ORLANDO area: (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard Counties) | Florida FL

Synagogues in Orlando area. [August 2009]

ORLANDO AIR BASE: see ORLANDO area, Florida funeral homes notes

ORLANDO area: (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard Counties)

Baldwin-Fairchild: (Nancy Garlanger, Director of Administration, 301 N.E. Ivanhoe Blvd., Orlando, FL 32804.) They own Oaklawn Cemetery and Pleasant Hill Cemetery. All information about these cemeteries is privileged. They have all graves marked and maps, but for anyone to get that information, a formalized agreement needs to be reached. During the 1970s and 1980s, Nancy estimates they were involved in 70 to 80 percent of all Jewish burials. Nancy emphasized that Orthodox burials were under Ohev Shalom or Temple Israel.

UNIVERSITY of CENTRAL FLORIDA LIBRARY: Special Collections Division, 5th floor; Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Dr. Lee Records from Carey-Hand Funeral Home, which was the only funeral home in central Florida until the late 1930s. They are accessible and include date of death, place buried, funeral accouterments, and parents' names. Religion was not stated, but the name of the person who presided at the funeral is included. Out-of-town disposition of the body is noted. Included in the records are these counties: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard. (Courthouse in Orlando was destroyed in the 1900s so these are the only records.) RECORDS:

FUNERAL HOMES: (Information supplied by Mr. Franklin of Carey-Hand Colonial)
About 1885, a Richards and Hand Embalmers became Hand's when Richards left. The records from Carey-Hand begin in 1890 and are at the University of Central Florida library. Elijah Hand died in 1915. About 1890, there was an Armstrong which did not stay too long. They were in the area until the 1920s. The original Hand business was furniture and embalmers. The building was built across the street from the furniture store. Some time later, their building was put up on Pine St where it remained until it was sold to the City of Orlando for a parking garage. At that time, it became Carey-Hand Colonial and Cox- Parker in two locations. Carey Hand took over Garden Chapel that had been owned by Olden G. Fairchild. Sometime in the late 1930s an Eiselstein-Wigginton existed first in St. Cloud and then came to Orlando. They were taken over by W. Guy Black about 1958 and became known as W. Guy Black Funeral Home. They lasted until about 1986. Carey Hand took over the pre-arrangements that W. Guy Black had at the time Black closed. The whereabouts of the records are unclear. (Suggestion: speak again to someone in charge at Carey-Hand, see Les Dyer.) Robert Fisk at the Fisk Funeral Home in St. Cloud is a nephew of Eiselstein. He had a written history of some of this information. Fairchild began in the 1940s, but later Olden Fairchild was killed. It is now known as Baldwin-Fairchild.
Funeral records June 15, 1891 - Dec. 30, 1952:

June 15, 1891 - Dec. 31, 1918, includes undertakers and memoranda with entries by date. Records show burial in Orlando, Tavares, etc., but not the designated named cemetery (e.g. town and sections.) Records state age of deceased and cause of death if known.
Jan. 1, 1919-Dec. 30, 1952 are bound volumes with an alphabetical index in the front. By checking the number of the 'ledger' page, more information can be gleaned, such as funeral items, presiding religious official, cause of death, parents' names, and where body was to be shipped, etc. For example: Book #23: #416: Morris Goldberg, body shipped, parents born in Russia, a Wolf Goldberg.

Cremation records: June 1925-Dec. 1949 are typed in alphabetical order (two lists) with name and address. One bound volume for veterans and Orlando Air Base records:

Jan. 10, 1938-Mar.18, 1952. Names entered on a daily basis; not indexed. Carey-Hand was the only funeral home until the 1930s. Guy Black started another one in 1930s. His widow, Mrs. Eiselstein, a member of the Methodist Church, still lives [1999] in downtown Orlando. Mr. Franklin bought it. He still works for Carey-Hand at 647-1941. Carey-Hand keeps a current file on premises. Older files are stored but can be accessed. See Les Dyer.
All Faiths Memorial Park: 331-1910. "Garden of David", 1390 Park Drive, Casselberry. Under auspices of Baldwin-Fairchild; site purchased in 1978.
Chapel Hill: 898-1111. 2400 Herrell Rd., Orlando. Auspices of Baldwin-Fairchild.
Glen Haven: 647-1100. Off Temple Dr., Winter Park. (Beth Am) Under auspices of Baldwin-Fairchild.
Greenwood Cemetery: 246-2616. City of Orlando. Office open daily, 7:30-4:00. Began in 1880. All files are open. Go to name file first; next to Property Cards file to see what persons are buried on the site owned by someone. Files do not designate Jewish. Directions: Take I-4 to Anderson St., travel east on Anderson to Mills. Turn right on Mills. Go down Mills. Sign to Greenwood Cemetery will be on Mills. Turn left onto Greenwood St to cemetery.
Highland Memory Gardens:
869-1188. 3329 E. Semoran Blvd., Forest City. Under auspices of Baldwin-Fairchild. See below.
Ohev Shalom Cemetery: Old Winter Garden Road, Orlando, Florida. Over 800 burials in the oldest Jewish Cemetery in Orlando area (founded ca. 1928). Burials include members of three Conservative Synagogues: Congregation Ohev Shalom (founded 1918 ), Southwest Orlando Congregation Temple Ohalei Rivka founded early 1990's, and Congregation Beth Am of Longwood founded early 1970's. Information from Congregation Ohev Shalom office, 5015 Goddard Ave., Orlando, FL 32804, Phone (407) 298-4650. Source: JGS Greater Orlando Cemetery Committee from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Oaklawn Cemetery: 898-8111. Lake Mary. Auspices of Baldwin-Fairchild
Pleasant Hill: St. Cloud (Fisk Funeral Home). Recent burials (Manny Adams)
Rose Hill Cemetery: Kissimmee. Recent burials (Manny Adams)
Woodlawn Cemetery:
- Beth Israel section: Go on East-West Expressway western extension. Get off at Good Homes Rd, which goes into Old Winter Garden Rd. Go one block to Woodlawn Cemetery. Go along the left side: Cemetery Rd. Continue to the first clay road: Morton-Jones Rd. About one-quarter mile on the left is the cemetery. Call Temple Israel at 647-3055 for Woodlawn's "Beth Israel" section or Julien Meiten and leave message at his business. First burials were in 1959 on consecrated land. Records are in file cabinets somewhere in the synagogue ordered alphabetically by purchaser, but sometimes someone else purchased the site. Mr. Meiten would be glad to accompany visitors to the cemetery. Tel: 293-1361.
- Congregation of Liberal Judaism (formed 1950) Section. Beth Israel. Woodlawn has all the records. Speak to Fran Miller. See Temple Israel for directions. This cemetery is opposite Temple Israel Cemetery.