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 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Bethlehem is located in Hardin 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 Hardin County: Lauderdale (AL), Tishomingo (MS), Chester, Decatur, Henderson, McNairy & Wayne.
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:
- Hardin County (The home county of Bethlehem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Smiths Fork ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Smiths Fork is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Fork
- Johnson Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Johnson Ford is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Ford
- Estimated population in 2014: 65,813 people
- Swift
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Swift is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,874 people
- Centerview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Centerview is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
- Estimated population in 2014: 244 people
- Paulks ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Paulks is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulks
- Saltillo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saltillo is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 521 people
- Belle Meade
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Meade is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Meade
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,017 people
- New Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- New Town is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Savannah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Sibley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sibley is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
- Lowryville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Lowryville is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowryville
- Bruton Branch
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bruton Branch is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruton Branch
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Milledgeville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Milledgeville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milledgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
- Enville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Enville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
- Sweet Lips
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sweet Lips is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Lips
- Jacks Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Decatur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Dunbar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunbar is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbar
- Pleasant Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 566 people
- Mount Lebanon
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Mount Lebanon is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
- Estimated population in 2014: 29,387 people
- Scotts Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Decaturville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Parsons
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Jeannette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jeannette is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Sardis
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Reagan
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Darden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Darden is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darden
- Population from the 2010 Census: 399 people
- Chesterfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Chesterfield is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Population from the 2010 Census: 469 people
- Rhodes Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rhodes Town is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Town
- Middle Fork
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Middle Fork is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Fork
- Lawrence County
- Westpoint
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Westpoint is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westpoint
- Lewis County
- Voorhies
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Voorhies is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,476 people
- McNairy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Adamsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Leapwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Leapwood is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leapwood
- Stantonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stantonville is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stantonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Tulu
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tulu is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulu
- Estimated population in 2014: 18,899 people
- Michie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Purdy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Purdy is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Flatwoods
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Linden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mousetail ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mousetail is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mousetail
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Clifton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Sorby ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sorby is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorby
- Lutts
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Waynesboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Collinwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Collinwood is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 932 people
- Slickrock Ford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Slickrock Ford is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slickrock Ford
- Estimated population in 2014: 179 people
- Whittens Stand ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whittens Stand is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittens Stand
- Ashland Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland Ford is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland Ford
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,674 people
- Cypress Inn
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cypress Inn is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Inn
- Corning ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Corning is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corning
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,210 people
- Colbert County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Crows Camp ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Crows Camp is located in Colbert County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crows Camp
- Chickasaw ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Chickasaw is located in Colbert County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickasaw
- Riverton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Riverton is located in Colbert County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
- Lauderdale County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Haddock ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Haddock is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddock
- Waterloo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Threet
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Threet is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Threet
- Cloverdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cloverdale is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Tishomingo County (MS)
- Short
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Short is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
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.
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bailey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Olive Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Gilmore Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Old Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Beckham Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Brashier Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Garrard Spring Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Umphreys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jerrolds Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Franks Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Continue List (805 more) ...
- Jowers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Patterson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Davis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 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.<2>
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.
- Olivehill
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Olivehill is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivehill
- Smiths Fork ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Smiths Fork is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Fork
- Clifton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Swift
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Swift is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,874 people
- Houston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Houston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
- Martins Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Martins Mills is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mills
- Sorby ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sorby is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorby
- Cerro Gordo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Cerro Gordo is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
- Paulks ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Paulks is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulks
- Economy ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Economy is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
- Bath Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Point Pleasant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Point Pleasant is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Pleasant
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Gillises Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gillises Mills is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillises Mills
- Lutts
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saltillo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saltillo is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 521 people
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 32 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 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. 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 helpful 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 Bethlehem:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Hardin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Decatur County
- Henderson County
- Lawrence County
- Lewis County
- McNairy County
- Perry County
- Wayne County
- Colbert County
- Lauderdale County
- Tishomingo 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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- Bethlehem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |