Gapway Cemetery, Lakeland, Florida

Profile manager: Tom Shaw [send private message]

Florida Cemeteries Project

About

This free space page for the Gapway Cemetery is part of WikiTree's Florida Cemeteries Project, and was created to document the life and times of our ancestors that are interred there. The Florida Cemeteries Project is a subproject of the larger U.S. Cemeteries Project.

Gapway Cemetery is situated at 1910 North Crystal Lake Drive in the City of Lakeland, the largest municipality in Polk County, Florida. Of historical note, the site is located in an area formerly known as "Sparling Station".^[1] The cemetery is owned and maintained by the Gapway Baptist Church, located at 1705 North Combee Road in Lakeland.

The Gapway Baptist Church was organized in 1875 at the site of the current cemetery.^[2] The name "Gapway" was chosen because the congregation's founding parishioners lived "in the gap" between Lake Parker and Lake Bonny. The oldest recorded interment in the cemetery dates to 1861, predating the original church building, which was a log cabin.

This page is a work in progress, and will remain so until the Table of Interments (below) is completed. The Table of Interments is a sortable listing of persons interred at this cemetery, some or all of whom are linked to existing WikiTree profiles. Although all grave markers in this cemetery have been photographed (or will be shortly), the photos can only be displayed for persons with existing WikiTree profiles. If you know of a person interred at this cemetery that should be linked to an existing WikiTree profile, or needs to have a profile created for them, please contact Tom Shaw for assistance.

Contact Information, Location and Map

Address and Phone
1910 North Crystal Lake Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33803
(863) 665-9064

GPS Coordinates (WGS84)
28.025990, -81.923118

Gapway Cemetery on Google Maps

Links to Other Online Resources

Churches and Cemeteries page
Find A Grave page
Billion Graves page

Tasks Completed

Photography

• In progress
• Approximately 50% of grave markers photographed w/ GPS coordinates on July 1, 2014

Data Transcriptions

• In progress
• 3 transcriptions completed
• 1 photograph linked in Table of Interments, below.

To Do

Project members are needed to:

• Assist with data collection and grave marker transcriptions

Additional photography and GPS data collection is needed, and previously collected data can be sent by email to other members willing to assist with transcriptions.

• Link existing profiles or create new profiles for persons listed in the Table of Interments

When complete, everyone listed in the Table of Interments will be linked to their own WikiTree profile, and to a photo of that person's corresponding grave marker. The created profiles can include other genealogical and biographical information as well as a listing of sources for documentation.

• Validate links and transcription information

Profile and photo links and transcribed information needs to be cross-checked to ensure accuracy.

• Create an audio/video tour of the cemetery

Record a virtual tour of the cemetery that can be viewed as downloadable media on computers, tablets or other device. Such a tour would take the viewer around the cemetery to explore the history of the people buried here. Background information can be supplied. Those with mobile internet access can access online links to more information.

Table of Interments

Sortable table

Last Name	First/Middle Names/Initials	Born	Died	Age	Notes	Latitude	Longitude	Photo Date	Photo (click for larger)
Lewis	James L.	1908	1942-04-12	34	Inscription: Asleep in Jesus	28.026042	-81.923264	2014-07-01
McConville	Thomas E.	1913-03-30	1961-10-16	48	Inscription: TEC4 ASF PERS REPL DEPOT WORLD WAR II	28.026044	-81.923264	2014-07-01
Haager	Charles B.	1874-04-12	1930-03-20	55		28.026079	-81.923264	2014-07-01
Haager	Rhoda A.	1888-09-22	1939-05-23	50		28.026081	-81.923264	2014-07-01
Haager	V. Charlene	1924-07-24	1925-02-07	0		28.026083	-81.923278	2014-07-01
Johnson	Truby	1922-07-08	1923-08-19	1		28.026083	-81.923278	2014-07-01
Combee	James R.	1921-05-26	1970-03-08	48	WWII Veteran	28.025917	-81.923417	2014-07-01

Sources

1. ↑ Title:"South Florida Pioneers, Issues 15-38"
   Subject: Gapway Cemetery
   Source Type: Digital document (periodical), page 39
   Author/Publisher and Date of Publication: Richard M. Livingston, 1978
   Repository: Google Books
   Website: South Florida Pioneers, Issues 15-38
   Access Date: July 1, 2014
2. ↑ Title:"A Guide to Historic Lakeland, Florida"
   Subject: Gapway Cemetery
   Source Type: Digital document (book), page 149
   Author/Publisher and Date of Publication: Steven Rajtar/The History Press, 2007
   Repository: Google Books
   Website: A Guide to Historic Lakeland Florida
   Access Date: July 1, 2014