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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 Van Sant (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 Van Sant. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Van Sant)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van Sant, with the one closest to Van Sant listed first.
    • Bloomingdale Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Bloomingdale Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale Village
    • Valrico Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Valrico Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valrico Village
    • Valrico
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brandon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bloomingdale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • Brandon Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Brandon Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Windhorst Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Windhorst Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windhorst Village
    • Indian Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Indian Hills is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
    • Durant
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Seffner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Sydney
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeview Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakeview Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Village
    • Countryside Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Countryside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van Sant, with the one closest to Van Sant listed first.
    • Duette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Terra Ceia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van Sant, with the one closest to Van Sant listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Zephyrhills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Odessa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Saint Leo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • San Antonio
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van Sant, with the one closest to Van Sant listed first.
    • Gandy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Saint Petersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Feather Sound
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Oldsmar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • High Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Pinellas Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • South Highpoint
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Four Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Kenneth City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • East Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van Sant, with the one closest to Van Sant listed first.
    • Nichols
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Medulla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Mulberry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Winston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Bradley Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Kathleen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Eaton Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Gibsonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Gibsonia is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonia

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

Cemeteries Near Van Sant ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Van Sant.

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 Van Sant - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Brandon Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Limona Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Limona Cemetery is located in Brandon.
  • Commemorative Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Hackney - Riverview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 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 <2>
  • Serenity Meadows Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mathews Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Samford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Loving Care Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (109 more) ...
    • Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 <2>
    • Orange Hill Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 <2>

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

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

  • Bloomingdale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Valrico
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Brandon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Limona
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Sydney
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Seffner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Mango
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Thonotosassa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Keysville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
  • Plant City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Ybor City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Tampa
      (12 miles [19.3 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>
    • Knights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
    • Keene
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene

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

Newspapers Published in Van Sant ...

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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Van Sant.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Van Sant, there are papers which were published within 2 miles [3.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Van Sant.

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 Van Sant:

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