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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 Signal Hills (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 Signal Hills. 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 hospitals 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.

Signal Hills 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 Signal Hills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Signal Hills:

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Signal Hills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • Signal Mountain
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Midvale
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Midvale is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
    • Colonial Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Fountain Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fountain Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Village
    • Red Bank
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lupton City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Lupton City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lupton City
    • Signal Terrace
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Signal Terrace is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signal Terrace
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,519 people
    • Chattanooga
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Lake Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Lake Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Valley Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Valley Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Village
    • Boyce
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Boyce is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Walden
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Walden is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,183 people
    • Fairmount
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Bledsoe County
  • Bradley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • Mineral Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • McDonald
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Bent Tree Acres
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Bent Tree Acres is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Tree Acres
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,309 people
    • Cleveland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Countryside Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Countryside Village is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
    • Hopewell Estates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hopewell Estates is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,874 people
    • Hopewell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hopewell is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
    • South Cleveland
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • East Cleveland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • East Cleveland is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cleveland
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,608 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
    • Earnest ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Earnest is located in Bradley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earnest
    • Etola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • Palmer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • White City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Gruetli - Laager
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lankford Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Gruetli
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gruetli is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
    • Tracy City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Coalmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Coalmont is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
    • Sartain Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sartain Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartain Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
    • Monteagle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Marion County
  • Meigs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • East View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • East View is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East View
      • Estimated population in 2014: 705 people
    • Cayuga Town ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cayuga Town is located in Meigs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga Town
  • Rhea County
  • Sequatchie County
  • DeKalb County (AL)
  • Jackson County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • Bryant
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Long Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eliza
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Higdon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Copenhagen ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Copenhagen is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
    • Bridgeport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Browns Valley ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Browns Valley is located in Jackson County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
    • Flat Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Catoosa County (GA)
  • Dade County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Morganville
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Cole City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people
    • Trenton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Stewart Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town
    • Rising Fawn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Walker County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills listed first.
    • John Ross Estates
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Lookout Mountain
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Rock City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Rock City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Rossville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Fairview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Fantasy Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 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
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Orchard Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 232 people
    • Chattanooga Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Chattanooga Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga Valley
    • Dewberry Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Dewberry Town is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewberry Town
    • Happy Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 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
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Park City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • 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 Signal Hills, see our County-by-County Page for Signal Hills.

Cemeteries Near Signal Hills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Signal Hills.

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 Signal Hills - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Signal Hills, with the one closest to Signal Hills 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>

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in Signal Hills ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Signal Hills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Signal Hills, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Signal Hills.

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 Signal Hills:

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