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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 West Bay (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 West Bay. 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 West Bay ...

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 West Bay: W. Bay

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

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 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of West Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Town 'n' Country
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Town 'n' Country is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town 'n' Country
    • Mecca City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Mecca City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca City
    • Twelve Oaks Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Twelve Oaks Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Oaks Village
    • West Waters Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • West Waters Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Waters Village
    • Holiday Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Holiday Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Village
    • Bayport Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Bayport Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayport Village
    • Bayside Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Bayside Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside Village
    • Rocky Point Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Rocky Point Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point Village
    • Fawn Ridge Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Fawn Ridge Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fawn Ridge Village
    • Logan Gate Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Logan Gate Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Gate Village
    • Wildewood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wildewood Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildewood Village
    • Westchase
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Westchase is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westchase
    • Andover Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Andover Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover Village
  • Hernando County
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Terra Ceia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Odessa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Trinity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Holiday
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elfers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Beacon Square
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Beacon Square is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Square
    • New Port Richey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Jasmine Estates
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jasmine Estates is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasmine Estates
    • Port Richey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayonet Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Fivay Junction ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fivay Junction is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay Junction
    • Fivay ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fivay is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivay
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Oldsmar
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • East Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • East Lake is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
    • Gandy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Feather Sound
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • High Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • Four Corners
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • South Highpoint
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Dunedin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Palm Harbor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Crystal Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ozona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near West Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Bay.

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 West Bay - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • American Legion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Marti Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beth Israel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Beth Israel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Beth Israel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rodeph Sholom Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2425075 <2>
  • Showmans Rest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodlawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
  • Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old) is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
    • The Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old) has also been known as:
    • Old Centro Asturiano Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2346261 <2>
  • Lake Carroll Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • McMullen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centro Espanol Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Centro Espanol Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The Centro Espanol Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cemeterio Espanol
      • Centro Espanol Memorial Park Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2355874 <2>
    • La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the La Unione Italiana Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Tampa.
      • The La Unione Italiana Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Italian Clud Cemetery
      • L'Unione Italiana Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979335 <2>
    • Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Tampa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Keystone Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park
  • Ybor City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Port Tampa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Odessa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Limona
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Mango
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Thonotosassa
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Brandon
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Seffner
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Ehren
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ehren is located in Pasco County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ehren
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Port Richey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Valrico
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gulf City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 West Bay:

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 West Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.