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 Rockford (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 Rockford. 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.
Rockford is located in Blount 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 Blount County: Graham (NC), Swain (NC), Knox, Loudon, Monroe & Sevier.
Below are the counties that are near Rockford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rockford:
- Blount County (The home county of Rockford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Eagleton Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Eagleton Village is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton Village
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,052 people
- Alcoa
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rockgardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Rockgardens is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockgardens
- Estimated population in 2014: 861 people
- Wildwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wildwood is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Maryville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chelsey Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Chelsey Village is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsey Village
- Seaton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Seaton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
- Louisville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Rocky Branch
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Branch is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Branch
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,427 people
- Cowan Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cowan Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Springs
- Estimated population in 2014: 9,010 people
- Walland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairway Estates
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fairway Estates is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,224 people
- Miller Cove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Miller Cove is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller Cove
- Estimated population in 2014: 267 people
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Spring Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 16,752 people
- Claxton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Claxton is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claxton
- Peak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Peak is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak
- Scarboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Scarboro is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
- Panther ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Panther is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
- Clinton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Robertsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Robertsville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsville
- Leinarts
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Leinarts is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leinarts
- Bethel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Estimated population in 2014: 719 people
- Andersonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Andersonville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
- Population from the 2010 Census: 472 people
- Fairview ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Norris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Grainger County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Blaine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lea Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lea Springs is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lea Springs
- Maples ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Maples is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Strawberry Plains
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cook Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Cook Mill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Mill
- Estimated population in 2014: 31,335 people
- Dumplin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dumplin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumplin
- Piedmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
- Rocky Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Valley
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,771 people
- New Market
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Alena ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alena is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alena
- Flat Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Gap is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Gap
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Arrowhead
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Arrowhead is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowhead
- Topside
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Topside is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topside
- Estimated population in 2014: 346 people
- Bonny Kate
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bonny Kate is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonny Kate
- Colonial Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Colonial Village is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Aldenwood Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Aldenwood Park is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldenwood Park
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,753 people
- Kingston Woods
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kingston Woods is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston Woods
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,790 people
- Humes Ferry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Humes Ferry is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humes Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,348 people
- Marble City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Marble City is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble City
- Shooks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Shooks is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooks
- Whites Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Whites Village is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Village
- Ebenezer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ebenezer is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
- Knoxville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Middlebrook Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Middlebrook Acres is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebrook Acres
- Estimated population in 2014: 593 people
- Loudon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Centersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centersville is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centersville
- Greenback
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jena
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jena is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jena
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,279 people
- Alleghany ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Alleghany is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany
- Estimated population in 2014: 630 people
- Lenoir City
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sharp Estates
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sharp Estates is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 919 people
- Vancouver ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vancouver is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vancouver
- Morganton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Morganton is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
- Trigonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Trigonia is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trigonia
- Eaton Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Eaton Crossroads is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eaton Crossroads
- White Wing Ferry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- White Wing Ferry is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Wing Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,550 people
- Loudon
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Loudon City Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Loudon City Park is located in Loudon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudon City Park
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Ipe ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Ipe is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipe
- Halfway Town ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Halfway Town is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway Town
- Tuskeegee ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tuskeegee is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuskeegee
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,663 people
- Toqua ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Toqua is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toqua
- Vonore
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Acorn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Acorn is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acorn
- Ballplay
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ballplay is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballplay
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Tupper Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tupper Town is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupper Town
- Coalfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coalfield is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalfield
- Population from the 2010 Census: 2,463 people
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Bear ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bear is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear
- Selkirk ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Selkirk is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selkirk
- Ethel ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ethel is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,049 people
- Bradbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bradbury is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradbury
- Cave Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cave Creek is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Creek
- Wheat ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wheat is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheat
- Kelley Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kelley Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelley Town
- Dyllis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dyllis is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyllis
- Kries
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Kries is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kries
- Sevier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Seymour Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Seymour Heights is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour Heights
- Population from the 2010 Census: 10,919 people
- Seymour
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Dupont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Dupont is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
- Oak City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Oak City is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak City
- Boyds Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyds Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyds Creek
- Waldens Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Waldens Creek is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldens Creek
- Wear Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wear Valley is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wear Valley
- Kodak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Catlettsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Catlettsburg is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlettsburg
- Pigeon Forge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Henry Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Henry Crossroads is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry Crossroads
- Sevierville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Starkeytown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Starkeytown is located in Sevier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkeytown
- Estimated population in 2014: 431 people
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Paulette
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Paulette is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulette
- Gabe ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gabe is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gabe
- Plainview
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Plainview is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,184 people
- Luttrell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Luttrell is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luttrell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,088 people
- Warwicktown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Warwicktown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwicktown
- Estimated population in 2014: 658 people
- Loyston ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Loyston is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyston
- Maynardville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Graham County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Fontana Dam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Fontana Dam is located in Graham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana Dam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people
- Fontana Dam has also been known as:
- Fontana Village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fontana Dam <1>
- Yellow Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Yellow Creek is located in Graham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rockford, see our County-by-County Page for Rockford.
Cemeteries Near Rockford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockford.
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 Rockford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rockford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Clarks Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Wesley Ann Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Vineyard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Kirby Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Edington Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Edington Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Harris Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Russell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Central Point Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sherwood Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Continue List (950 more) ...
- Tipton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Tipton Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Arrowhead.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #19408 <2>
- Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Logans Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rockford had a population of 101 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rockford had a population of 851 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
- Chandler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Chandler is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
- Bank ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bank is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bank
- Mentor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mentor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
- Maryville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Notime ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Notime is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Notime
- Seaton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Seaton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
- Bearden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bearden is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearden
- Louisville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Blockhouse
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Blockhouse is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockhouse
- Shooks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Shooks is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooks
- Ebenezer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ebenezer is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
- Knoxville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Ewing ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ewing is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
- Clover Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clover Hill is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
- Montvale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Montvale is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rockford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rockford.
Newspapers Published in Rockford ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockford, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockford.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Rockford:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Blount County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Grainger County
- Jefferson County
- Knox County
- Loudon County
- Monroe County
- Morgan County
- Roane County
- Sevier County
- Union County
- Graham 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> | 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 Rockford, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rockford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |