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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 Somerville (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 Somerville. 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 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.

Somerville is located in Fayette County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Fayette County: Benton (MS), Marshall (MS), Hardeman, Haywood, Shelby & Tipton.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Somerville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somerville, with the one closest to Somerville listed first.
    • Feathers Chapel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Feathers Chapel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feathers Chapel
      • Feathers Chapel is located in Fayette County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7,102 people
    • Williston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
      • Williston is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
    • Oakland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Macon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Fayette Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Forty Five
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Moscow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
      • Moscow is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <2>
    • Hickory Withe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Withe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Withe
      • Hickory Withe is located in Fayette County
    • La Grange
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Canadaville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Bethel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bethel
      • New Bethel is located in Fayette County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,324 people
    • Braden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Elba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elba. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
      • Elba is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elba
      • From Somerville to Elba
  • Hancock County
  • Hardeman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somerville, with the one closest to Somerville listed first.
    • Newcastle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Whiteville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
      • Whiteville is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whiteville <2>
    • Hickory Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Vildo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vildo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vildo
      • Vildo is located in Hardeman County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vildo
      • From Somerville to Vildo
    • Saulsbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saulsbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
      • Saulsbury is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
    • Bolivar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Shandy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Toone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toone
      • Toone is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
    • Rogers Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Teague
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teague have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
      • Teague is located in Hardeman County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,181 people
    • Middleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hornsby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hornsby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
      • Hornsby is located in Hardeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
  • Haywood County
  • Lauderdale County
  • Madison County
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somerville, with the one closest to Somerville listed first.
    • Arlington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,748 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <2>
    • Lakeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland
      • Lakeland is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,657 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeland <2>
    • Collierville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bailey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bailey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Shelby County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bailey
      • From Somerville to Bailey
    • Rosemark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Forest Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bartlett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bartlett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
      • Bartlett is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59,327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bartlett <2>
    • Germantown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Spring Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
      • Spring Lake is located in Shelby County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 34,269 people
  • Tipton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somerville, with the one closest to Somerville listed first.
    • Gailor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gailor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gailor
      • Gailor is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 468 people
    • Mason
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gainesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gainesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainesville
      • Gainesville is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 958 people
    • Charleston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charleston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
      • Charleston is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 671 people
    • Clopton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clopton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clopton
      • Clopton is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 9,889 people
    • Gift
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gift have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gift
      • Gift is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 378 people
    • Idaville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Carmel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Carmel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
      • Mount Carmel is located in Tipton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,453 people
    • Atoka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atoka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atoka
      • Atoka is located in Tipton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,732 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atoka <2>
    • Brighton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brighton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
      • Brighton is located in Tipton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brighton <2>
    • Covington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Munford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Benton County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somerville, with the one closest to Somerville listed first.
    • Michigan City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Michigan City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan City
      • Michigan City is located in Benton County (MS)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Michigan City <2>
    • Canaan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Ashland is located in Benton County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 514 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashland <2>
    • Snow Lake Shores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Lake Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake Shores
      • Snow Lake Shores is located in Benton County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
  • Marshall County (MS)

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

Cemeteries Near Somerville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Somerville.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Somerville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Somerville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Somerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Somerville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Somerville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Somerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stitts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stitts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stitts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McFerrin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McFerrin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McFerrin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peebles Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peebles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peebles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hutchins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hutchins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hutchins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brown Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Whitetaker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitetaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitetaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Perry Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moe Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Powell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Powell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Powell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brooks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brooks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brooks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (491 more) ...

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Somerville had a population of 892 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Somerville had a population of 3,248 people.

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

  • Williston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
    • Williston is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
  • Warren
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
    • Warren is located in Fayette County
  • Yum Yum
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yum Yum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yum Yum
    • Yum Yum is located in Fayette County
  • Ina ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ina
    • Ina is located in Fayette County
  • Newcastle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Lambert
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lambert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambert
    • Lambert is located in Fayette County
  • Oakland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Macon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Moscow
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Moscow is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <2>
  • Whiteville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteville
    • Whiteville is located in Hardeman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,449 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whiteville <2>
  • Dancyville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Hickory Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hickory Withe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Withe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Withe
      • Hickory Withe is located in Fayette County
    • Canadaville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • La Grange
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Somerville ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Somerville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Somerville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Somerville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Somerville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4> of Somerville.

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 Somerville:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Somerville. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Fayette County: www.fayettetn.us/

The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Somerville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Somerville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.2391, Longitude: -89.3502    
<5>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.
<6>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 Somerville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025