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 McElroy (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 McElroy. 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.
McElroy is located in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County: Bledsoe, Cumberland, DeKalb, Grundy, Sequatchie, Warren & White.
Below are the counties that are near McElroy. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to McElroy:
- Van Buren County (The home county of McElroy)
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Bone Cave
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bone Cave is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Cave
- Laurelburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Laurelburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelburg
- Cummingsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cummingsville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummingsville
- Meade ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Meade is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade
- Spencer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sweetgum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sweetgum is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetgum
- Sopha ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sopha is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sopha
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,104 people
- Chalybeate
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
- Bledsoe County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Winesap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Winesap is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Brockdell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brockdell is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockdell
- Pikeville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Pailo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pailo is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pailo
- Ninemile
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ninemile is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ninemile
- Summer City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Summer City is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer City
- Brayton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brayton is located in Bledsoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brayton
- Cannon County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Woods
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Woods is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods
- Bluewing
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bluewing is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluewing
- Thomas Town ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Thomas Town is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Town
- Manus Town ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Manus Town is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manus Town
- Gassaway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Gassaway is located in Cannon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gassaway
- Woodbury
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Coffee County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Naola ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Naola is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naola
- Winton Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Winton Town is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton Town
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Newton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Newton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,968 people
- Newton has also been known as:
- Peay
- Todd Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Todd Town is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd Town
- Erasmus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Erasmus is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erasmus
- Mount Gilead ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mount Gilead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Neverfail ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Neverfail is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neverfail
- Pleasant Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
- Lantana
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Lantana is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lantana
- Lake Tansi Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lake Tansi Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tansi Village
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,803 people
- Howard Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Howard Springs is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Springs
- Burke
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Burke is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
- Dykes Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dykes Crossroads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykes Crossroads
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,281 people
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Young Bend
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Young Bend is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Bend
- Estimated population in 2014: 279 people
- Bear Branch ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bear Branch is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch
- Johnsons Chapel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsons Chapel is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Chapel
- Philippi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Philippi is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philippi
- Smithville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Youngblood ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Youngblood is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngblood
- Dowelltown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 330 people
- Temperance Hall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Temperance Hall is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temperance Hall
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,791 people
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Beersheba Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Beersheba Springs is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beersheba Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
- Altamont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Gruetli - Laager
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Gruetli
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Gruetli is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
- Palmer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Boiling Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Boiling Springs is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Springs
- Burton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Burton is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Ditty
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ditty is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ditty
- Burgess
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Burgess is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
- Huntland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Huntland is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntland
- Estimated population in 2014: 860 people
- Burnett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Burnett is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
- Estimated population in 2014: 418 people
- Southtown Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Southtown Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southtown Village
- Boma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Boma is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boma
- Baxter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cookeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- White Plains
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- White Plains is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,231 people
- Park Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Park Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
- Sequatchie County
- Dunlap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Campaign
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Campaign is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campaign
- Fall City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Fall City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall City
- Hillis ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hillis is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillis
- Rowland Station ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rowland Station is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland Station
- Rowland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rowland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
- Horseshoe Falls ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Horseshoe Falls is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Falls
- Shellsford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shellsford is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsford
- Dibrell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dibrell is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dibrell
- Gath
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Gath is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gath
- McMinnville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Smyrna
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Smyrna is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
- Estimated population in 2014: 45,274 people
- Lucky
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Lucky is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Quebeck
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Doyle
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Doyle is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pollard is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Darkey Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Darkey Springs is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkey Springs
- Methodist ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Methodist is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methodist
- Sparta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Drop ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Drop is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drop
- Peeled Chestnut
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Peeled Chestnut is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peeled Chestnut
- Fanchers Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Fanchers Mills is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanchers Mills
- Macedonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Macedonia is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Cherry Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cherry Creek is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
- Clarktown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Clarktown is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarktown
- Estimated population in 2014: 146,806 people
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Cottage Home
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cottage Home is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Home
- Estimated population in 2014: 88 people
- Round Top
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Round Top is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Top
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to McElroy, see our County-by-County Page for McElroy.
Cemeteries Near McElroy ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McElroy.
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 McElroy - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for McElroy covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- McElroy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Laurel Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Dodson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jericho Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Rock Island Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Friendship Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- O'Neal Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Old Jericho Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sparkman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Simmons Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Moore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (541 more) ...
- Chisam Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Campaign Community Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Champaign Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
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 McElroy in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of McElroy.
These communities are listed based on their distance from McElroy, with the one closest to McElroy listed first.
- Bone Cave
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bone Cave is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Cave
- Quebeck
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Caneridge ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Caneridge is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caneridge
- Sparkman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sparkman is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparkman
- Walling
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Island
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Goodbars
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Goodbars is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodbars
- Laurelburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Laurelburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelburg
- Hillis ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hillis is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillis
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pollard is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Cummingsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cummingsville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummingsville
- Meade ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Meade is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Yateston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Yateston is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yateston
- Spencer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rowland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rowland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around McElroy. See our List of 1890's Communities around McElroy.
Newspapers Published in McElroy ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around McElroy.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McElroy, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McElroy.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 McElroy:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Van Buren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bledsoe County
- Cannon County
- Coffee County
- Cumberland County
- DeKalb County
- Grundy County
- Putnam County
- Sequatchie County
- Warren County
- White County
- Wilson 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 McElroy, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- McElroy) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |