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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 Port (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 Port. 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 Port ...

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 Port: W. Port

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

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of West Port)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
    • Port Tampa
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
    • Barr City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Barr City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barr City
    • Culbreath Bayou
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Culbreath Bayou is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culbreath Bayou
    • Culbreath Isles
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Culbreath Isles is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culbreath Isles
    • Gray Gables
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Gray Gables is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray Gables
    • Bungalow City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bungalow City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bungalow City
    • Courier City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Courier City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courier City
    • Park City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Park City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
    • West Tampa
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • West Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tampa
    • Tampa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Garden City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Garden City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Drew Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Drew Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drew Park
    • Apollo Key Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Apollo Key Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo Key Village
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
    • Parrish
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Terra Ceia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Memphis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Memphis is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
    • Ellenton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Palmetto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Palma Sola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • West Bradenton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • West Bradenton is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bradenton
    • Bradenton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Anna Maria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Samoset
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoset
    • West Samoset
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • West Samoset is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Samoset
    • Oneco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Holmes Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
    • Odessa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Trinity
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Land O' Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Holiday
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Elfers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Beacon Square
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Beacon Square is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Square
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • New Port Richey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jasmine Estates
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jasmine Estates is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasmine Estates
    • Port Richey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinellas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
    • Gandy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Gandy is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandy
    • Saint Petersburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Feather Sound
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Lealman
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Lealman is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lealman
    • Pinellas Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • High Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • High Point is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
    • South Highpoint
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • South Highpoint is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Highpoint
    • Bayview ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayview is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Four Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Four Corners is located in Pinellas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Kenneth City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Safety Harbor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulfport
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Oldsmar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Polk County

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

Cemeteries Near West Port ...

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

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

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

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

  • American Legion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Marti Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Centro Asturiano Cemetery (Old)
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Eternal Light Mausoleums and Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Royal Palm North Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...
    • Centro Espanol Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 northeast)
      • 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 northeast)

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

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

  • Port Tampa
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Port Tampa is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tampa
  • Tampa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Ybor City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ybor City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ybor City
  • Gulf City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Gulf City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf City
  • Peru ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
  • Limona
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
  • Brandon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Mango
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bloomingdale
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Seffner
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Valrico
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Thonotosassa
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Terra Ceia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Erie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Erie is located in Manatee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
    • Keystone Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Keystone Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone Park

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

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 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 West Port:

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