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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 southwest 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 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.

Providence is located in Madison County.

To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Madison County: Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Gibson, Hardeman, Haywood & Henderson.

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:

  • Madison County     (The home county of Providence)
  • Carroll County
  • Chester County
  • Crockett County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Bells
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Fruitvale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Alamo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Gadsden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gadsden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gadsden
      • Gadsden is located in Crockett County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
    • Johnsons Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Maury City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maury City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maury City
      • Maury City is located in Crockett County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 653 people
    • Crockett Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Maury Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maury Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maury Junction
      • Maury Junction is located in Crockett County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 679 people
    • Chestnut Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Friendship
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Elizabeth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
      • Elizabeth is located in Crockett County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 14,271 people
  • Dyer County
  • Fayette County
  • Gibson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Humboldt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Humboldt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt
      • Humboldt is located in Gibson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Humboldt <1>
    • Brazil
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Gibson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Medina
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medina have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
      • Medina is located in Gibson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Medina <1>
    • Goat City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goat City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goat City
      • Goat City is located in Gibson County
    • Sitka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Trenton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
      • Trenton is located in Gibson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,147 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton <1>
    • Graball
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graball have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graball
      • Graball is located in Gibson County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 236 people
    • Milan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Concord
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Union Central
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Central have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Central
      • Union Central is located in Gibson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,574 people
    • Ledbetter
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ledbetter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledbetter
      • Ledbetter is located in Gibson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29,427 people
    • Whitway
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Hancock County
  • Hardeman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Vildo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vildo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vildo
      • Vildo is located in Hardeman County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vildo
      • From Providence to Vildo
    • Teague
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teague have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
      • Teague is located in Hardeman County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,181 people
    • Toone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toone
      • Toone is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
    • Whiteville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
      • Whiteville is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whiteville <1>
    • Shandy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bolivar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Newcastle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Haywood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Wellwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellwood
      • Wellwood is located in Haywood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wellwood
      • From Providence to Wellwood
    • Woodland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Willow Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Allens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Allens. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens
      • Allens is located in Haywood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Allens
      • From Providence to Allens
    • Owl City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owl City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owl City
      • Owl City is located in Haywood County
    • Bradford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
      • Bradford is located in Haywood County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,017 people
    • Brownsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hillville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ko Ko
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Eurekaton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eurekaton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eurekaton
      • Eurekaton is located in Haywood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eurekaton
      • From Providence to Eurekaton
    • Toulon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toulon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toulon
      • Toulon is located in Haywood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Toulon
      • From Providence to Toulon
    • Dancyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Stanton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • White Fern
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • McHaney ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McHaney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHaney
      • McHaney is located in Henderson County
    • Atkins ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atkins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Henderson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13,664 people
    • Huron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Lauderdale County
  • Tipton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Providence, with the one closest to Providence listed first.
    • Charleston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charleston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
      • Charleston is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 671 people
    • Gailor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gailor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gailor
      • Gailor is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 468 people
    • Gift
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gift have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gift
      • Gift is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 378 people

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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.

  • Powell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Powell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Powell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hawkins Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hawkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hawkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Luckenbill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Luckenbill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Luckenbill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Williams Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Walnut Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walnut Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walnut Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brigance Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brigance Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brigance Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Simmons Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simmons Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simmons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lane Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lane Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lane Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lacy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lacy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lacy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cobb Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cobb Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cobb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Drake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Drake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (397 more) ...
    • Belleview Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belleview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belleview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Springfield Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springfield Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lawrence Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lawrence Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lawrence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Providence had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Wellwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellwood
    • Wellwood is located in Haywood County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wellwood
    • From Providence to Wellwood
  • Bells
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Jones
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
    • Jones is located in Haywood County
  • Denmark
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Alamo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Neely
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neely have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neely
    • Neely is located in Madison County
  • Gadsden
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gadsden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gadsden
    • Gadsden is located in Crockett County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
  • Belle Eagle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belle Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Eagle
    • Belle Eagle is located in Haywood County
  • Johnsons Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Brownsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Mercer
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Rudolph
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rudolph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudolph
    • Rudolph is located in Haywood County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cairo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cairo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
      • Cairo is located in Crockett County
    • Hillville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hatchie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatchie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchie
      • Hatchie is located in Madison County

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 28 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 23 miles [37 km]<5>. 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 begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Providence. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Madison County: www.co.madison.tn.us/

The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Providence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Providence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Providence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.6498, Longitude: -89.0642       In this case, the coordinates for Providence have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025