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 Van Buren (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 Van Buren. 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 northeast 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 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.
Van Buren is located in Hardeman 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 Hardeman County: Alcorn (MS), Benton (MS), Tippah (MS), Chester, Fayette, Haywood, Madison & McNairy.
Below are the counties that are near Van Buren. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Van Buren:
- Hardeman County (The home county of Van Buren)
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Hickory Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Valley is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Saulsbury
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Saulsbury is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Rogers Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rogers Springs is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Springs
- Newcastle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Newcastle is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newcastle
- Bolivar
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Middleton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shandy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shandy is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shandy
- Whiteville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hornsby
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hornsby is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Toone
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Toone is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toone
- Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
- Essary Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Essary Springs is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essary Springs
- Vildo
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Vildo is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vildo
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Silerton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Silerton is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
- Masseyville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Masseyville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyville
- Deanburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Deanburg is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,395 people
- Montezuma
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Montezuma is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Grand Junction
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- La Grange
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- La Grange is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Forty Five
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Forty Five is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forty Five
- Fayette Corners
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fayette Corners is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette Corners
- Somerville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Williston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Williston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
- Moscow
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Feathers Chapel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Feathers Chapel is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feathers Chapel
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,102 people
- Macon
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Macon is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Oakland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Oakland is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,669 people
- New Bethel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- New Bethel is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bethel
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,324 people
- Rossville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hancock County
- Keeling
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Keeling is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeling
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Eurekaton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Eurekaton is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eurekaton
- Hillville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hillville is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillville
- Dancyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dancyville is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dancyville
- Ko Ko
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ko Ko is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ko Ko
- Fredonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fredonia is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
- Woodland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Woodland is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Stanton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Mercer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Mercer is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Medon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Parkburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parkburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkburg
- Estimated population in 2014: 10,156 people
- Denmark
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- McNairy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Rose Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Rose Creek is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Creek
- Chewalla
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Chewalla is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewalla
- Falcon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Falcon is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
- Ramer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bethel Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Selmer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Eastview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Eastview is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Guys
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Guys is located in McNairy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
- Finger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Alcorn County (MS)
- Kossuth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Benton County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Canaan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Canaan is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Michigan City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ashland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Snow Lake Shores
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Snow Lake Shores is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake Shores
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Pine Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Marshall County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Slayden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Slayden is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slayden
- Hudsonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hudsonville is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsonville
- Atway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Atway is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atway
- Mount Pleasant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tippah County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Walnut
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tiplersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Tiplersville is located in Tippah County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiplersville
- Falkner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Whitten Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Whitten Town is located in Tippah County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitten Town
- Gravestown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Gravestown is located in Tippah County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravestown
- Ripley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Van Buren, see our County-by-County Page for Van Buren.
Cemeteries Near Van Buren ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Van Buren.
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 Van Buren - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Van Buren covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Avent Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pruette Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Good Shepherd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Woods Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Wright Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Saulsbury Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bailey Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ramah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harris Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clifft Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ussery Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (512 more) ...
- Mt. Comfort Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Salem Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Antioch Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<2>
While we didn't find Van Buren in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Van Buren.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Hickory Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Valley is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Middleburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Middleburg is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Saulsbury
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Saulsbury is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Grand Junction
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Newcastle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Newcastle is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newcastle
- Bolivar
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- La Grange
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- La Grange is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Middleton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shandy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shandy is located in Hardeman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shandy
- Whiteville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Ina ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ina is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ina
- Michigan City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Canaan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Canaan is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Spring Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Walnut
(16 miles [25.7 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 Van Buren. See our List of 1890's Communities around Van Buren.
Newspapers Published in Van Buren ...
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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Van Buren.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Van Buren, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Van Buren.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Van Buren:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Hardeman County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Fayette County
- Hancock County
- Haywood County
- Madison County
- McNairy County
- Alcorn County
- Benton County
- Marshall County
- Tippah County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Tennessee
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> | 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 Van Buren, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Van Buren) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |