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 Flat Rock (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 Flat Rock. 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.
Name Variations for Flat Rock ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Another variation: Flatrock.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Flat Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Flat Rock.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Flat Rock is located in Smith 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 Smith County: DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Putnam, Trousdale & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Flat Rock. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Flat Rock:
- Smith County (The home county of Flat Rock)
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Rock City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rock City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Shaver Town
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Shaver Town is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Town
- Bluff Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bluff Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,734 people
- Carthage
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- South Carthage
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- South Carthage is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Carthage
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,406 people
- Monoville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Monoville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monoville
- Brush Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Brush Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Dixon Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dixon Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
- Gordonsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Hickman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hickman is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Defeated
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Defeated is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defeated
- Pleasant Shade
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cannon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Auburntown
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Auburntown is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburntown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Gassaway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Gassaway is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gassaway
- Woodbury
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Woods
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Woods is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods
- Thomas Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Thomas Town is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Town
- Bluewing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Bluewing is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluewing
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Jenkins Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jenkins Village is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkins Village
- Hermitage Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hermitage Springs is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage Springs
- Davidson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Hermitage
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lakewood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lakewood is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Priest Lake Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Priest Lake Park is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priest Lake Park
- Old Hickory
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Alexandria
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Temperance Hall
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Temperance Hall is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temperance Hall
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,791 people
- Liberty
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 330 people
- Dowelltown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Youngblood ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Youngblood is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngblood
- Philippi
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Philippi is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philippi
- Smithville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Johnsons Chapel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Johnsons Chapel is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Chapel
- Young Bend
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Young Bend is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Bend
- Estimated population in 2014: 279 people
- Bear Branch ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bear Branch is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Nameless
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Nameless is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameless
- Rough Point
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rough Point is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rough Point
- Haydenburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Haydenburg is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenburg
- North Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Springs is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Springs
- Gainesboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mayfield ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mayfield is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Columbus Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Columbus Hill is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 36,071 people
- Whitleyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Whitleyville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitleyville
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Green Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Green Grove is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Grove
- Meadorville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Meadorville is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadorville
- Gibbs Crossroads
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Gibbs Crossroads is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbs Crossroads
- Lafayette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mill Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Town is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
- Siloam
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Siloam is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Frog Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Frog Pond is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Pond
- Red Boiling Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Shade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Shade is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Shade
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Pekin ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pekin is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,114 people
- Lafayette
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lafayette is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,962 people
- Boma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Boma is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boma
- Baxter
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Burton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Burton is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Boiling Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Boiling Springs is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Springs
- Ditty
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Ditty is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ditty
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Milton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Milton is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Murphree
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Murphree is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphree
- Estimated population in 2014: 120,954 people
- Walter Hill Estates
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Walter Hill Estates is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walter Hill Estates
- Population from the 2010 Census: 401 people
- Walterhill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Walterhill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walterhill
- Compton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Compton is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
- Fairfield Estates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield Estates is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Estates
- Population from the 2010 Census: 131 people
- Jamestown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jamestown is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,940 people
- Leanna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Leanna is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanna
- Readyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Kittrell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Kittrell is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittrell
- Colonial Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Jefferson Pike
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Pike is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Pike
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,370 people
- Sumner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Castalian Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Chipman
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Chipman is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipman
- Rogana
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rogana is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogana
- Trousdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Trousdale is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
- Bethpage
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bledsoe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bledsoe is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bledsoe
- Bransford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bransford is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Population from the 2010 Census: 170 people
- Gallatin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Westmoreland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Rock Bridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Bridge is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Bridge
- South Tunnel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Tunnel is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Tunnel
- Ocana
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ocana is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocana
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,086 people
- Trousdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Johntown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Johntown is located in Trousdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johntown
- Hartsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- White County
- Peeled Chestnut
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Peeled Chestnut is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peeled Chestnut
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Saulsbury
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Saulsbury is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
- Commerce
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Commerce is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Linwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Linwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Centerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Centerville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,595 people
- Watertown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greenwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Lebanon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Doaks Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Doaks Crossroads is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doaks Crossroads
- Doaks Crossroads has also been known as:
- Doaks
- Possum Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Possum Town is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
- Statesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Statesville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Round Top
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Round Top is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Top
- Cottage Home
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Cottage Home is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Home
- Estimated population in 2014: 88 people
- Allen County (KY)
- Adolphus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Monroe County (KY)
- Akersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Akersville is located in Monroe County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Flat Rock, see our County-by-County Page for Flat Rock.
Cemeteries Near Flat Rock ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Flat Rock.
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 Flat Rock - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Flat Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Barnett Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Tuggle Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Highers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Enoch Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Litchford Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kent Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shaver Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- House Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Harper Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cato Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (870 more) ...
- Moore Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Litchford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Baird Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baird Cemetery
- The Baird Cemetery has also been known as:
- Buck Road Cemetery
- William 'Buck' Baird Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2374086 <2>
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>
While we didn't find Flat Rock in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Flat Rock.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Flat Rock, with the one closest to Flat Rock listed first.
- Jennings ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jennings is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
- Grant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grant is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Rome
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rome is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Bellwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bellwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
- Tuckers Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tuckers Crossroads is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckers Crossroads
- Commerce
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Commerce is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Linwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Linwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- New Middleton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- New Middleton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Middleton
- Watertown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Brush Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Brush Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Bluff Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bluff Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,734 people
- Carthage
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Monoville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Monoville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monoville
- Riddleton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Riddleton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riddleton
- Spring Creek ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Creek is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Flat Rock. See our List of 1890's Communities around Flat Rock.
Newspapers Published in Flat Rock ...
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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Flat Rock.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Flat Rock, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Flat Rock.
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 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 Flat Rock:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Smith County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cannon County
- Clay County
- Davidson County
- DeKalb County
- Jackson County
- Macon County
- Putnam County
- Rutherford County
- Sumner County
- Trousdale County
- White County
- Wilson County
- Allen County
- Monroe 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> | 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 Flat Rock, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Flat Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |