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 Bethesda (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 Bethesda. 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 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.
Bethesda is located in White 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 White County: Cumberland, DeKalb, Putnam, Van Buren & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Bethesda. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethesda:
- White County (The home county of Bethesda)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Clarktown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Clarktown is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarktown
- Estimated population in 2014: 146,806 people
- Methodist ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Methodist is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methodist
- Sparta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Doyle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Doyle is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Ravenscroft
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ravenscroft is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenscroft
- Quebeck
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Cherry Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cherry Creek is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
- Darkey Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Darkey Springs is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkey Springs
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Pollard is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Drop ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Drop is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drop
- Macedonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Macedonia is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Fanchers Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fanchers Mills is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanchers Mills
- Bledsoe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Winesap
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Winesap is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Ninemile
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ninemile is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ninemile
- Pikeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brockdell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brockdell is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockdell
- Summer City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Summer City is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer City
- Pailo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pailo is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pailo
- Brayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Brayton is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brayton
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Newton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Newton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,968 people
- Newton has also been known as:
- Peay
- Todd Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Todd Town is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd Town
- Mount Gilead ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Gilead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Erasmus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Erasmus is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erasmus
- Neverfail ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Neverfail is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neverfail
- Pleasant Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
- Lantana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Lantana is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lantana
- Lake Tansi Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Lake Tansi Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tansi Village
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,803 people
- Howard Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Howard Springs is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Springs
- Burke
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Burke is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
- Creston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Creston is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
- Crossville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Johnsons Chapel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsons Chapel is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Chapel
- Young Bend
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Young Bend is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Bend
- Estimated population in 2014: 279 people
- Bear Branch ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bear Branch is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch
- Philippi
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Philippi is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philippi
- Smithville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Fentress County
- Clarkrange
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Overton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Obey City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Obey City is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obey City
- Lovejoy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lovejoy is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovejoy
- Beaver Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Beaver Hill is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Hill
- Bushing ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bushing is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushing
- Hanging Limb
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hanging Limb is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Limb
- Oak Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Oak Hill is located in Overton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Burnett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Burnett is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
- Estimated population in 2014: 418 people
- Monterey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Boiling Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Boiling Springs is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Springs
- Burgess
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burgess is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
- Ditty
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ditty is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ditty
- Huntland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Huntland is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntland
- Estimated population in 2014: 860 people
- Southtown Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Southtown Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southtown Village
- Burton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Burton is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Shennon Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Shennon Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shennon Village
- White Plains
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- White Plains is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,231 people
- Park Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Park Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
- Cookeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rhea County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Ogden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ogden is located in Rhea County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
- Cumberland Spring
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cumberland Spring is located in Rhea County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Spring
- Spring City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bryan Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bryan Hill is located in Rhea County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan Hill
- Dayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Graysville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Graysville is located in Rhea County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,570 people
- Sequatchie County
- Dunlap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Sweetgum
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sweetgum is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetgum
- Cummingsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cummingsville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummingsville
- Meade ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Meade is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade
- Spencer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bone Cave
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bone Cave is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Cave
- Sopha ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sopha is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sopha
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,104 people
- Laurelburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Laurelburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelburg
- Chalybeate
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Hillis ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hillis is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillis
- Campaign
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Campaign is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campaign
- Fall City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Fall City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall City
- Horseshoe Falls ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Horseshoe Falls is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Falls
- Rowland Station ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Rowland Station is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland Station
- Rowland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Rowland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
- Shellsford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shellsford is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsford
- Smyrna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Smyrna is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
- Estimated population in 2014: 45,274 people
- Dibrell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Dibrell is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dibrell
- Gath
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gath is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gath
- McMinnville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lucky
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lucky is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethesda, see our County-by-County Page for Bethesda.
Cemeteries Near Bethesda ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethesda.
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 Bethesda - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethesda covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mitchell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Graveyard Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Parks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fraziers Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Gravel Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Anderson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lost Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Yates Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mooneyham Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lonewood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Stringtown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (554 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cummingsville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Walling Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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>
While we didn't find Bethesda in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethesda.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethesda, with the one closest to Bethesda listed first.
- Dodson
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Dodson is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Sweetgum
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sweetgum is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetgum
- River Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- River Hill is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Hill
- Perilla ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Perilla is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perilla
- Cummingsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cummingsville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummingsville
- Newton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Newton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,968 people
- Newton has also been known as:
- Peay
- Meade ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Meade is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade
- Spencer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bon Air
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Bon Air is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
- Mount Gilead ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Gilead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Erasmus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Erasmus is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erasmus
- Sparta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Methodist ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Methodist is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methodist
- Sparkman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sparkman is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparkman
- Sampson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sampson is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethesda. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethesda.
Newspapers Published in Bethesda ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethesda.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethesda, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethesda.
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 Bethesda:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to White County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bledsoe County
- Cumberland County
- DeKalb County
- Fentress County
- Overton County
- Putnam County
- Rhea County
- Sequatchie County
- Van Buren County
- Warren 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bethesda) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Bethesda, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |