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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 Persia (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 Persia. 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 and doctors 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.

Persia is located in Hawkins 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 Hawkins County: Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Sullivan, Washington, Lee (VA) & Scott (VA).

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

  • Hawkins County     (The home county of Persia)
  • Claiborne County
  • Cocke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Bybee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Parrottsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Jimtown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bridgeport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Jaybird
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jaybird is located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaybird
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,299 people
    • Del Rio
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Newport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • West Myers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • West Myers is located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Myers
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,282 people
    • Wolf Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Wilsonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Clevenger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clevenger is located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevenger
      • Estimated population in 2014: 43,182 people
    • Edwina
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Bailey Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bailey Town is located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
      • Estimated population in 2014: 428 people
  • Grainger County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Bean Station
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Wyatt Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Wyatt Village is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt Village
    • Marshalls Ferry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Marshalls Ferry is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshalls Ferry
    • Beans
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Beans is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,084 people
    • Thorn Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Bowen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Wa-Ni Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wa-Ni Village is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wa-Ni Village
    • Rutledge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Oakland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakland is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7,316 people
    • Dyers Ferry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dyers Ferry is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyers Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 16,839 people
  • Greene County
  • Hamblen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Whitesburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Silver City is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Bright ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bright is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,942 people
    • East Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East Village is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Morristown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Casablanca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Casablanca is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casablanca
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,223 people
    • Monte Vista Estates
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Collons Ferry is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collons Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 986 people
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Yount Town
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Trent Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Trent Valley is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent Valley
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,157 people
    • Kyles Ford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Duck Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Willis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Willis is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
    • Sneedville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Xenophon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Xenophon is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenophon
    • Alanthus Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Leadvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • White Pine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Baneberry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Edna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Talbott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rock Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock Town is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Town
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Persia, with the one closest to Persia listed first.
    • Blair Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Blair Gap is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair Gap
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,870 people
    • Beartown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fordtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Kendrick Creek ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Cherokee Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cherokee Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
    • Colonial Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Beechwood Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Beechwood Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood Village
    • Borden Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Borden Village is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Village
    • Kingsport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Morrison City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Morrison City is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison City
    • Horace ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Horace is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
  • Washington County
  • Harlan County (KY)
  • Madison County (NC)

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

Cemeteries Near Persia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Persia.

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

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

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

  • Self Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • King Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Reynolds Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Mooney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Louderback Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Kite Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Reynolds Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Bacon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Chestnut Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Berry Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Frank Berry Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (813 more) ...
    • Walker Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dotson Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Coward Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)

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 Persia had a population of 52 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Otes
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Otes is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otes
  • Strahl
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Austins Mill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Austins Mill is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austins Mill
  • Rogersville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • White Horn
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • White Horn is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horn
  • Pilot Knob
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Pilot Knob is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Knob
  • Saint Clair
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Clair is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
  • Romeo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bulls Gap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marvin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Morelock ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Morelock is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morelock
  • Amis
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Persia ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Persia.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Persia, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Persia.

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 Persia:

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