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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 Wildwood (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 Wildwood. 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 Wildwood ...

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.

Another variation: Wild Wood.

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 doctors and 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.

Wildwood is located in Sumter 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 Sumter County: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Pasco & Polk.

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

  • Sumter County     (The home county of Wildwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Oxford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Adamsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
      • Adamsville is located in Sumter County
    • Coleman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • The Villages
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Villages have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Villages
      • The Villages is located in Sumter County
    • Lake Panasoffkee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumterville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Bushnell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Center Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Wahoo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahoo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
      • Wahoo is located in Sumter County
    • Bay Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Hill
      • Bay Hill is located in Sumter County
    • Webster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Linden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
      • Linden is located in Sumter County
  • Citrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Floral City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Inverness
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Inverness Highlands South
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Hernando
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Inverness Highlands North
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Citrus Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus Hills
      • Citrus Hills is located in Citrus County
    • Holder
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Beverly Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Mannfield ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mannfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannfield
      • Mannfield is located in Citrus County
    • Pine Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Pine Ridge is located in Citrus County
    • Black Diamond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Diamond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
      • Black Diamond is located in Citrus County
    • Citrus Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Hernando County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Istachatta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Nobleton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Lindsey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lindsey
      • Lake Lindsey is located in Hernando County
    • Ridge Manor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hill 'n Dale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill 'n Dale
      • Hill 'n Dale is located in Hernando County
    • Ringgold ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringgold
      • Ringgold is located in Hernando County
    • Brooksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • North Brooksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Brooksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brooksville
      • North Brooksville is located in Hernando County
    • Spring Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
      • Spring Lake is located in Hernando County
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Whitney
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
      • Whitney is located in Lake County
    • Fruitland Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Montclair
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montclair have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Montclair is located in Lake County
    • Lady Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Conant
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
      • Conant is located in Lake County
    • Leesburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Carlton Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton Village
      • Carlton Village is located in Lake County
    • Okahumpka
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunnyside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
      • Sunnyside is located in Lake County
    • Lisbon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Lake County
    • Orange Bend
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Bend
      • Orange Bend is located in Lake County
    • Silver Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
      • Silver Lake is located in Lake County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Summerfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Weirsdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Danks Corner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Eastlake Weir
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ocklawaha
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Candler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Silver Springs Shores
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Springs Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs Shores
      • Silver Springs Shores is located in Marion County
    • Electra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Marion County
    • Ocala
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocala
      • Ocala is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocala <1>
    • Lynne
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynne
      • Lynne is located in Marion County
    • Silver Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Tangerine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Zellwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Pasco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wildwood, with the one closest to Wildwood listed first.
    • Lacoochee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Moss Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Town
      • Moss Town is located in Pasco County
    • Trilby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wildwood ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wildwood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wildwood. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wildwood and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wildwood.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4> of Wildwood.

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 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 Wildwood:

Cemeteries Near Wildwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wildwood.

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 Wildwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Royal Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royal Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royal Memorial Cemetery
  • Pine Level Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Level Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Level Cemetery
  • Sumterville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sumterville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sumterville Cemetery
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
  • Nichols Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nichols Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nichols Cemetery
  • Crum Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crum Cemetery
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Lone Oak Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Oak Cemetery
  • Stanton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stanton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stanton Cemetery
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Hill Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
  • Rutland Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rutland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rutland Cemetery
  • Continue List   (107 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Tema Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tema Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tema Cemetery
    • Oakridge Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakridge 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Wildwood had a population of 419 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wildwood had a population of 7,659 people.

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

  • Orange Home
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Home have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Home
    • Orange Home is located in Sumter County
  • Oxford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Coleman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Royal
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
    • Royal is located in Sumter County
  • Bamboo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bamboo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
    • Bamboo is located in Sumter County
  • Whitney
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Whitney is located in Lake County
  • Montclair
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montclair have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
    • Montclair is located in Lake County
  • Fruitland Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Lady Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sumterville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Conant
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
    • Conant is located in Lake County
  • Carlson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlson
    • Carlson is located in Sumter County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Leesburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Summerfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Rutland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rutland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Rutland is located in Sumter County

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

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

The official website for Sumter County: www.bocc.co.sumter.fl.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Wildwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wildwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.8655, Longitude: -82.0371    
<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 Wildwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024