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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 Saint Elmo (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 Saint Elmo. 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 Saint Elmo ...

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 Saint Elmo: St. Elmo

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Elmo. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Elmo.

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 hospitals and 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.

Saint Elmo is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Catoosa (GA), Dade (GA), Walker (GA), Whitfield (GA), Bledsoe, Bradley, Marion, Meigs, Rhea & Sequatchie.

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Saint Elmo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Lookout Mountain
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Tiftonia
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Milbro Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Milbro Heights is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milbro Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7,834 people
    • Chattanooga
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Valley Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Valley Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Village
    • Ridgedale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Lake Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Orchard Knob
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ridgeside
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ridgeside is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeside
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
    • Midvale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Midvale is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
    • Boyce
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyce is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Hillsboro Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hillsboro Heights is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro Heights
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 450 people
  • Bradley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Mineral Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • McDonald
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bent Tree Acres
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bent Tree Acres is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Tree Acres
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,309 people
    • Earnest ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Earnest is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earnest
    • South Cleveland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • South Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,912 people
    • Wildwood Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Wildwood Lake is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Lake
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 3,124 people
    • Cleveland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • East Cleveland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • East Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,608 people
    • Countryside Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Countryside Village is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Hopewell Estates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hopewell Estates is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,874 people
    • Hopewell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hopewell is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • White City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Lankford Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Palmer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tracy City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Marion County
  • Sequatchie County
  • DeKalb County (AL)
  • Jackson County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Bryant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Eliza
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Higdon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Long Island
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bridgeport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bridgeport is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,272 people
      • Former name for Bridgeport:
      • Jonesville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgeport <1>
    • Copenhagen ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Copenhagen is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
    • Flat Rock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Browns Valley ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Browns Valley is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
    • Haynes Crossing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • New Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • New Town is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Stevenson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Catoosa County (GA)
  • Chattooga County (GA)
    • Euthtilloga ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Euthtilloga is located in Chattooga County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euthtilloga
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 29,011 people
  • Dade County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Morganville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Morganville is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,835 people
    • Trenton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cole City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people
    • Stewart Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town
    • Rising Fawn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Walker County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Rock City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Rock City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Rossville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Lookout Mountain
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Fantasy Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Fantasy Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fantasy Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 316 people
    • Flintstone
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • John Ross Estates
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • John Ross Estates is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Ross Estates
      • Estimated population in 2018: 84,310 people
    • Orchard Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 232 people
    • Chattanooga Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Chattanooga Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga Valley
    • Happy Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Happy Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Valley
      • Estimated population in 2019: 192 people
    • Moons
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Dewberry Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Dewberry Town is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewberry Town
    • Fairview
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Park City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Park City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
  • Whitfield County (GA)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Elmo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Elmo.

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 Saint Elmo - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Saint Elmo had a population of 2,577 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Elmo ...

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 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Elmo.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Elmo, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Elmo.

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 Saint Elmo:

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 Saint Elmo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saint Elmo) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.