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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 Williams Point (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 Williams Point. 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 Williams Point ...

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.

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

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Williams Point might be written as William Point.

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 and doctors 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.

Williams Point is located in Brevard 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 Brevard County: Indian River, Orange, Osceola & Volusia.

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

  • Brevard County     (The home county of Williams Point)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Point, with the one closest to Williams Point listed first.
    • Sharpes
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Port Saint John
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Saint John
      • Port Saint John is located in Brevard County
    • Cocoa
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocoa
      • Cocoa is located in Brevard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,694 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cocoa <2>
    • Merritt Island
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian River City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian River City
      • Indian River City is located in Brevard County
    • Port Canaveral
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Rockledge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Angel City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel City
      • Angel City is located in Brevard County
    • Cape Canaveral
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Titusville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Viera
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Cocoa Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mims
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Point, with the one closest to Williams Point listed first.
    • Christmas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wedgefield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wedgefield
      • Wedgefield is located in Orange County
    • Bithlo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bithlo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bithlo
      • Bithlo is located in Orange County
    • Alafaya
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lake Hart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hart
      • Lake Hart is located in Orange County
    • Union Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Point, with the one closest to Williams Point listed first.
    • Chuluota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Iowa City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
      • Iowa City is located in Seminole County
    • Geneva
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Volusia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Point, with the one closest to Williams Point listed first.
    • Maytown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
      • Maytown is located in Volusia County
    • Oak Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Williams Point ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams Point.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williams Point, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williams Point.

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 Williams Point:

Cemeteries Near Williams Point ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams Point.

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

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke's Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery
  • Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Crest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Crest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Crest Cemetery
  • Florida Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Florida Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Florida Memorial Cemetery
  • Brevard Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brevard Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brevard Memorial Park
  • Quarterman Family Cemetery #2
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Christmas Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christmas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christmas Cemetery
  • Crook Family Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Chuluota Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chuluota Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chuluota Cemetery
  • Davis Grave Site
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Grave Site have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Grave Site
  • St.s & Sinners Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Sinners Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Narcoossee Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Narcoossee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Narcoossee Cemetery
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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>

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

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

  • Sharpes
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • City Point
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for City Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City Point
    • City Point is located in Brevard County
  • Indianola
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indianola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianola
    • Indianola is located in Brevard County
  • Cocoa
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocoa
    • Cocoa is located in Brevard County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,694 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cocoa <2>
  • Rockledge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Titusville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Georgiana
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgiana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgiana
    • Georgiana is located in Brevard County
  • Canaveral ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canaveral have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaveral
    • Canaveral is located in Brevard County
  • Mims
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Turnbull
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnbull have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
    • Turnbull is located in Brevard County
  • Aurantia
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurantia
    • Aurantia is located in Brevard County
  • Tropic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Eau Gallie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Gallie
      • Eau Gallie is located in Brevard County
    • Melbourne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Maytown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
      • Maytown is located in Volusia County

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

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

The official website for Brevard County: www.brevardcounty.us/

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

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 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.
<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- Williams Point) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williams Point. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.4483, Longitude: -80.7628       In this case, the coordinates for Williams Point have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Williams Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024