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 Rankin (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 Rankin. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Rankin is located in Maury 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 Maury County: Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall & Williamson.
Below are the counties that are near Rankin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rankin:
- Maury County (The home county of Rankin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Columbia
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Graymere Manor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Graymere Manor is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graymere Manor
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,222 people
- Philadelphia
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Philadelphia is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Estimated population in 2014: 683 people
- Scribner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Scribner is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scribner
- Leftwich
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Leftwich is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leftwich
- Ben ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ben is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben
- Culleoka
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ashwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ashwood is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashwood
- Zion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Zion is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion
- Broadview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Broadview is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadview
- Carters Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Carters Creek is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Creek
- Armour Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Armour Village is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour Village
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Palmetto
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Palmetto is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
- Estimated population in 2014: 661 people
- Unionville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Whitaker
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Whitaker is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
- Anchor Mill ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Anchor Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor Mill
- Longview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Longview is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Vannatta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Vannatta is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannatta
- Estimated population in 2014: 398 people
- Davidson County
- Linton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Linton is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linton
- Dickson County
- Spencers Mill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Spencers Mill is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencers Mill
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Lynnville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bufords
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bufords is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bufords
- Campbellsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Campbellsville is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbellsville
- Olivet
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Olivet is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,350 people
- Trigg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Trigg is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trigg
- Estimated population in 2014: 851 people
- Liberty Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Hill is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
- Wales
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Wales is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,031 people
- Powell Chapel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Powell Chapel is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell Chapel
- Weakley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Weakley is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weakley
- Bodenham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bodenham is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodenham
- Gordon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Gordon is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,192 people
- Pulaski
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hickman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Duck River
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Duck River is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck River
- Primm Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Primm Springs is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primm Springs
- Littlelot
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Littlelot is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlelot
- Tottys Bend
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Tottys Bend is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tottys Bend
- Swan Bluff
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Swan Bluff is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Bluff
- Graytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Graytown is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graytown
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,528 people
- Aetna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Aetna is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
- Bon Aqua Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bon Aqua Junction is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Aqua Junction
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,230 people
- Centerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wrigley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wrigley is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrigley
- Population from the 2010 Census: 281 people
- Lyles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Webber City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Webber City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webber City
- Ethridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Henryville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Henryville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henryville
- Flatwoods
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Flatwoods is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatwoods
- Park Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Park Grove is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Grove
- New Prospect
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- New Prospect is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prospect
- Estimated population in 2014: 6,880 people
- Lawrenceburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Kimmins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Kimmins is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmins
- Hohenwald
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Petersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Boonshill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Boonshill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonshill
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Berlin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Berlin is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- South Berlin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Berlin is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Berlin
- Globe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Globe is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
- Caney Spring
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Caney Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney Spring
- Verona
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Verona is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
- Anes
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Anes is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anes
- Cochran
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cochran is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran
- Lewisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Cornersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Town is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Oak Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hill is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Allisona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Allisona is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allisona
- Eagleville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Concord
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Midland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Midland is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Spring Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wilkes ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Wilkes is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkes
- Duplex
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Duplex is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplex
- Burwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Burwood is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burwood
- Thompson's Station
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Thompson's Station is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson's Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,973 people
- Former name for Thompson's Station:
- Littlebury
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thompson's Station <1>
- Harpeth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Harpeth is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpeth
- Peytonsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Peytonsville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytonsville
- Leipers Fork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Parry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Parry is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parry
- Estimated population in 2014: 262 people
- Southall
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Southall is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southall
- College Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rankin, see our County-by-County Page for Rankin.
Cemeteries Near Rankin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rankin.
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 Rankin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rankin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Moore Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Moore Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #15776 <3>
- Howard Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Chapel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Howard Chapel Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- The Howard Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Blue Springs Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #13692 <3>
- Vaughn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Vaughn Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #19707 <3>
- Brown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Brown Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the south of Columbia.
- The Brown Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lytles Creek Cemetery
- Old City Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #16578 <3>
- Ervine Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ervine Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ervine Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #11778 <3>
- Loftin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Rosemount Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemount Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Rosemount Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Columbia.
- The Rosemount Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rose Mont Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #17963 <3>
- Todd Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bills Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bills Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bills Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the south of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #9311 <3>
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Smith Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #18720 <3>
- Edmund Harris Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmund Harris Family Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Edmund Harris Family Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- The Edmund Harris Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Harris Cemetery
- Harris Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #13012 <3>
- Rieves Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rieves Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Rieves Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the southeast of Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #17765 <3>
- Continue List (1625 more) ...
- Tankersley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Columbia.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #17956 <3>
- Dooley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 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.<4>
While we didn't find Rankin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rankin.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Columbia
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hill is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill
- Bigbyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bigbyville is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbyville
- Godwin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Godwin is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godwin
- Pleasant Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Culleoka
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Leftwich
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Leftwich is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leftwich
- Lasea
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lasea is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasea
- Ben ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ben is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben
- Ashwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ashwood is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashwood
- Broadview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Broadview is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadview
- Bryant Station
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bryant Station is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant Station
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Southport
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Southport is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southport
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,110 people
- Stiversville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Stiversville is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiversville
- Silver Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Creek is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rankin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rankin.
Newspapers Published in Rankin ...
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 Rankin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rankin, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rankin.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Rankin:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Maury County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford County
- Davidson County
- Dickson County
- Giles County
- Hickman County
- Lawrence County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Marshall County
- Rutherford County
- Williamson 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> | 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- Rankin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Rankin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |