RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Tennessee >> Washington County >> Jonesborough >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Jonesborough (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 Jonesborough. 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 Jonesborough ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

Another variation: Jonesboro.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Jonesborough. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Jonesborough.

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.

Jonesborough is located in Washington County and is the County Seat.

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 Jonesborough. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Jonesborough:

  • Washington County     (The home county of Jonesborough)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Onks
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Onks is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onks
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,715 people
    • Green Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Green Hill is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
    • Midway
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Midway is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Leesburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Telford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Camelot Two
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Camelot Two is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Two
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,582 people
    • Bowmantown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Johnson City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • North Johnson City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • North Johnson City is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johnson City
    • Locust Mount
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kansas City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Kansas City is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas City
    • Big Sandy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Big Sandy is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
      • Estimated population in 2014: 542 people
    • Carnegie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Carnegie is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
  • Carter County
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Milburnton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Centersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Horse Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Jearoldstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Rheatown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Afton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Fairview is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Henshaw ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 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
      (17 miles [27.4 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
      (17 miles [27.4 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
    • Bolton Estates
      (18 miles [29 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
    • Water Fork Mill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Water Fork Mill is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Fork Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 445 people
    • Baileyton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Hawkins County
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Butler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • High Health ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • High Health is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
    • Norris
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Norris is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Fordtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Colby ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Colby is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Kendrick Creek ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Wahoo ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Wahoo is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
    • Piney Flats
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Colonial Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Childress
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Thom ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Thom is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thom
    • Beechwood Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Beechwood Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood Village
    • Blair Gap
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Blair Gap is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair Gap
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,870 people
    • Sac ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Sac is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac
    • Bluff City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lella ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lella is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lella
  • Unicoi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Bumpus Cove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Bumpus Cove is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpus Cove
      • Estimated population in 2014: 729 people
    • Unicoi
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Whispering Pines
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Erwin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Banner Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 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
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Indian Creek is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Limestone Cove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ernestville
      (15 miles [24.1 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
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Loganton ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Loganton is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
    • Flag Pond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Avery County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonesborough, with the one closest to Jonesborough listed first.
    • Elk Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Whaley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Minneapolis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Minneapolis is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
  • Madison County (NC)
  • Mitchell County (NC)
  • Yancey County (NC)

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

Cemeteries Near Jonesborough ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jonesborough.

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

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

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

  • Hilbert Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Estes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Babb - Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Bales Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Old Jonesboro Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Maple Lawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Vaughn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Little Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Continue List   (1066 more) ...
    • Onks Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Glenwood Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Oliver 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 Jonesborough had a population of 937 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Jonesborough had a population of 5,765 people.

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

  • February
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • February is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for February
  • Leesburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Telford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Keebler Crossroads
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Keebler Crossroads is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keebler Crossroads
  • Mayday
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Mayday is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayday
  • Bowmantown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Johnson City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Locust Mount
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Matuta ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Matuta is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matuta
  • Washington College
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Washington College is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington College
  • Embreeville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Embreeville is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Embreeville
  • Carnegie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Carnegie is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Jonesborough ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jonesborough.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Jonesborough. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Jonesborough and those printed in the larger area surrounding Jonesborough.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> of Jonesborough.

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 either 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 Jonesborough:

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