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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 Providence (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 Providence. 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.

Providence is located in Davidson 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 Davidson County: Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson & Wilson.

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

  • Davidson County     (The home county of Providence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Paragon Mills
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Paragon Mills is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paragon Mills
    • Whispering Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Whispering Hills is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Hills
    • Antioch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Dog Town ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Dog Town is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Town
    • Oak Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Oak Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,432 people
    • Nashboro Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Nashboro Village is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashboro Village
    • Berry Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Berry Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
    • Wrencoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Wrencoe is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrencoe
    • Rural Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Rural Hill is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Hill
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,007 people
    • Mudtavern
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Mudtavern is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudtavern
    • Green Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Green Hills is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hills
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,618 people
    • Donelson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Donelson is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donelson
  • Cheatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Doziers ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Doziers is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doziers
      • Estimated population in 2014: 543 people
    • Pegram
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Pegram is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pegram
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,056 people
    • Marrowbone
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Marrowbone is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marrowbone
    • Lillamay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lillamay is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillamay
    • Bearwallow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Westeria ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Westeria is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westeria
    • Kingston Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Ashland City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashland City is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,748 people
    • Bell Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bell Town is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
    • Sycamore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sycamore is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
    • Lockertsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lockertsville is located in Cheatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockertsville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 885 people
    • Pleasant View
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Dickson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • White Bluff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Spencers Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Spencers Mill is located in Dickson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencers Mill
    • Bellsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellsburg is located in Dickson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellsburg
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Holts Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Holts Corner is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holts Corner
    • Chapel Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Maury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • New Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • New Town is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Jameson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jameson is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jameson
    • Theta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Theta is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theta
    • Carters Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Carters Creek is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Creek
    • New Hope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • New Hope is located in Maury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,070 people
  • Robertson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Hygeia Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Hygeia Springs is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hygeia Springs
    • Greenbrier
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Greenbrier is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbrier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,905 people
    • Crunk
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Crunk is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crunk
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,406 people
    • White House
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Coopertown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Coopertown is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,612 people
    • Calistia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Calistia is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calistia
    • Oakland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Oakland is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Sandy Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandy Springs is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
  • Rutherford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Morrow
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Morrow is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrow
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29,304 people
    • La Vergne
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jefferson Pike
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jefferson Pike is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Pike
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,370 people
    • Smyrna
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Smyrna is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smyrna <1>
    • Murphree
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Murphree is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphree
      • Estimated population in 2014: 120,954 people
    • Colonial Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Colonial Village is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Patterson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Patterson is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
    • Leanna
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Leanna is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanna
    • Snell ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Snell is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snell
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,361 people
    • Jamestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jamestown is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,940 people
    • Walter Hill Estates
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Walter Hill Estates is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walter Hill Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 401 people
    • Walterhill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Walterhill is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walterhill
  • Sumner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Driftwood Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Driftwood Park is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood Park
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,908 people
    • Goodlettsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Hendersonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Shackle Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Shackle Island is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackle Island
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,844 people
    • Millersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Ocana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Ocana is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocana
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,086 people
    • Station Camp ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Station Camp is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Station Camp
    • Gallatin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cottontown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Trousdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Trousdale is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
    • Johnsons Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Johnsons Crossroads is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Crossroads
    • Walnut Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Walnut Grove is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Brentwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wildwood Estates
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Wildwood Estates is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,098 people
    • Nolensville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Clovercroft
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Clovercroft is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clovercroft
    • Lynnwood Downs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lynnwood Downs is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood Downs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 282 people
    • Berrys Chapel Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Berrys Chapel Heights is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrys Chapel Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 551 people
    • McEwen ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • McEwen is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McEwen
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,699 people
    • Forest Home
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest Home is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Home
    • Franklin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Town ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Old Town is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Arrington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Parry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Parry is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 262 people
  • Wilson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Rural Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Rural Hill is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Hill
    • Lynn Christie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lynn Christie is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn Christie
      • Estimated population in 2011: 6,411 people
    • Belinda City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Belinda City is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belinda City
    • Mount Juliet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gladeville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Beckwith
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Beckwith is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckwith
    • Leeville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Leeville is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeville
    • Laguardo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Laguardo is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laguardo
      • Estimated population in 2014: 132 people
    • Lebanon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Possum Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Possum Town is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
    • Doaks Crossroads
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Doaks Crossroads is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doaks Crossroads
      • Doaks Crossroads has also been known as:
      • Doaks
    • Cainsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Cainsville is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cainsville

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

Cemeteries Near Providence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Providence.

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

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

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

  • Barnes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Baker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Waller Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Daniel Carmack Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • King Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Memorial Park
    • The Woodlawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Woodlawn Roesch Patton Memorial Park
  • Whitsett Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Foster - Owens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Carper Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Murrell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • White Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (1309 more) ...

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 Providence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Providence.

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

  • Paragon Mills
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Paragon Mills is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paragon Mills
  • Oglesby
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Oglesby is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oglesby
  • Antioch
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Wilkerson ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Wilkerson is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkerson
  • Glencliff
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Glencliff is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencliff
  • Wrencoe
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Wrencoe is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrencoe
  • Una
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Una is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
  • Brentwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Kimbro
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kimbro is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbro
  • Brooklin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Brooklin is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklin
  • Mount View
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Mount View is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount View
  • Nashville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Donelson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Donelson is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donelson
    • Callender ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Callender is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callender
    • Carpenters ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Carpenters is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenters

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

Newspapers Published in Providence ...

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 363 newspapers that have been published in the area around Providence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Providence, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Providence.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Providence:

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 Providence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Providence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.