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 Gainesville (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 Gainesville. 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.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Gainesville is located in Allen County.
To see how the shape of Kentucky's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Allen County: Barren, Monroe, Simpson, Warren, Macon (TN) & Sumner (TN).
Below are the counties that are near Gainesville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gainesville:
- Allen County (The home county of Gainesville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Meador
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Meador is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Yesse
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Yesse is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yesse
- Cedar Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Springs is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Halifax
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Halifax is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
- Scottsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Halfway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Halfway is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Oak Forest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Oak Forest is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Red Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Red Hill is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Holland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Petroleum
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Petroleum is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petroleum
- Pope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pope is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope
- Trammel
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Trammel is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammel
- Adolphus
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Barren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Austin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Austin is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
- Lucas
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Beckton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beckton is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckton
- Haywood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Haywood is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haywood
- Etoile
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Etoile is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etoile
- Oil City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oil City is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Glasgow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Park City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Highland Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Highland Springs is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Springs
- Eighty Eight
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Eighty Eight is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eighty Eight
- Nobob
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Nobob is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nobob
- Coral Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coral Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Hill
- Edmonson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Rocky Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rocky Hill is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Union City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Union City is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Rhoda
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rhoda is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoda
- Mammoth Cave
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Brownsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lindseyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lindseyville is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindseyville
- Stockholm
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Stockholm is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockholm
- Kyrock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Kyrock is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyrock
- Sweeden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sweeden is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeden
- Huff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Huff is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
- Roundhill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Roundhill is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundhill
- Hart County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Horse Cave
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Logsdon Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Logsdon Valley is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logsdon Valley
- Rowletts
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rowletts is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowletts
- Logan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- South Union
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Auburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Metcalfe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Summer Shade
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Randolph
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Randolph is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Beaumont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beaumont is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Knob Lick
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Knob Lick is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Lick
- Cedar Flat
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cedar Flat is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Flat
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Fountain Run
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hermon
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Mount Hermon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
- Akersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Akersville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
- Mud Lick
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mud Lick is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Lick
- Gamaliel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Forkton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Forkton is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkton
- Tompkinsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Simpson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Gold City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gold City is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold City
- Salmons
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Salmons is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmons
- Franklin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Black Jack
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Black Jack is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Jack
- Neosheo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Neosheo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosheo
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Claypool
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Claypool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Martinsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Martinsville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Alvaton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Gotts
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gotts is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotts
- Drake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Drake is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
- Oakland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Oakland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Smiths Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Plum Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Plum Springs is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
- Bowling Green
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bowling Green is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowling Green
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70,631 people
- Former names for Bowling Green:
- Bolin Green
- McFadden's Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowling Green <1>
- Springhill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Springhill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhill
- Woodburn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Woodburn is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Rockfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Rockfield is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfield
- Anna
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Anna is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
- Clay County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Hermitage Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hermitage Springs is located in Clay County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage Springs
- Clementsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clementsville is located in Clay County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clementsville
- Jenkins Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jenkins Village is located in Clay County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkins Village
- Macon County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Siloam
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Siloam is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Lafayette
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Frog Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Frog Pond is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Pond
- Green Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Green Grove is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Grove
- Meadorville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Meadorville is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadorville
- Walnut Shade
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Walnut Shade is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Shade
- Red Boiling Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mill Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mill Town is located in Macon County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
- Robertson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Black Jack
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Black Jack is located in Robertson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Jack
- Mitchell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell is located in Robertson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Estimated population in 2014: 198 people
- Sumner County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Sugar Grove is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Fairfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Westmoreland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sengtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sengtown is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sengtown
- Bledsoe
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bledsoe is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bledsoe
- Corinth
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Corinth is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
- Bransford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bransford is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Population from the 2010 Census: 170 people
- Mitchellville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchellville is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Bethpage
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Rock Bridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rock Bridge is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Bridge
- Portland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chipman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Chipman is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipman
- Fountain Head
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fountain Head is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Head
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gainesville, see our County-by-County Page for Gainesville.
Cemeteries Near Gainesville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gainesville.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Gainesville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gainesville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Tabor Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Thomas Harston Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Old Forest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Henderson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Crescent Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Martinsville Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Austin Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Rocky Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Agee Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Gilmore Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Home Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (358 more) ...
- Combs Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Kinslow Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Shiloh General Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gainesville had a population of 130 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Meador
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Meador is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Cedar Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Springs is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Settle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Settle is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settle
- Halifax
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Halifax is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
- Claypool
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Claypool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Scottsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Three Forks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Three Forks is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
- Austin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Austin is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
- Lucas
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Halfway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Halfway is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Hydro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hydro is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydro
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Motley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Motley is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
- Rodemer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rodemer is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodemer
- Tracy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Tracy is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gainesville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gainesville.
Newspapers Published in Gainesville ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gainesville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gainesville, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gainesville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Gainesville:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Allen County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barren County
- Edmonson County
- Hart County
- Logan County
- Metcalfe County
- Monroe County
- Simpson County
- Warren County
- Clay County
- Macon County
- Robertson County
- Sumner County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kentucky
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gainesville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Gainesville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |