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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 Hills (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 Hills. 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 Hills ...

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 Hills: W. Hills

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

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 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.

West Hills is located in Alachua 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 Alachua County: Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion, Putnam & Union.

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

  • Alachua County     (The home county of West Hills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Rutledge
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Rutledge is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
    • Arredondo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Arredondo is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arredondo
    • Gainesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jonesville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hague
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Hague is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
    • Burnetts Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Burnetts Lake is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnetts Lake
    • Alachua
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Archer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • La Crosse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Rochelle
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rochelle is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
    • Newberry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Micanopy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Bradford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Brooker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Graham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hampton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Starke
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Keystone Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lake Geneva
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Fort White
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lulu
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Gilchrist County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Waters Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Waters Lake is located in Gilchrist County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waters Lake
    • Trenton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Bell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bell is located in Gilchrist County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bell <1>
  • Levy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Raleigh
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Raleigh is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
    • Meredith
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Meredith is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
    • East Bronson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • East Bronson is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bronson
    • East Williston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • East Williston is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williston
    • Williston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Bronson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Williston Highlands
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Williston Highlands is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston Highlands
    • Morriston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Chiefland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Andrews
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Andrews is located in Levy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • McIntosh
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Irvine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Irvine is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine
    • Orange Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Paynes Town ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Paynes Town is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynes Town
    • Fairfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairfield is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
    • Heijahs Town ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Heijahs Town is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heijahs Town
    • Reddick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Citra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lowell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Martin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Martin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Sparr
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Fellowship
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Fellowship is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Edgar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Putnam Hall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Grandin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Keuka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Keuka is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keuka
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Worthington Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Lake Butler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Raiford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near West Hills ...

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

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

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

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

  • Morning Star Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Forest Meadows Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Kanapaha Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • West Hills Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jonesville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hague Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Forest Meadows Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Alachua Hillcrest Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (165 more) ...
    • Old Thomas Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Peter's Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Patrick Memorial Gardens
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick Memorial Gardens
      • The Patrick Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
      • Patrick 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.<3>

While we didn't find West Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Hills.

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

  • Rutledge
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Rutledge is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
  • Arredondo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Arredondo is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arredondo
  • Paradise
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Paradise is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
  • Gainesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jonesville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hague
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Hague is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hague
  • Fairbanks
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairbanks is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
  • Newnansville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Newnansville is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newnansville
  • Alachua
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Archer
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rochelle
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rochelle is located in Alachua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
  • La Crosse
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Micanopy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Windsor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Windsor is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
    • Micanopy Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Micanopy Junction is located in Alachua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micanopy Junction

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

Newspapers Published in West Hills ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Hills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Hills, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Hills.

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 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 Hills:

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 Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- West Hills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.