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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 Val Villa (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 Val Villa. 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 doctors 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Val Villa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Val Villa, with the one closest to Val Villa listed first.
    • Mango
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Seffner
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Lakeview Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Lakeview Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Village
    • Windhorst Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Windhorst Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windhorst Village
    • Brandon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Valrico Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Valrico Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valrico Village
    • Brandon Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Brandon Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Valrico
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Silva City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Silva City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silva City
    • Dover
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Bay Hills Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Bay Hills Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hills Village
    • Bloomingdale Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Bloomingdale Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale Village
    • Clair-Mel City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Clair-Mel City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clair-Mel City
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Val Villa, with the one closest to Val Villa listed first.
    • Parrish
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Duette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Val Villa, with the one closest to Val Villa listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Zephyrhills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Odessa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Saint Leo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • San Antonio
      (24 miles [38.6 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>
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Dade City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Trinity
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Val Villa, with the one closest to Val Villa listed first.
    • Gandy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Oldsmar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Feather Sound
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • High Point
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Safety Harbor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Saint Petersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • East Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • South Highpoint
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Four Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Pinellas Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Kenneth City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Val Villa, with the one closest to Val Villa listed first.
    • Nichols
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Winston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Kathleen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Medulla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Mulberry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Lakeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gibsonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Bradley Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Combee Settlement
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Combee Settlement is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combee Settlement
    • Crystal Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake

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

Cemeteries Near Val Villa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Val Villa.

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 Val Villa - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mathews Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Limona Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • 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
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Loving Care Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Orange Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rodeph Sholom Cemetery is located in Tampa.
    • The Rodeph Sholom Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2500750 <3>
  • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71836 <3>
  • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (114 more) ...
    • Rose Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Rose Hill Memorial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Rose Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Rose Hills Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72535 <3>
    • Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Hill Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Myrtle Hill Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Myrtle Hill Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72326 <3>

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

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

  • Mango
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Seffner
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Limona
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Brandon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Valrico
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Thonotosassa
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sydney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Bloomingdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Ybor City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Tampa
    (9 miles [14.5 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>
  • Plant City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Knights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Keene
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
    • Keysville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville

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

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 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 Val Villa:

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 '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- Val Villa) 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 Val Villa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.