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 Johnson City (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 Johnson City. 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.
Johnson City is primarily located in Washington County. A portion of Johnson City extends into Carter County and Sullivan 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 Washington County: Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Sullivan & Unicoi.
Below are the counties that are near Johnson City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Johnson City:
- Washington County (The home county of Johnson City)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Carnegie
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Carnegie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
- North Johnson City
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- North Johnson City is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johnson City
- Oakland Village
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Oakland Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Village
- Camelot Two
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Camelot Two is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Two
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,582 people
- East Ridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- East Ridge is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ridge
- Estimated population in 2014: 21,317 people
- Austin Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Austin Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Village
- South Gate Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- South Gate Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Village
- Midway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Midway is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Flourville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Onks
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Onks is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onks
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,715 people
- Green Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Green Hill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Jonesborough
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Pine Crest
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Crest is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
- Central
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Central is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
- Watauga
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Biltmore
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elizabethton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gap Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hampton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Woodby Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Woodby Hill is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodby Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,730 people
- Hunter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hunter is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- Siam
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Tolley Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tolley Town is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolley Town
- Fish Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Milburnton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Centersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Jearoldstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Horse Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Horse Creek is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 284 people
- Rheatown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Afton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Henshaw ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Henshaw is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henshaw
- Estimated population in 2014: 470 people
- Pleasant View
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant View is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,251 people
- Tusculum
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Tusculum is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tusculum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,669 people
- Fairview
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Bolton Estates
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bolton Estates is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,152 people
- Baileyton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hawkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Rotherwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Solitude ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Block City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Block City is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Block City
- Blossom
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Green Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Green Village is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
- Greenvale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Carmel
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Chimneytop ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Chimneytop is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimneytop
- Church Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Frisco
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Waycross
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Waycross is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waycross
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,091 people
- New Canton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Butler
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- High Health ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- High Health is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
- Norris
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Norris is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
- Winchester
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Winchester is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
- Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Piney Flats
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Childress
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Colby ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Colby is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
- Thom ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Thom is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thom
- Wahoo ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wahoo is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
- Lella ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lella is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lella
- Bluff City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fordtown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Galloway Mill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Galloway Mill is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway Mill
- Estimated population in 2014: 665 people
- Sac ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sac is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac
- Kendrick Creek ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Colonial Heights
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Unicoi County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Whispering Pines
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Unicoi
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Limestone Cove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Erwin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bumpus Cove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bumpus Cove is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpus Cove
- Estimated population in 2014: 729 people
- Banner Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Banner Hill is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,497 people
- Indian Creek ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Indian Creek is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
- Ernestville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Ernestville is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernestville
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,311 people
- Clear Branch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Loganton ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Loganton is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
- Flag Pond
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Avery County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Elk Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Gilead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Gilead is located in Avery County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Whaley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Minneapolis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Minneapolis is located in Avery County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
- Beech Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Chestnut Dale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Vale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Vale is located in Avery County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Newland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Plumtree
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Banner Elk
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Madison County (NC)
- Allegheny
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Richlands
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Richlands is located in Mitchell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
- Buladean
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bailey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Bailey is located in Mitchell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Relief
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Herrell ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Herrell is located in Mitchell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
- Huntdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Tipton Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Red Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
- Bakersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Watauga County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Watauga Falls ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Watauga Falls is located in Watauga County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga Falls
- Rominger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Yancey County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Sioux
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ramseytown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Day Book
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Green Mountain
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Higgins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Double Island
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Burnsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Micaville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Newdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Johnson City, see our County-by-County Page for Johnson City.
Cemeteries Near Johnson City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Johnson City.
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 Johnson City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Johnson City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Harrington Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Little Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Carruthers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- West Lawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Phillips Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jones - Bayless Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Clark Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Range Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mountain Home Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Mountain Home National Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Young Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Continue List (1009 more) ...
- Patton Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Hoss Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Monte Vista Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
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 Johnson City had a population of 4,161 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Johnson City had a population of 67,142 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Johnson City, with the one closest to Johnson City listed first.
- Carnegie
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Carnegie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
- Austin Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Austin Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Springs
- Flourville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Okolona
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Okolona is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okolona
- Milligan
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Milligan is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milligan
- Watauga
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jonesborough
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Marbleton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Marbleton is located in Unicoi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbleton
- Keebler Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Keebler Crossroads is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keebler Crossroads
- Piney Flats
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- February
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- February is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for February
- Elizabethton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (23 more) ...
- Keenburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Keenburg is located in Carter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keenburg
- Childress
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Boring
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Boring is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boring
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Johnson City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Johnson City.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Johnson City ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Johnson City.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Johnson City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Johnson City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Johnson City.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> of Johnson City.
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 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 Johnson City:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carter County
- Greene County
- Hawkins County
- Johnson County
- Sullivan County
- Unicoi County
- Avery County
- Madison County
- Mitchell County
- Watauga County
- Yancey 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 Johnson City, 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- Johnson City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |