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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 Brockdell (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 Brockdell. 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 and doctors 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.

Brockdell is located in Bledsoe 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 Bledsoe County: Cumberland, Hamilton, Rhea, Sequatchie & Van Buren.

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

  • Bledsoe County     (The home county of Brockdell)
  • Bradley County
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Newton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Mount Gilead ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Mount Gilead is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
    • Burke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Todd Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Todd Town is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd Town
    • Erasmus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Jewett
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lantana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Tansi Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Palmer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Gruetli - Laager
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Beersheba Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Beersheba Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beersheba Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
    • Gruetli
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gruetli is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
    • Altamont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Coalmont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Coalmont is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
    • White City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Lankford Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Sartain Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sartain Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartain Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
    • Tracy City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Flat Top
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Sale Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mowbray
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
      • Estimated population in 2011: 2,336 people
    • Soddy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Daisy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Daisy is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Soddy - Daisy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Soddy Lake Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Soddy Lake Heights is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soddy Lake Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13,190 people
    • Birchwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Falling Water
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Falling Water is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Water
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,232 people
    • Crabtree Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Crabtree Hills is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabtree Hills
      • Estimated population in 2014: 763 people
    • Fairmount
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Marion County
  • McMinn County
  • Meigs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Cayuga Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Cayuga Town is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga Town
    • East View
      (25 miles [40.2 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Calico
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Calico is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calico
      • Estimated population in 2014: 495 people
    • Goodfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Decatur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Rhea County
  • Sequatchie County
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Chalybeate
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
    • Sopha ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Sopha is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sopha
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,104 people
    • Spencer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sweetgum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Laurelburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cummingsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Meade ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Meade is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade
    • Bone Cave
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell listed first.
    • Hillis ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hillis is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillis
    • Smyrna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Smyrna is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
      • Estimated population in 2014: 45,274 people
    • Campaign
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Shellsford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rowland Station ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rowland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Fall City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fall City is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall City
    • McMinnville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Horseshoe Falls ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Horseshoe Falls is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Falls
    • Viola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • White County

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

Cemeteries Near Brockdell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brockdell.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brockdell, with the one closest to Brockdell 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.<4>

While we didn't find Brockdell in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Brockdell.

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

  • Pailo
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mount Airy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mount Airy is located in Sequatchie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Airy
  • Cagle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cagle is located in Sequatchie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cagle
  • Brayton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Olio ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Olio is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olio
  • Pikeville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Gladecreek ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gladecreek is located in Bledsoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladecreek
  • Sampson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Sampson is located in Bledsoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
  • Gillentine ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gillentine is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillentine
  • Chalybeate
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
  • Dunlap
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Schoolfield ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Schoolfield is located in Bledsoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoolfield
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Ogden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Morgan Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Morgan Springs is located in Rhea County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Springs
    • Summer City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Summer City is located in Bledsoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer City

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

Newspapers Published in Brockdell ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brockdell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brockdell, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brockdell.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Brockdell:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Brockdell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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>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 Brockdell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.