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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 Orebank (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 Orebank. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Orebank is located in 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 Sullivan County: Carter, Hawkins, Johnson, Washington, Bristol City (VA), Scott (VA) & Washington (VA).

Below are the counties that are near Orebank. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Orebank:

  • Sullivan County     (The home county of Orebank)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orebank, with the one closest to Orebank listed first.
    • Rock City
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Rock City is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Bloomingdale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Horace ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Horace is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
    • Harrtown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Harrtown is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrtown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,365 people
    • Beechwood Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Beechwood Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood Village
    • Borden Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Borden Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Village
    • Kingsport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Wahoo ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Wahoo is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
    • Sac ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sac is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac
    • Colonial Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherokee Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Cherokee Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
    • Colby ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Colby is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
  • Carter County
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orebank, with the one closest to Orebank listed first.
    • Jearoldstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Milburnton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Centersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Baileyton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rheatown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairview is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Horse Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Horse Creek is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 284 people
    • Afton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Morelock ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Morelock is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morelock
    • Ottway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bolton Estates
      (30 miles [48.3 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
    • Pleasant View
      (30 miles [48.3 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
  • Hancock County
    • Willis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Willis is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
  • Hawkins County
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orebank, with the one closest to Orebank listed first.
    • Butler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Winchester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Winchester is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
    • High Health ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • High Health is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
  • Unicoi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orebank, with the one closest to Orebank listed first.
    • Whispering Pines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Unicoi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bumpus Cove
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Erwin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Limestone Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Banner Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 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
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orebank, with the one closest to Orebank listed first.
    • Spurgeon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Gray
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Oak Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Oak Grove is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Flourville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Wheelocktown ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Fall Branch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Harmony
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Austin Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Austin Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Village
    • Camelot Two
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Camelot Two is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Two
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,582 people
    • North Johnson City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • North Johnson City is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johnson City
    • Oakland Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Village
    • Locust Mount
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Orebank ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orebank.

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

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

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

  • East Lawn Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Gaines Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Pyles Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Horn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Roller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Fleenor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Hooven Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Roust Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Newland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Fain Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (788 more) ...
    • Howard Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gardner Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Chase 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Orebank had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bloomingdale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Arcadia
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Arcadia is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Eden Ridge ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eden Ridge is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Ridge
  • Hemlock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hemlock is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
  • Horace ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Horace is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
  • Kingsport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Samuel ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Samuel is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samuel
  • Edgeworth ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Edgeworth is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
  • Wahoo ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Wahoo is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
  • Lawson ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawson is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawson
  • Sac ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sac is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac
  • Kendrick Creek ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Colby ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Colby is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Mill Point
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Fordtown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Orebank ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orebank.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orebank, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orebank.

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 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 Orebank:

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 Orebank, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Orebank) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.