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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 Chattanooga (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 Chattanooga. 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.

Chattanooga is primarily located in Hamilton County and is the County Seat. A portion of Chattanooga extends into Marion 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 Chattanooga. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chattanooga:

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Chattanooga)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Orchard Knob
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Midvale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Midvale is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
    • Ridgedale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Lake Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Valley Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Valley Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Village
    • Ridgeside
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Ridgeside is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeside
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
    • Signal Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Boyce
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyce is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Colonial Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Saint Elmo
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Tiftonia
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsboro Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hillsboro Heights is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro Heights
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 450 people
  • Bledsoe County
  • Bradley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Mineral Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • McDonald
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Bent Tree Acres
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bent Tree Acres is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Tree Acres
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,309 people
    • Cleveland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • South Cleveland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • South Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,912 people
    • Wildwood Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Wildwood Lake is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Lake
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 3,124 people
    • Earnest ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Earnest is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earnest
    • East Cleveland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • East Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,608 people
    • Countryside Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Countryside Village is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Hopewell Estates
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hopewell Estates is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,874 people
    • Hopewell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hopewell is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
    • Etola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Palmer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • White City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Lankford Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Gruetli - Laager
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Gruetli
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gruetli is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
    • Tracy City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Coalmont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Coalmont is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
  • Marion County
  • Meigs County
    • East View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • East View is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East View
      • Estimated population in 2014: 705 people
  • Rhea County
  • Sequatchie County
  • DeKalb County (AL)
  • Jackson County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Bryant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Eliza
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Long Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Higdon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Copenhagen ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Copenhagen is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
    • Bridgeport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bridgeport is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,272 people
      • Former name for Bridgeport:
      • Jonesville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgeport <1>
    • Browns Valley ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Browns Valley is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
    • Flat Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Haynes Crossing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Catoosa County (GA)
  • Dade County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Morganville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Morganville is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,835 people
    • Cole City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people
    • Trenton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Stewart Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town
    • Rising Fawn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Murray County (GA)
    • Gregory
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • 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)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga listed first.
    • Rossville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • John Ross Estates
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • John Ross Estates is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Ross Estates
      • Estimated population in 2018: 84,310 people
    • Lookout Mountain
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rock City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Fantasy Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Fantasy Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fantasy Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 316 people
    • Orchard Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 232 people
    • Dewberry Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Dewberry Town is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewberry Town
    • Fairview
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Flintstone
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Happy Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Happy Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Valley
      • Estimated population in 2019: 192 people
    • Park City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Park City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
    • Warren Terrace
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Warren Terrace is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Terrace
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,720 people
  • Whitfield County (GA)

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

Cemeteries Near Chattanooga ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chattanooga.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chattanooga, with the one closest to Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga had a population of 29,100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chattanooga had a population of 184,742 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chattanooga ...

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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chattanooga.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chattanooga. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chattanooga and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chattanooga.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 5 miles [8 km]<4> of Chattanooga.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Chattanooga:

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 Chattanooga, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chattanooga) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.