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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 Birchwood (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 Birchwood. 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 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 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.

Birchwood is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Catoosa (GA), Dade (GA), Walker (GA), Whitfield (GA), Bledsoe, Bradley, Marion, Meigs, Rhea & Sequatchie.

Below are the counties that are near Birchwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Birchwood:

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Birchwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Lakewood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakewood is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
      • Estimated population in 2011: 2,336 people
    • Sale Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Soddy Lake Heights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Soddy Lake Heights is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soddy Lake Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13,190 people
    • Soddy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Soddy - Daisy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Flat Top
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Daisy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Daisy is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Lakesite
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Lakesite is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakesite
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,866 people
    • Mowbray
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Caramel Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Caramel Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caramel Village
    • Crabtree Hills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Crabtree Hills is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabtree Hills
      • Estimated population in 2014: 763 people
    • Harrison Ferry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Harrison Ferry is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Ferry
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 7,769 people
  • Bledsoe County
  • Bradley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Etola
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hopewell Estates
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hopewell Estates is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,874 people
    • Hopewell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hopewell is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
    • Bent Tree Acres
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Bent Tree Acres is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Tree Acres
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,309 people
    • Countryside Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Countryside Village is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Bellefounte
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Charleston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Cleveland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • East Cleveland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • East Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,608 people
    • South Cleveland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • South Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,912 people
    • McDonald
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Mineral Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Burke
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Jewett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Marion County
  • McMinn County
  • Meigs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Cayuga Town ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Cayuga Town is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga Town
    • East View
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • East View is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East View
      • Estimated population in 2014: 705 people
    • Beta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Goodfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Calico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Calico is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calico
      • Estimated population in 2014: 495 people
    • Decatur
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cute ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Cute is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cute
    • Akeman Crossroad
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sewee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Surprise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Polk County
  • Rhea County
  • Sequatchie County
  • Catoosa County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Mount Vernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Mount Vernon is located in Catoosa County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,371 people
    • Graysville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Indian Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Indian Springs is located in Catoosa County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs
    • Dafron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dafron is located in Catoosa County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dafron
      • Estimated population in 2019: 7,294 people
    • Lakeview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lakeview is located in Catoosa County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Newnan Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Newnan Springs is located in Catoosa County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newnan Springs
      • Estimated population in 2019: 41,581 people
  • Murray County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Tennga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gregory
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Gregory is located in Murray County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 7,432 people
  • Walker County (GA)
  • Whitfield County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
    • Red Clay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Parrett Crossing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Parrett Crossing is located in Whitfield County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrett Crossing
      • Estimated population in 2019: 136 people
    • Cohutta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Birchwood, see our County-by-County Page for Birchwood.

Cemeteries Near Birchwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Birchwood.

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 Birchwood - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Birchwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.

  • McInturff Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Shelton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Roark Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • McCallie Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Cookston Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Browder Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • McClanahan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Blankenship Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Powell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Doughty Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Spivey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (758 more) ...
    • Lake Drive Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Spivey Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Gamble Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)

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 Birchwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Birchwood.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.

  • Brittsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Brittsville is located in Meigs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittsville
  • Big Spring
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Big Spring is located in Meigs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
  • Etola
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sale Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Graysville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Coulterville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Coulterville is located in Hamilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coulterville
  • Beta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Pineland ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Pineland is located in Meigs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineland
  • Lamontville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Dayton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Soddy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Cotton Port ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cotton Port is located in Meigs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Port
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Igous Ferry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Igous Ferry is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Igous Ferry
    • Folger ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Folger is located in McMinn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folger
    • Ogden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Birchwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Birchwood.

Newspapers Published in Birchwood ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Birchwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Birchwood, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Birchwood.

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 Birchwood:

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 Birchwood, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Birchwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.