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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 Marys (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 Marys. 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 Marys ...

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 Marys: St. Marys

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

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Saint Marys is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Jackson (AL), Madison (AL), Coffee, Grundy, Lincoln, Marion & Moore.

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

  • Franklin County     (The home county of Saint Marys)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Sewanee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sand Switch
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Sand Switch is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Switch
    • Cowan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Cowan is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,668 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowan <1>
    • Greenhaw
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenhaw is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenhaw
    • Decherd
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Liberty
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Liberty is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Estimated population in 2014: 318 people
    • Winchester
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Sal City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sal City is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sal City
    • Estill Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Anderson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Anderson is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Winchester Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Winchester Springs is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester Springs
    • Beans Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Beans Creek is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Creek
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Cascade Hollow
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cascade Hollow is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Hollow
    • Normandy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Raus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Raus is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raus
    • Willow Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Willow Grove is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
    • Cortner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Cortner is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortner
    • Haley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Haley is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haley
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Ruthledge Ford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Ruthledge Ford is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthledge Ford
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,116 people
    • Stephenson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Stephenson is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephenson
    • Hillsboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Southgate Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Southgate Park is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate Park
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,284 people
    • Belmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Belmont is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Winton Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Winton Town is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton Town
    • Tullahoma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Homaway Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Homaway Village is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homaway Village
    • Royal Oaks
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Royal Oaks is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Oaks
    • Manchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Forest Mill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Forest Mill is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Mill
    • New Union
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • New Union is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Union
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,431 people
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Monteagle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pelham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Sartain Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Sartain Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartain Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
    • Lankford Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Tracy City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • White City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Coalmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Coalmont is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
    • Gruetli
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Gruetli is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
    • Altamont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Gruetli - Laager
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Beersheba Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Beersheba Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beersheba Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
    • Palmer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Gattistown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Gattistown is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gattistown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,158 people
    • Flintville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Flintville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flintville
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 627 people
    • Booneville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Booneville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booneville
    • Corder Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Corder Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corder Crossroads
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Comfort
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Comfort is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comfort
    • Orme
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Orme is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orme
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Ketchall ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ketchall is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketchall
    • Greentown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Greentown is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentown
    • Kimball
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Richard City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Richard City is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richard City
    • South Pittsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jasper
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • New Hope
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • New Hope is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
    • Whitwell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Powells Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Powells Crossroads is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powells Crossroads
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,352 people
    • Vulcan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Vulcan is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
  • Moore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Ridgeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Ridgeville is located in Moore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
    • Lynchburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Countyline
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Countyline is located in Moore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countyline
  • Sequatchie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Cartwright
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cartwright is located in Sequatchie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,261 people
    • Daus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Daus is located in Sequatchie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daus
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Viola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Morrison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Jackson County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
    • Copenhagen ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Copenhagen is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
    • Narrows ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Narrows is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
    • Bridgeport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Greerton ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Greerton is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greerton
    • Rash
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Rash is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rash
    • Browns Valley ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Browns Valley is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
    • Long Island
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Long Island is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Island
    • Hytop
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Hytop is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hytop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
    • Haynes Crossing
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Haynes Crossing is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossing
    • New Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • New Town is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Stevenson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Francisco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Francisco is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
  • Dade County (GA)
    • Cole City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Marys ...

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

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 Marys - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • O'Dear Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • McDowell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Wise Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Sewell - Bowers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Ives Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • University Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Eastern Star Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Holder Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Hawkins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (888 more) ...
    • Hawkins Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Hawkins Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Marlow Field Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)

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.<2>

While we didn't find Saint Marys in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Saint Marys.

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

  • Sewanee
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Cowan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Cowan is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,668 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowan <1>
  • Sherwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Monteagle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Alto
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Alto is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
  • Decherd
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Winchester
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Pelham
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Comfort
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Comfort is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comfort
  • Prairie Plains
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Prairie Plains is located in Coffee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Plains
  • Anderson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Anderson is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
  • Tracy City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Estill Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Belvidere
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Ketchall ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ketchall is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketchall

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Marys ...

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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Marys.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Marys, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Marys.

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 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 Saint Marys:

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>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 Marys, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saint Marys) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.