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 Bethel Springs (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 Bethel Springs. 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 Bethel Springs ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Bethel Springs: Bethel Spgs. (or less commonly used: Bethel Spngs. or Bethel Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bethel Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bethel Springs.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Bethel Springs is located in McNairy County.
To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McNairy County: Alcorn (MS), Chester, Hardeman & Hardin.
Below are the counties that are near Bethel Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethel Springs:
- McNairy County (The home county of Bethel Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Purdy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Purdy is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
- Selmer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Rose Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rose Creek is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Creek
- Falcon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Falcon is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
- Finger
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Leapwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Leapwood is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leapwood
- Eastview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Eastview is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Ramer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Stantonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Stantonville is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stantonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Adamsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Caffey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Caffey is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caffey
- Guys
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Guys is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Masseyville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Masseyville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyville
- Montezuma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montezuma is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Sweet Lips
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Sweet Lips is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Lips
- Silerton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Silerton is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
- Henderson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Enville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Enville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
- Milledgeville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Milledgeville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milledgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
- Deanburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Deanburg is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,395 people
- Jacks Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Mifflin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Mifflin is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mifflin
- Decatur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Scotts Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbar is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbar
- Hardeman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Hornsby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hornsby is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Essary Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Essary Springs is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essary Springs
- Middleton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Shandy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Shandy is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shandy
- Teague
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Teague is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,181 people
- Toone
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Toone is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toone
- Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
- Bolivar
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rogers Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rogers Springs is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Springs
- Saulsbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saulsbury is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Hickory Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hickory Valley is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Vildo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Vildo is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vildo
- Whiteville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hardin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Crump
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Shiloh
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pittsburg Landing Ferry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Pittsburg Landing Ferry is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg Landing Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 555 people
- Sibley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sibley is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
- Hamburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hamburg is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Savannah
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Belle Meade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Belle Meade is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Meade
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,017 people
- New Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- New Town is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Nixon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Nixon is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
- Estimated population in 2014: 718 people
- Nash Landing
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nash Landing is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Landing
- Pyburn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pyburn is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyburn
- Paulks ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Paulks is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulks
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Rhodes Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rhodes Town is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Town
- Middle Fork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Middle Fork is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Fork
- Sardis
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Huron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Huron is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- Reagan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- White Fern
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- White Fern is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Fern
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Cisco Indian Village ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Cisco Indian Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco Indian Village
- Pinson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Parkburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Parkburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,156 people
- Medon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Malesus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Malesus is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malesus
- Jackson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mercer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mercer is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Lawrence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lawrence is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,498 people
- Denmark
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lauderdale County (AL)
- Haddock ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Haddock is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddock
- Alcorn County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Corinth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Farmington
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Farmington is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,160 people
- Kossuth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Allentown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Allentown is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
- Biggersville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Biggersville is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggersville
- Glens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Glens is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glens
- Hightown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hightown is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightown
- Glen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glen is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
- Searcy Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Searcy Town is located in Alcorn County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searcy Town
- Tippah County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Walnut
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tiplersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tiplersville is located in Tippah County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiplersville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethel Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Bethel Springs.
Cemeteries Near Bethel Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel Springs.
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 Bethel Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethel Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Bethel Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- New Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bethesda Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Moores Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Warren Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brooks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Purdy Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (547 more) ...
- Beauty Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Beaty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bethel Springs had a population of 369 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bethel Springs had a population of 727 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel Springs, with the one closest to Bethel Springs listed first.
- Selmer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Purdy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Purdy is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
- Rose Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rose Creek is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Creek
- McNairy
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- McNairy is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNairy
- Falcon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Falcon is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
- Masseyville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Masseyville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyville
- Ramer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gravel Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gravel Hill is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
- Montezuma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montezuma is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Stantonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Stantonville is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stantonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Pine Top
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Top is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Top
- Adamsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Caffey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Caffey is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caffey
- Sweet Lips
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Sweet Lips is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Lips
- Guys
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Guys is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethel Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethel Springs.
Newspapers Published in Bethel Springs ...
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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel Springs, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel Springs.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Bethel Springs:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to McNairy County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Decatur County
- Hardeman County
- Hardin County
- Henderson County
- Madison County
- Lauderdale County
- Alcorn County
- Tippah County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Tennessee
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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Bethel Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bethel Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |