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 Laurel (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 Laurel. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Laurel is located in Sevier 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 Sevier County: Haywood (NC), Swain (NC), Blount, Cocke, Jefferson & Knox.
Below are the counties that are near Laurel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel:
- Sevier County (The home county of Laurel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Pittman Center
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Pittman Center is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman Center
- Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
- East Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- East Fork is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Harrisburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisburg is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 6,219 people
- Gatlinburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Middle Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Middle Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Creek
- Pigeon Forge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Chalet Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chalet Village is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalet Village
- Millican Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Millican Grove is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millican Grove
- Sevierville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Starkeytown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Starkeytown is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkeytown
- Estimated population in 2014: 431 people
- Waldens Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Waldens Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldens Creek
- Catlettsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Catlettsburg is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlettsburg
- Elkmont ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Elkmont is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkmont
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Townsend
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Red Bank
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Red Bank is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Cowan Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Cowan Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Springs
- Estimated population in 2014: 9,010 people
- Miller Cove
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Miller Cove is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller Cove
- Estimated population in 2014: 267 people
- Walland
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Rocky Branch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rocky Branch is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Branch
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,427 people
- Seaton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Seaton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
- Wildwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wildwood is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Eagleton Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Eagleton Village is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton Village
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,052 people
- Rockford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Rockford is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
- Chelsey Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Chelsey Village is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsey Village
- Cocke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Cosby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Birdsville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Birdsville is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdsville
- Carson Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Carson Springs is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson Springs
- Hartford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bailey Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bailey Town is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Estimated population in 2014: 428 people
- Wilton Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilton Springs is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton Springs
- Clevenger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Clevenger is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevenger
- Estimated population in 2014: 43,182 people
- Edwina
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Edwina is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwina
- Wilsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsonville is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonville
- Naillon ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Naillon is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naillon
- Jaybird
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jaybird is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaybird
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,299 people
- Newport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jimtown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Jimtown is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Grainger County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Dyers Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dyers Ferry is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyers Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 16,839 people
- Oakland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Oakland is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,316 people
- Massengill Mill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Massengill Mill is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massengill Mill
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,600 people
- Wa-Ni Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Wa-Ni Village is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wa-Ni Village
- Blaine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Beulah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beulah is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Sirenburg ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sirenburg is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sirenburg
- Warrensburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Warrensburg is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrensburg
- Hamblen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Monte Vista Estates
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Monte Vista Estates is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,860 people
- Collons Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Collons Ferry is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collons Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 986 people
- Morristown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Dandridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cook Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cook Mill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Mill
- Estimated population in 2014: 31,335 people
- Dumplin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dumplin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumplin
- Piedmont
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
- Baneberry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Flat Gap
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Flat Gap is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Gap
- Alena ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Alena is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alena
- Rocky Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rocky Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Valley
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,771 people
- Edna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Edna is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Leadvale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Leadvale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadvale
- New Market
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- White Pine
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Jefferson City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Peters Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Peters Mill is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Mill
- Kimberlin Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Thorn Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Thorn Grove is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorn Grove
- Riverdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Riverdale is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
- Lyonton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lyonton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonton
- Wooddale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wooddale is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooddale
- Shooks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Shooks is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooks
- Highpoint ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Highpoint is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highpoint
- Moshina Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moshina Heights is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshina Heights
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,335 people
- Mascot
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mascot is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mascot
- Population from the 2010 Census: 2,411 people
- Mayo ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mayo is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,366 people
- Ramsey Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ramsey Ferry is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 320 people
- Bonny Kate
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bonny Kate is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonny Kate
- Haywood County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Mount Sterling
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Sterling is located in Haywood County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Teague ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Teague is located in Haywood County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
- Maggie Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Junaluska
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Waynesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Paint Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Paint Town is located in Jackson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Town
- Whittier
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Wilmot
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Wilmot is located in Jackson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Dillsboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sylva
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sylva is located in Jackson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,739 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylva <1>
- Addie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Addie is located in Jackson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addie
- Balsam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Madison County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Lynch ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lynch is located in Madison County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch
- Bluff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bluff is located in Madison County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- Trust
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Trust is located in Madison County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Swain County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Oconaluftee Indian Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Cherokee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bryson City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Forney ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Forney is located in Swain County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
- Bushnell ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bushnell is located in Swain County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
- Judson ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Judson is located in Swain County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Almond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Unahala
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Unahala is located in Swain County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unahala
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel.
Cemeteries Near Laurel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel.
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 Laurel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Grassy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Green Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Zion Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Emerts Cove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Headrick Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Martin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Evans Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Tudor Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Price Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Frazier Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shults - Whaley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spurgeon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (701 more) ...
- Justus Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Whitted Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Proffitt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Laurel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laurel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- East Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- East Fork is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Jones Cove
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jones Cove is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Cove
- Gatlinburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Harrisburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisburg is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 6,219 people
- Middle Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Middle Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Creek
- Pigeon Forge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Birdsville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Birdsville is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdsville
- Fox ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Fox is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
- Allensville ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Allensville is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
- Sevierville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Henderson Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Henderson Springs is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Springs
- Chestnut Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Chestnut Hill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Carson Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Carson Springs is located in Cocke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson Springs
- Sandy Ridge
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Waldens Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Waldens Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldens Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel.
Newspapers Published in Laurel ...
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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel.
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 Laurel:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Sevier County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Cocke County
- Grainger County
- Greene County
- Hamblen County
- Jefferson County
- Knox County
- Haywood County
- Jackson County
- Madison County
- Swain 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> | 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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Laurel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |