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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 Wiggs Estates (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 Wiggs Estates. 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 Wiggs Estates ...

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 occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Wiggs Estates: Wiggs Ests.
  • While the name of this community is Wiggs Estates, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Wiggs Estates may originally have been Wigg's Estates.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Wiggs Estates might be written as Wigg Estates.

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.

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

  • Hillsborough County     (The home county of Wiggs Estates)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wiggs Estates, with the one closest to Wiggs Estates listed first.
    • Welcome
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Welcome is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Parrish
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Parrish is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
    • Lithia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinecrest
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Plant City Farms
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • South Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Plant City Farms
    • West Plant City Farms
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • West Plant City Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City Farms
    • Durant
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • West Plant City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • West Plant City is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Plant City
    • Woodfield Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodfield Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield Village
    • Kings Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Kings Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
    • Plant City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fish Hawk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Fish Hawk is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Hawk
    • Bloomingdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Hardee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wiggs Estates, with the one closest to Wiggs Estates listed first.
    • Bowling Green
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wauchula
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Manatee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wiggs Estates, with the one closest to Wiggs Estates listed first.
    • Duette
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Parrish
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wiggs Estates, with the one closest to Wiggs Estates listed first.
    • Crystal Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Crystal Springs is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
    • Zephyrhills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Richland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Richland is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Wesley Chapel South
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wesley Chapel South is located in Pasco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Chapel South
    • Wesley Chapel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wiggs Estates, with the one closest to Wiggs Estates listed first.
    • Nichols
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Willow Oak
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Oak is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Oak
    • Mulberry
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Medulla
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Medulla is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medulla
    • Bradley Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley Junction is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley Junction
    • Lakeland Highlands
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeland Highlands is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Highlands
    • Winston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Winston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston
    • Brewster ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brewster is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Lyle Corner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lyle Corner is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyle Corner
    • Armour ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Armour is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
    • Eaton Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Highland City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Acton ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Acton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton

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

Cemeteries Near Wiggs Estates ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wiggs Estates.

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 Wiggs Estates - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Blue Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hunter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Little Alafia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Willow Oak Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Prairie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Cemetery
    • The Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bone Valley Cemetery
    • Fuller Heights Cemetery
    • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • Shiloh Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #72484 <3>
  • Lithia Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Springhead Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Olive Primitive Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fitzgerald Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Medulla Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Hopewell Memorial Gardens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> to the southwest of Bradley Junction.
    • The Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Continue List   (109 more) ...

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.<5>

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

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

  • Keysville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Keysville is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
  • Plant City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Sydney
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Bloomingdale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Bloomingdale is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
  • Valrico
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Bartow
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Lakeland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Knights
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Knights is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights
  • Seffner
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Brandon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Keene
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Keene is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
  • Homeland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Limona
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Limona is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limona
    • Peru ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Peru is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Gordonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Gordonville is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville

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

Newspapers Published in Wiggs Estates ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wiggs Estates.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wiggs Estates, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wiggs Estates.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Wiggs Estates:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Wiggs Estates) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<5>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 Wiggs Estates, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.