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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 Brentwood (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 Brentwood. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Brentwood is located in Williamson 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 Williamson County: Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Marshall, Maury & Rutherford.

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

  • Williamson County     (The home county of Brentwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Lynnwood Downs
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Lynnwood Downs is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood Downs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 282 people
    • Wildwood Estates
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wildwood Estates is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,098 people
    • Clovercroft
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • McEwen ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • McEwen is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McEwen
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,699 people
    • Nolensville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Berrys Chapel Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Berrys Chapel Heights is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrys Chapel Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 551 people
    • Franklin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Home
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Old Town ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Old Town is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Arrington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Parry
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Parry is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 262 people
    • Southall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Peytonsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Bedford County
  • Cheatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Pegram
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Doziers ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Doziers is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doziers
      • Estimated population in 2014: 543 people
    • Kingston Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Lillamay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Marrowbone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bell Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bell Town is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
    • Westeria ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Westeria is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westeria
    • Ashland City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bearwallow
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sycamore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lockertsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Davidson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Wrencoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Oak Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Oak Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,432 people
    • Whispering Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Forest Hills is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,721 people
    • Paragon Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Green Hills is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hills
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,618 people
    • Antioch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Berry Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Berry Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
    • Belle Meade
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle Meade is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Meade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,788 people
    • Dog Town ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Dog Town is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Town
    • Rural Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rural Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Hill
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,007 people
    • Nashboro Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Nashboro Village is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashboro Village
    • Tennessee Towne ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Tennessee Towne is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee Towne
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,347 people
  • Dickson County
  • Hickman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Primm Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bon Aqua Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Bon Aqua Junction is located in Hickman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Aqua Junction
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,230 people
  • Marshall County
  • Maury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • New Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • New Town is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Jameson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Theta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carters Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • New Hope
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • New Hope is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,070 people
    • Fly
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hill Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Hill Town is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Town
    • Mowd ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Mowd is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowd
    • New Flys Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • New Flys Village is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Flys Village
    • Santa Fe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Leftwich
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Columbia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ben ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ben is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben
  • Robertson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Hygeia Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Hygeia Springs is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hygeia Springs
    • Greenbrier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Coopertown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Coopertown is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,612 people
    • Crunk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Crunk is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crunk
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,406 people
  • Rutherford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • La Vergne
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Morrow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Morrow is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrow
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29,304 people
    • Jefferson Pike
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jefferson Pike is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Pike
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,370 people
    • Smyrna
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Patterson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Snell ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Snell is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snell
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,361 people
    • Murphree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Murphree is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphree
      • Estimated population in 2014: 120,954 people
    • Allisona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Colonial Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Colonial Village is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Eagleville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Leanna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jamestown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jamestown is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,940 people
    • Concord
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sumner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brentwood, with the one closest to Brentwood listed first.
    • Driftwood Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Driftwood Park is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood Park
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,908 people
    • Goodlettsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Hendersonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Millersville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Shackle Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Shackle Island is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackle Island
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,844 people
    • Ocana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Ocana is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocana
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,086 people
    • Station Camp ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Station Camp is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Station Camp
  • Wilson County

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

Cemeteries Near Brentwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brentwood.

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

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

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

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 Brentwood had a population of 130 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Brentwood had a population of 42,876 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Brentwood ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brentwood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Brentwood. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Brentwood and those printed in the larger area surrounding Brentwood.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4> of Brentwood.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Brentwood:

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 Brentwood, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Brentwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.