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Home >> State of Tennessee >> Hancock County >> Seal Mathis >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Seal Mathis (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 Seal Mathis. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Seal Mathis is located in Hancock 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 Hancock County: Claiborne, Grainger, Hawkins, Lee (VA) & Scott (VA).

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

  • Hancock County     (The home county of Seal Mathis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Duck Creek
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Duck Creek is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Creek
    • Sneedville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Xenophon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Xenophon is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenophon
    • Trent Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Trent Valley is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent Valley
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,157 people
    • Yount Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Yount Town is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yount Town
    • Alanthus Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people
    • Kyles Ford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Willis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Willis is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
  • Claiborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Caney Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Caney Valley is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney Valley
    • Evans Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Evans Ferry is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Ferry
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 293 people
    • Raven Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Raven Hill is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven Hill
    • Springdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Springdale is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Tazewell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lone Mountain
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lone Mountain is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Mountain
    • New Tazewell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Harrogate
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Head of Barren
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Head of Barren is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Head of Barren
    • Shawanee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Shawanee is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawanee
    • Cumberland Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Minton Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Minton Mill is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minton Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 527 people
  • Grainger County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Bean Station
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Wyatt Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Wyatt Village is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt Village
    • Beans
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Beans is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,084 people
    • Thorn Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Thorn Hill is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorn Hill
    • Marshalls Ferry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Marshalls Ferry is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshalls Ferry
    • Bowen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bowen is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
    • Rutledge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wa-Ni Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Wa-Ni Village is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wa-Ni Village
    • Washburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Washburn is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
    • Lulaville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lulaville is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lulaville
    • Oakland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakland is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7,316 people
    • Dyers Ferry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dyers Ferry is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyers Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 16,839 people
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Marvin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Marvin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
    • Romeo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Romeo is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
    • Beulah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Beulah is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Morelock ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Morelock is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morelock
    • Albany
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Albany is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
    • Baileyton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Warrensburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Warrensburg is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrensburg
    • Midway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mosheim
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ottway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ottway is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottway
  • Hamblen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Bright ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Bright is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,942 people
    • Whitesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Casablanca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Casablanca is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casablanca
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,223 people
    • East Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • East Village is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Morristown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Silver City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Silver City is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Monte Vista Estates
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Monte Vista Estates is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,860 people
    • Collons Ferry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Collons Ferry is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collons Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 986 people
  • Hawkins County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Mooresburg Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Mooresburg Springs is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg Springs
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 941 people
    • Galbraith Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Galbraith Springs is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galbraith Springs
    • Mooresburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Eidson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Eidson is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eidson
    • Red Bridge Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Bridge Ferry is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bridge Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,135 people
    • Rogersville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Amis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Amis is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amis
    • Persia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Persia is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Bulls Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Strahl
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Strahl is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strahl
    • Kepler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Kepler is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepler
    • Surgoinsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Talbott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Rock Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Rock Town is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Town
    • White Pine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Edna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Edna is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Leadvale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Leadvale is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadvale
    • Jefferson City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Union County
    • Haynes ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Haynes is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
  • Bell County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Calvin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Calvin is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
    • Miracle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Miracle is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miracle
    • Varilla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Varilla is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varilla
    • Callaway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Callaway is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaway
    • Middlesboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Jenson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jenson is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenson
    • Kettle Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Kettle Island is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Island
    • Stoney Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoney Fork is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Fork
    • Stony Fork Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Stony Fork Junction is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork Junction
    • Wasioto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wasioto is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasioto
    • Premier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Premier is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Premier
    • Arjay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Arjay is located in Bell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arjay
  • Harlan County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Seal Mathis, with the one closest to Seal Mathis listed first.
    • Cranks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Cranks is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranks
    • Bobs Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bobs Creek is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobs Creek
    • Cawood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Cawood is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cawood
    • Mary Alice
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Mary Alice is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mary Alice
    • Twila
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Twila is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twila
    • Pathfork
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pathfork is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pathfork
    • South Wallins
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • South Wallins is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wallins
    • Harlan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Harlan is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,471 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harlan <1>
    • Verda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Verda is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verda
    • Wallins Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Wallins Creek is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallins Creek
      • Estimated population in 2016: 146 people
    • Ages
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ages is located in Harlan County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ages
    • Baxter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Seal Mathis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Seal Mathis.

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 Seal Mathis - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Briar Creek Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hatfield Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Jim Burd Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Seal Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Lexi Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Burke Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Winkler Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Gollihon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Moles Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (770 more) ...
    • Winkler Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lawson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Greene Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<3>

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

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

  • Xenophon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Xenophon is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenophon
  • Luther
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Luther is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
  • Sneedville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lee Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lee Valley is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Valley
  • Yellow Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Yellow Springs is located in Claiborne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Springs
  • Alanthus Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
    • Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people
  • Galbraith Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Galbraith Springs is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galbraith Springs
  • Bean Station
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Mooresburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Choptack
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Choptack is located in Hawkins County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choptack
  • Ritchie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Ritchie is located in Claiborne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritchie
  • Tate Springs
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Tate Springs is located in Grainger County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tate Springs
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Eidson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Eidson is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eidson
    • Thorn Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Thorn Hill is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorn Hill
    • Kyles Ford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Seal Mathis ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Seal Mathis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Seal Mathis, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Seal Mathis.

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 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 Seal Mathis:

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 Seal Mathis, 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- Seal Mathis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.