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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 Thorn Grove (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 Thorn Grove. 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 Thorn Grove ...

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.

Another variation: Thorngrove.

  • A typical abbreviation for Thorn Grove: Thorn Grv.

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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Thorn Grove is located in Knox 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 Knox County: Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Loudon, Roane, Sevier & Union.

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

  • Knox County     (The home county of Thorn Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Lyonton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lyonton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonton
    • Peters Mill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Wooddale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Highpoint ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Highpoint is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highpoint
    • Mascot
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mascot is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mascot
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,411 people
    • Riverdale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayo ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Mayo is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,366 people
    • McMillan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • McMillan is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillan
    • Skaggston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimberlin Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Moshina Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Moshina Heights is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshina Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,335 people
    • John Sevier
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Kings Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Kings Valley is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Valley
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,835 people
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Panther ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Panther is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
    • Andersonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Claxton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Bethel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Bethel is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Estimated population in 2014: 719 people
    • Peak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Spring Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Spring Hill is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 16,752 people
    • Norris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clinton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Leinarts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Fraterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fraterville is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraterville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70,612 people
    • Rocky Top
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Scarboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Cowan Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Cowan Springs is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 9,010 people
    • Rockford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Rockford is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Eagleton Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Eagleton Village is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton Village
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 5,052 people
    • Walland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Alcoa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Alcoa is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcoa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alcoa <1>
    • Rocky Branch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Rocky Branch is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Branch
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,427 people
    • Miller Cove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Miller Cove is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller Cove
      • Estimated population in 2014: 267 people
    • Rockgardens
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rockgardens is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockgardens
      • Estimated population in 2014: 861 people
    • Seaton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Townsend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Chelsey Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Chelsey Village is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsey Village
    • Maryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Forkvale ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Forkvale is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkvale
    • Girlton ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Girlton is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girlton
    • Hatmaker ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hatmaker is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatmaker
    • Boy ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Boy is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boy
    • Demory
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Crest
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Crest is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,388 people
  • Claiborne County
  • Cocke County
  • Grainger County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Blaine
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lea Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Maples ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Maples is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples
    • Dyers Ferry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dyers Ferry is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyers Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 16,839 people
    • Massengill Mill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Massengill Mill is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massengill Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,600 people
    • Joppa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Oakland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oakland is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7,316 people
    • Lulaville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lulaville is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lulaville
    • Washburn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Wa-Ni Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wa-Ni Village is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wa-Ni Village
    • Rutledge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bowen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Beans
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Beans is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,084 people
  • Hamblen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Collons Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Collons Ferry is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collons Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 986 people
    • Casablanca
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Casablanca is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casablanca
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,223 people
    • Monte Vista Estates
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Monte Vista Estates is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,860 people
    • Morristown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • East Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • East Village is located in Hamblen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
  • Jefferson County
  • Sevier County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorn Grove, with the one closest to Thorn Grove listed first.
    • Luttrell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Plainview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Paulette
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Maynardville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Warwicktown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Warwicktown is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwicktown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 658 people
    • Gabe ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gabe is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gabe
    • Loyston ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Haynes ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Haynes is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
    • Loo ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Loo is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loo
    • Lost Creek ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lost Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
    • Rhodelia ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rhodelia is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodelia
    • Phebe ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Phebe is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phebe
    • Long Hollow ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Thorn Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thorn Grove.

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 Thorn Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thorn Grove had a population of 104 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Thorn Grove ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thorn Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thorn Grove, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thorn Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Thorn Grove:

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