Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Bethlehem. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Bethlehem to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bethlehem, please Contact Us.
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 Bethlehem (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 Bethlehem. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 west contained birth and death records; the county to the south 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Bethlehem is historic, it would have been located within present day Cannon 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 Cannon County: Coffee, DeKalb, Rutherford, Warren & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Bethlehem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethlehem:
- Cannon County (The home county of Bethlehem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Burt
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Burt is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
- Burgen
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Burgen is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgen
- Bradyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bradyville is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradyville
- Woodbury
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Manus Town ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Manus Town is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manus Town
- Hollow Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hollow Springs is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollow Springs
- Estimated population in 2014: 706 people
- Bluewing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bluewing is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluewing
- Thomas Town ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Thomas Town is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Town
- Woods
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Woods is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods
- Auburntown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Auburntown is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburntown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Gassaway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Gassaway is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gassaway
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Bell Buckle
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wartrace
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Haley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Haley is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haley
- Normandy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cortner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cortner is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortner
- Vannatta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Vannatta is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannatta
- Estimated population in 2014: 398 people
- Cascade Hollow
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cascade Hollow is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Hollow
- Longview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Longview is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Willow Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Willow Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
- Shelbyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Anchor Mill ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Anchor Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor Mill
- Raus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Raus is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raus
- Unionville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Coffee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Gossburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gossburg is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gossburg
- Naola ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Naola is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naola
- Beechgrove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Teal ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Teal is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teal
- New Union
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- New Union is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Union
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,431 people
- Busy Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Busy Corner is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busy Corner
- Forest Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Forest Mill is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Mill
- Manchester
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Royal Oaks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Royal Oaks is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Oaks
- Winton Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Winton Town is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton Town
- Belmont
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Belmont is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Hillsboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Homaway Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Homaway Village is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homaway Village
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Youngblood ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Youngblood is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngblood
- Bear Branch ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Bear Branch is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch
- Liberty
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 330 people
- Dowelltown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Smithville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Alexandria
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Philippi
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Philippi is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philippi
- Young Bend
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Young Bend is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Bend
- Estimated population in 2014: 279 people
- Temperance Hall
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Temperance Hall is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temperance Hall
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,791 people
- Johnsons Chapel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Johnsons Chapel is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Chapel
- Grundy County
- Altamont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Readyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Kittrell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kittrell is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittrell
- Milton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Milton is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Burns Place
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Burns Place is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Place
- Dillton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dillton is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillton
- Plainview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Plainview is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
- Compton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Compton is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
- Rucker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rucker is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
- Fairfield Estates
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield Estates is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Estates
- Population from the 2010 Census: 131 people
- Murfreesboro
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Walter Hill Estates
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Walter Hill Estates is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walter Hill Estates
- Population from the 2010 Census: 401 people
- Walterhill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Walterhill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walterhill
- Jamestown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jamestown is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,940 people
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Brush Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Brush Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Hickman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hickman is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Shaver Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Shaver Town is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Town
- Gordonsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Bone Cave
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bone Cave is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Cave
- Laurelburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Laurelburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelburg
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Centertown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Centertown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 256 people
- Trousdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trousdale is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
- Daylight
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Daylight is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daylight
- Lucky
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Lucky is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
- Morrison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dibrell
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Dibrell is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dibrell
- Gath
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Gath is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gath
- McMinnville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Viola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shellsford
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Shellsford is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsford
- Horseshoe Falls ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Horseshoe Falls is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Falls
- Rowland Station ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rowland Station is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland Station
- Rowland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rowland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Drop ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Drop is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drop
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Pollard is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Peeled Chestnut
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Peeled Chestnut is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peeled Chestnut
- Darkey Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Darkey Springs is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkey Springs
- Quebeck
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Cottage Home
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Cottage Home is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Home
- Estimated population in 2014: 88 people
- Cainsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cainsville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cainsville
- Round Top
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Round Top is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Top
- Statesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Statesville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Watertown
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Doaks Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Doaks Crossroads is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doaks Crossroads
- Doaks Crossroads has also been known as:
- Doaks
- Commerce
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Commerce is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Greenwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Greenwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Linwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Linwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Saulsbury
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Saulsbury is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
- Gladeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethlehem, see our County-by-County Page for Bethlehem.
Cemeteries Near Bethlehem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
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 Bethlehem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethlehem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Jameson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Todd Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Milligan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Simpson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Davis - Thomas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Patton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- King Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Peeler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Preston Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sullivan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brandon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (1312 more) ...
- Pallette Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Gandy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Smithson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
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.
While we didn't find Bethlehem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethlehem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Burt
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Burt is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
- Burgen
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Burgen is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgen
- Bradyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bradyville is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradyville
- Cateston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cateston is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cateston
- Woodbury
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Readyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Donnell Chapel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Donnell Chapel is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnell Chapel
- Hollow Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hollow Springs is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollow Springs
- Estimated population in 2014: 706 people
- Clearmont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Clearmont is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearmont
- Leoni
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Leoni is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leoni
- Talome ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Talome is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talome
- Gossburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gossburg is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gossburg
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Porterfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Porterfield is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterfield
- Devenport ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Devenport is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devenport
- Kittrell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kittrell is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittrell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethlehem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethlehem.
Newspapers Published in Bethlehem ...
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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethlehem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethlehem, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethlehem.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Bethlehem:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Cannon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford County
- Coffee County
- DeKalb County
- Grundy County
- Rutherford County
- Smith County
- Van Buren County
- Warren County
- White County
- Wilson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Tennessee
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Bethlehem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bethlehem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |