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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 Savannah (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 Savannah. 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 Savannah ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

Savannah was originally named Rudd's Ferry

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

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 doctors and 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.

Savannah is located in Hardin County and is the County Seat.

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 Hardin County: Lauderdale (AL), Tishomingo (MS), Chester, Decatur, Henderson, McNairy & Wayne.

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

  • Hardin County     (The home county of Savannah)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • New Town
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • New Town is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Belle Meade
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Belle Meade is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Meade
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,017 people
    • Paulks ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Paulks is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulks
    • Centerview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Centerview is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
      • Estimated population in 2014: 244 people
    • Crump
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Sibley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Pittsburg Landing Ferry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Pittsburg Landing Ferry is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg Landing Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 555 people
    • Nixon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Nixon is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
      • Estimated population in 2014: 718 people
    • Smiths Fork ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Smiths Fork is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Fork
    • Hamburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Pyburn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Bruton Branch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Nash Landing
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Chester County
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Dunbar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 566 people
    • Scotts Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Decaturville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Mount Lebanon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Lebanon is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lebanon
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29,387 people
    • Parsons
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Henderson County
  • Madison County
    • Cisco Indian Village ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cisco Indian Village is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco Indian Village
  • McNairy County
  • Perry County
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Lutts
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Clifton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sorby ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Sorby is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorby
    • Whittens Stand ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Whittens Stand is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittens Stand
    • Collinwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Waynesboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Cypress Inn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Colbert County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Riverton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Chickasaw ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Chickasaw is located in Colbert County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickasaw
    • Crows Camp ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Crows Camp is located in Colbert County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crows Camp
    • Caryton ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Caryton is located in Colbert County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caryton
  • Lauderdale County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Haddock ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Haddock is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddock
    • Waterloo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Threet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Alcorn County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Farmington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Farmington is located in Alcorn County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,160 people
    • Corinth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Glens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Glen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Glen is located in Alcorn County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
  • Tishomingo County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Savannah, with the one closest to Savannah listed first.
    • Short
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Burnsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Iuka
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Savannah ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Savannah.

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

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

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

  • Savannah Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Gant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Doran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Ross Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ross Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Blevins Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Neill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Hurst Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Robinsons Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Breckenridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bayse Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (776 more) ...
    • Perkins - River Heights Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Rouse Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Dollar Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)

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 Savannah had a population of 1,087 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Savannah had a population of 6,913 people.

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

  • Economy ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Economy is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
  • Paulks ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Paulks is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulks
  • Maddox
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Maddox is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddox
  • Pittsburg Landing
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pittsburg Landing is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg Landing
  • Sibley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Cerro Gordo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Cerro Gordo is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
  • Nixon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Nixon is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
    • Estimated population in 2014: 718 people
  • Adamsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Hurley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hurley is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurley
  • Hamburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Smiths Fork ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Smiths Fork is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Fork
  • Morris Chapel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Morris Chapel is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Chapel
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Swift
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Swift is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,874 people
    • Saltillo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Stantonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Savannah ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Savannah.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Savannah. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Savannah and those printed in the larger area surrounding Savannah.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4> of Savannah.

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 Savannah:

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 Savannah, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Savannah) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.