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 Luray (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 Luray. 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 and hospitals 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.
Luray is located in Henderson 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 Henderson County: Carroll, Chester, Decatur, Hardin & Madison.
Below are the counties that are near Luray. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Luray:
- Henderson County (The home county of Luray)
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Huron
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Huron is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- White Fern
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- White Fern is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Fern
- Middle Fork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Middle Fork is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Fork
- Rhodes Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rhodes Town is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Town
- Lexington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Atkins ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Atkins is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Estimated population in 2014: 13,664 people
- Reagan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Union Cross
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Union Cross is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Cross
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,666 people
- McHaney ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- McHaney is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHaney
- Chesterfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Chesterfield is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Population from the 2010 Census: 469 people
- Parkers Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Cedar Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Cedar Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Lavinia
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Clarksburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clarksburg is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people
- Whitthorne
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Whitthorne is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitthorne
- Anark
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Anark is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anark
- Concord
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Concord is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Atwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Atwood is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 915 people
- McLemoresville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- McLemoresville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLemoresville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 326 people
- Trezevant
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Huntingdon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Mifflin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mifflin is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mifflin
- Jacks Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Henderson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sweet Lips
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Sweet Lips is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Lips
- Enville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Enville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
- Montezuma
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Deanburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Deanburg is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,395 people
- Milledgeville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Milledgeville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milledgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
- Masseyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Masseyville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyville
- Silerton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Silerton is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
- Crockett County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Gadsden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gadsden is located in Crockett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gadsden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
- Fruitvale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Fruitvale is located in Crockett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitvale
- Bells
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Decatur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Scotts Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sulphur Springs ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Decaturville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Dunbar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Dunbar is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbar
- Parsons
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 566 people
- Jeannette
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jeannette is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Mount Lebanon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Lebanon is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
- Estimated population in 2014: 29,387 people
- Gibson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Goat City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Goat City is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goat City
- Medina
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Graball
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Graball is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graball
- Population from the 2010 Census: 236 people
- Sitka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sitka is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
- Gibson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gibson is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 384 people
- Humboldt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Milan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ledbetter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ledbetter is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledbetter
- Estimated population in 2014: 29,427 people
- Whitway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Whitway is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitway
- Union Central
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Union Central is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Central
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,574 people
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Concord is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Hardeman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Teague
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Teague is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,181 people
- Toone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Toone is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toone
- Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
- Hornsby
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hornsby is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Shandy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shandy is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shandy
- Hardin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Saltillo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saltillo is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 521 people
- Sibley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sibley is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
- Crump
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Swift
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Swift is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,874 people
- Centerview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Centerview is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
- Estimated population in 2014: 244 people
- New Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Town is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Wellwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Wellwood is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellwood
- Woodland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Woodland is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Claybrook
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Claybrook is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claybrook
- Cisco Indian Village ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cisco Indian Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco Indian Village
- Pinson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lawrence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lawrence is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,498 people
- Spring Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Jackson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Oakfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oakfield is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakfield
- Malesus
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Malesus is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malesus
- Parkburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Parkburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,156 people
- Medon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Three Way
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Three Way is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Way
- Windy City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Windy City is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy City
- McNairy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Finger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Leapwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Leapwood is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leapwood
- Bethel Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Purdy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Purdy is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
- Adamsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Rose Creek is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Creek
- Selmer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Falcon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Falcon is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Luray, see our County-by-County Page for Luray.
Cemeteries Near Luray ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Luray.
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 Luray - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Luray covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Buckley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Mifflin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Mifflin Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the New Mifflin Cemetery is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<2> to the northeast of Henderson.
- The New Mifflin Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mifflin Cemetery
- Mifflin Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #15620 <3>
- Brown Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cooper Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mills - Darden Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Union Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Frys Point Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Garrett Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Holly Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Clarks Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (557 more) ...
- Unity Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Old Big Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Luray had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
- Mifflin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mifflin is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mifflin
- Huron
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Huron is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- White Fern
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- White Fern is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Fern
- Beech Bluff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Crucifer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Crucifer is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crucifer
- Life
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Life is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Life
- Middle Fork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Middle Fork is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Fork
- Juno
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Juno is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
- Jacks Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Claybrook
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Claybrook is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claybrook
- Hinson Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hinson Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinson Springs
- Pinson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Henderson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Bargerton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bargerton is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bargerton
- Lexington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Luray. See our List of 1890's Communities around Luray.
Newspapers Published in Luray ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Luray.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Luray, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Luray.
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 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 Luray:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Henderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Chester County
- Crockett County
- Decatur County
- Gibson County
- Hardeman County
- Hardin County
- Haywood County
- Madison County
- McNairy 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> | 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- Luray) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Luray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |