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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 Florida (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 Florida. 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.

A Few Details for Florida ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Florida was settled in 1783.
  • It was incorporated in 1805.

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 and doctors 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.

Florida is located in Berkshire County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Berkshire County: Litchfield (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Columbia (NY), Rensselaer (NY) & Bennington (VT).

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

  • Berkshire County     (The home county of Florida)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Drury
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Savoy Center
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • North Adams
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Renfrew
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Renfrew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renfrew
      • Renfrew is located in Berkshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Renfrew
      • From Florida to Renfrew
    • Zylonite
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zylonite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zylonite
      • Zylonite is located in Berkshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zylonite
      • From Florida to Zylonite
    • Savoy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Adams
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Greylock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greylock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greylock
      • Greylock is located in Berkshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greylock
      • From Florida to Greylock
    • Arnoldville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Town Crest Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town Crest Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Crest Village
      • Town Crest Village is located in Berkshire County
    • Cheshire
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Williamstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
      • Williamstown is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,631 people
    • Windsor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Monroe
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
    • Rowe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Monroe Bridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Bridge
      • Monroe Bridge is located in Franklin County
    • Charlemont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Dell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Heath
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • North Heath
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Heath. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Heath
      • North Heath is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Heath
      • From Florida to North Heath
    • Hawley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
    • Buckland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland
      • Buckland is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,851 people
    • Foundry Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foundry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foundry Village
      • Foundry Village is located in Franklin County
    • Shattuckville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Shelburne Falls
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Ashfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • North Chester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Chester Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Chester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Chester is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Plainfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
      • Plainfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 663 people
    • Cummington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Swift River
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swift River. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift River
      • Swift River is located in Hampshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Swift River
      • From Florida to Swift River
    • Worthington Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Goshen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • West Chesterfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chesterfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chesterfield
      • West Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County
    • Worthington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worthington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington
      • Worthington is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
    • Chesterfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
      • Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
    • Middlefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlefield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield
      • Middlefield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
    • Williamsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Haydenville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haydenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenville
      • Haydenville is located in Hampshire County
    • Leeds
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
      • Leeds is located in Hampshire County
    • North Hatfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Hinsdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale
      • Hinsdale is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hinsdale <3>
    • Ashuelot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Canaan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • New Britain ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Britain. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Britain
      • New Britain is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Britain
      • From Florida to New Britain
    • Canaan Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Riders Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Rensselaer County (NY)
  • Washington County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • White Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Center White Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Bennington County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Stamford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Readsboro
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Stamford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stamford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford
      • Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
    • Readsboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Readsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readsboro
      • Readsboro is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 720 people
    • Pownal Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pownal
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pownal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal
      • Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,386 people
    • Searsburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsburg
      • Searsburg is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Woodford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
      • Woodford is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
    • Woodford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Woodford Hollow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Bennington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bennington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,897 people
    • Old Bennington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bennington
      • Old Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florida, with the one closest to Florida listed first.
    • Whitingham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitingham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham
      • Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
    • Jacksonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Whitingham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • West Halifax
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Halifax
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilmington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Halifax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halifax have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Halifax is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • Wilmington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,786 people
    • Marlboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ames Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Marlboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlboro
      • Marlboro is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
    • West Dover
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Guilford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guilford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
      • Guilford is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people

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

Cemeteries Near Florida ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Florida.

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

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

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 in 1895, Florida had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Florida had a population of 711 people.

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

  • Hoosac Tunnel
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoosac Tunnel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoosac Tunnel
    • Hoosac Tunnel is located in Berkshire County
  • Monroe
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
    • Monroe is located in Franklin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
  • Savoy Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Zoar
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zoar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
    • Zoar is located in Franklin County
  • Briggsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briggsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briggsville
    • Briggsville is located in Berkshire County
  • Zylonite
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zylonite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zylonite
    • Zylonite is located in Berkshire County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Zylonite
    • From Florida to Zylonite
  • Renfrew
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Renfrew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renfrew
    • Renfrew is located in Berkshire County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Renfrew
    • From Florida to Renfrew
  • Rowe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • North Adams
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Adams
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Maple Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Maple Grove is located in Berkshire County
  • Savoy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Florida ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Florida.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Florida, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Florida.

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 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 Florida:

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

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.

When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.

<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 Florida, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Florida) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Florida. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6673, Longitude: -73.0115    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025