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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 White Springs (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 White Springs. 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 White Springs ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for White Springs: White Spgs. (or less commonly used: White Spngs. or White Sprngs.)

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 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.

White Springs is located in Hamilton County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hamilton County: Columbia, Madison, Suwannee, Echols (GA) & Lowndes (GA).

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of White Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Springs, with the one closest to White Springs listed first.
    • Marion
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Hamilton County
    • Jasper
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jennings
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Baker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Springs, with the one closest to White Springs listed first.
    • Olustee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Taylor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Taylor is located in Baker County
    • Sanderson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Springs, with the one closest to White Springs listed first.
    • Five Points
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Columbia County
    • Lake City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Watertown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
      • Watertown is located in Columbia County
    • McColskey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McColskey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McColskey
      • McColskey is located in Columbia County
    • Lulu
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort White
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Suwannee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Springs, with the one closest to White Springs listed first.
    • Wellborn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rixford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
      • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
    • Live Oak
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • McAlpin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • O'Brien
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Branford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dowling Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling Park
      • Dowling Park is located in Suwannee County
  • Clinch County (GA)
    • Fargo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Clinch County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fargo <2>
  • Echols County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Springs, with the one closest to White Springs listed first.
    • Potter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 870 people
    • Statenville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Statenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statenville
      • Statenville is located in Echols County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Statenville <2>

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

Newspapers Published in White Springs ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around White Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of White Springs, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for White Springs.

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 White Springs:

Cemeteries Near White Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of White Springs.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Riverside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Eastside Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Swift Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swift Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swift Creek Cemetery
  • Godbolt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Huntsville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huntsville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huntsville Cemetery
  • East Rest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Rest Cemetery
  • Jerusalem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jerusalem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jerusalem Cemetery
  • Wellborn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wellborn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wellborn Cemetery
  • Poole Pond Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poole Pond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poole Pond Cemetery
  • McClellan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Oak Grove Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Fellowship Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fellowship Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fellowship Cemetery
  • Continue List   (87 more) ...
    • Peterson Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peterson Cemetery
    • Memorial Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Lawn Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that White Springs had a population of 543 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, White Springs had a population of 768 people.

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

  • Suwannee Valley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suwannee Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suwannee Valley
    • Suwannee Valley is located in Columbia County
  • Winfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
    • Winfield is located in Columbia County
  • Genoa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genoa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Genoa is located in Hamilton County
  • Wellborn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Houston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
    • Houston is located in Suwannee County
  • Lake City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Watertown
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Watertown is located in Columbia County
  • Benton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
    • Benton is located in Columbia County
  • Rixford
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rixford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
    • Rixford is located in Suwannee County
  • Marion
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • Marion is located in Hamilton County
  • Live Oak
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Padlock
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Padlock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padlock
    • Padlock is located in Suwannee County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • McAlpin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Carrie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Carrie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carrie
      • Mount Carrie is located in Columbia County
    • Jasper
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for White Springs. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Hamilton County: www.hamiltoncountyflorida.com/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- White Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in White Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.3312, Longitude: -82.7538    
<4>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.
<5>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<6>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 White Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024