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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 Raven Branch (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 Raven Branch. 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.

Name Variations for Raven Branch ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Raven Branch: Raven Br. (or less commonly used: Raven Brnch.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Raven Branch is located in Cocke 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 Cocke County: Haywood (NC), Madison (NC), Greene, Hamblen, Jefferson & Sevier.

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

  • Cocke County     (The home county of Raven Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Naillon ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Naillon was located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naillon
    • Hartford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tom Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Tom Town is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tom Town
    • West Myers
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • West Myers is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Myers
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,282 people
    • Nough
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Nough is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nough
    • Edwina
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Edwina is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwina
    • Wilton Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Wilton Springs is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton Springs
    • Del Rio
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bridgeport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Bridgeport is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
    • Cosby
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jaybird
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jaybird is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaybird
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,299 people
    • Birdsville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Birdsville was located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdsville
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Sirenburg ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Sirenburg was located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sirenburg
    • Cedar Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Creek is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Bright Hope
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Bright Hope is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright Hope
    • Little Chucky ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Little Chucky was located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Chucky
    • Warrensburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Warrensburg is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrensburg
    • Beulah
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Beulah is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Midway
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Mosheim
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Camp Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Camp Creek is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
    • Greeneville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Marvin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Marvin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
    • Forest Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Hills is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,027 people
  • Hamblen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Monte Vista Estates
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Monte Vista Estates is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,860 people
    • Silver City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Silver City is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • East Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • East Village is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Morristown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Casablanca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Casablanca is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casablanca
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,223 people
    • Whitesburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Bright ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bright was located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,942 people
  • Hawkins County
    • Bulls Gap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Baneberry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Leadvale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Leadvale is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadvale
    • White Pine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dandridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Edna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Edna is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Flat Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Flat Gap is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Gap
    • Piedmont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
    • Alena ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Alena was located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alena
    • Rock Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rock Town is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Town
    • Talbott
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cook Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Cook Mill is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31,335 people
    • Dumplin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Dumplin is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumplin
  • Sevier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • East Fork
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • East Fork is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
    • Pittman Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Pittman Center is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman Center
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
    • Harrisburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Harrisburg is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
      • Estimated population in 2014: 6,219 people
    • Millican Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Millican Grove is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millican Grove
    • Gatlinburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Middle Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Middle Creek is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Creek
    • Sevierville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Chalet Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Chalet Village is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalet Village
    • Pigeon Forge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Catlettsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Catlettsburg is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlettsburg
    • Starkeytown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Starkeytown is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkeytown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 431 people
    • Henry Crossroads
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Henry Crossroads is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry Crossroads
  • Buncombe County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Sandymush
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sandymush is located in Buncombe County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandymush
      • Sandymush has also been known as:
      • Sandy Mush
    • Leicester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Newfound
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Newfound is located in Buncombe County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfound
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Haywood County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Mount Sterling
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Mount Sterling is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
    • Teague ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Teague was located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
    • Lake Junaluska
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Maggie Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Clyde
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Clyde is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,308 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <1>
    • Waynesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • West Canton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • West Canton is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
    • Hazelwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Hazelwood is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Canton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Canton is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,369 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <1>
    • Bethel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bethel is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Morning Star
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Morning Star is located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
    • Sonoma ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sonoma was located in Haywood County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
  • Jackson County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Paint Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Paint Town is located in Jackson County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Town
    • Balsam
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Addie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Addie is located in Jackson County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addie
  • Madison County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Lynch ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lynch was located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch
    • Bluff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Bluff is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
    • Spring Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Spring Creek is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
    • Trust
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Trust is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
    • Hot Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Stackhouse
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Stackhouse is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stackhouse
    • Hurricane
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Hurricane is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurricane
    • Walnut
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Walnut is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
    • Allenstand
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Allenstand is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenstand
    • Chapel Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Chapel Hill is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
    • Marshall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • White Rock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • White Rock is located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
  • Swain County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Raven Branch, with the one closest to Raven Branch listed first.
    • Cherokee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Oconaluftee Indian Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Raven Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Raven Branch.

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 Raven Branch - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hall Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ball Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mack Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Calder Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Varner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mantooth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • McMillan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (635 more) ...
    • Abe McMillan Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Phillips Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Inman Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)

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

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

  • Naillon ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Naillon was located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naillon
  • Nough
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Nough is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nough
  • Edwina
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Edwina is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwina
  • Wilton Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Wilton Springs is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton Springs
  • Mount Sterling
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mount Sterling is located in Haywood County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
  • Del Rio
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bridgeport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bridgeport is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
  • Jonestown ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jonestown was located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
  • Oldtown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Oldtown is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldtown
  • Wolf Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wolf Creek is also located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
  • Newport
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Birdsville ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Birdsville was located in Cocke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdsville
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Parrottsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Carson Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Carson Springs is also located in Cocke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson Springs
    • Lynch ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lynch was located in Madison County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch

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

Newspapers Published in Raven Branch ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Raven Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Raven Branch, 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 Raven Branch.

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 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 Raven Branch:

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 Raven Branch, 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' (or 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- Raven Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.