De Land is located in Volusia County
    • Deltona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Enterprise
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • De Land Southwest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Land Southwest
      • De Land Southwest is located in Volusia County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Tavares ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tavares.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Tavares. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Tavares and those printed in the larger area surrounding Tavares.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4> of Tavares.

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 Tavares:

Cemeteries Near Tavares ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tavares.

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

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

  • Tavares Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tavares Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tavares Cemetery
  • Lane Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lane Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lane Park Cemetery
  • Lake Jem Burying Grounds
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Forest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Forest Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakeside Memory Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memory Gardens
  • Marsh Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Marsh Memorial Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marsh Memorial Park
  • Grand Island Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Island Cemetery
  • Yalaha Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yalaha Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yalaha Cemetery
  • Astatula Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Astatula Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Astatula Cemetery
  • Taylor Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Memorial Cemetery
  • Tangerine Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (101 more) ...
    • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    • Sorrento Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sorrento Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sorrento Cemetery
    • Seneca Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seneca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seneca 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Tavares had a population of 454 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Tavares had a population of 17,832 people.

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

  • Lane Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lane Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Park
    • Lane Park is located in Lake County
  • Ellsworth Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth Junction
    • Ellsworth Junction is located in Lake County
  • Eustis
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mount Dora
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fort Mason
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Mason
    • Fort Mason is located in Lake County
  • Grand Island
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lisbon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Lisbon is located in Lake County
  • Orange Bend
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
    • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
  • Eldorado
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldorado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
    • Eldorado is located in Lake County
  • Yalaha
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Astatula
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Tangerine
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Zellwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Seneca
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
      • Seneca is located in Lake County
    • Umatilla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

The official website for Tavares: www.tavares.org/

The official website for Lake County: www.lakegovernment.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' (or 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- Tavares) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Tavares. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.8023, Longitude: -81.7313    
<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 Tavares, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024