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 Water Valley (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 Water Valley. 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 Water Valley ...
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: Watervalley.
- A typical abbreviation for Water Valley: Water Vly. (or less commonly used: Water Vally. or Water Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Water Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Water Valley.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.
Water Valley is located in Maury 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 Maury County: Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall & Williamson.
Below are the counties that are near Water Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Water Valley:
- Maury County (The home county of Water Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Santa Fe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Flys Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- New Flys Village is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Flys Village
- Fly
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fly is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fly
- Hill Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hill Town is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Town
- Chartersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chartersville is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartersville
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,494 people
- Arkland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Arkland is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkland
- Williamsport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsport is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
- Sawdust
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sawdust is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawdust
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,053 people
- Mowd ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mowd is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowd
- New Hope
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- New Hope is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,070 people
- Greenfield Bend
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greenfield Bend is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield Bend
- Estimated population in 2014: 15,035 people
- Armour Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Armour Village is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour Village
- Ben ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ben is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben
- Cheatham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Kingston Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bell Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bell Town is located in Cheatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
- Pegram
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Pegram is located in Cheatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pegram
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,056 people
- Davidson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Linton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Linton is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linton
- Bellevue
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tennessee Towne ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tennessee Towne is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee Towne
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,347 people
- Forest Hills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Forest Hills is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,721 people
- Belle Meade
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Belle Meade is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Meade
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,788 people
- Watkins ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Watkins is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
- Dickson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Spencers Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Spencers Mill is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencers Mill
- Abiff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Abiff is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abiff
- Tidwell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Tidwell is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidwell
- Burns
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Pomona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pomona is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
- White Bluff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Dickson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Water Valley ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Water Valley is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,516 people
- Pond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pond is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond
- Tennessee City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tennessee City is located in Dickson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee City
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Lynnville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Campbellsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Campbellsville is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbellsville
- Liberty Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Liberty Hill is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
- Bufords
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bufords is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bufords
- Hickman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Duck River
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Duck River is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck River
- Primm Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Primm Springs is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primm Springs
- Littlelot
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Littlelot is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlelot
- Tottys Bend
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Tottys Bend is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tottys Bend
- Graytown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Graytown is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graytown
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,528 people
- Swan Bluff
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Swan Bluff is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Bluff
- Bon Aqua Junction
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bon Aqua Junction is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Aqua Junction
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,230 people
- Wrigley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wrigley is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrigley
- Population from the 2010 Census: 281 people
- Lyles
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Centerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Graham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Graham is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
- Nunnelly
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nunnelly is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunnelly
- Aetna
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Aetna is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
- Humphreys County
- Grandmother Ford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Grandmother Ford is located in Humphreys County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandmother Ford
- Estimated population in 2014: 307 people
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Henryville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Henryville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henryville
- Webber City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Webber City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webber City
- Ethridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Kimmins
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kimmins is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmins
- Hohenwald
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Voorhies
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Voorhies is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,476 people
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Caney Spring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Caney Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney Spring
- Berlin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Berlin is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- South Berlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- South Berlin is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Berlin
- Anes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Anes is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anes
- Globe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Globe is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
- Verona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Verona is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
- Chapel Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Holts Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Holts Corner is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holts Corner
- Cochran
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cochran is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran
- Lewisburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Allisona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Allisona is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allisona
- Eagleville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Burwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Burwood is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burwood
- Wilkes ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wilkes is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkes
- Spring Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fernvale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Fernvale is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernvale
- Leipers Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson's Station
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Thompson's Station is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson's Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,973 people
- Former name for Thompson's Station:
- Littlebury
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thompson's Station <1>
- Loriland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Loriland is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loriland
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,735 people
- Fairview
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Southall
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Southall is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southall
- Duplex
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Duplex is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplex
- Harpeth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Harpeth is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpeth
- Parry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Parry is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parry
- Estimated population in 2014: 262 people
- Forest Home
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Forest Home is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Home
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Water Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Water Valley.
Cemeteries Near Water Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Water Valley.
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 Water Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Water Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Blackburn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Alexander Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Alexander Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the west of Santa Fe.
- The Alexander Cemetery has also been known as:
- Alexander Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8551 <3>
- Alexandria Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Alexandria Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the west of Santa Fe.
- The Alexandria Cemetery has also been known as:
- Alexandria Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8553 <3>
- Erwin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Erwin Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the west of Santa Fe.
- Johnson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Gardner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardner Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Gardner Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the southwest of Fly.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2527995 <3>
- Harbison Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Akin Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akin Ridge Cemetery
- The Akin Ridge Cemetery has also been known as:
- Akin Ridge Nazarene Church Cemetery
- Charter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bryant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Samaritan Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harbison Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (1272 more) ...
- Jones Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Jones Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southwest of Santa Fe.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #14145 <3>
- Goshen Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Goshen Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the south of Fly.
- The Goshen Cemetery has also been known as:
- Goshen UMC Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #12506 <3>
- Gardner Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Water Valley had a population of 22 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Water Valley, with the one closest to Water Valley listed first.
- Santa Fe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Fly
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fly is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fly
- Jones Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jones Valley is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Valley
- Williamsport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsport is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
- Duck River
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Duck River is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck River
- Mowd ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mowd is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowd
- Kettle Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kettle Mills is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Mills
- Ben ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ben is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben
- Lick Creek ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lick Creek is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
- Whiteoak
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Whiteoak is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteoak
- Bluffpoint ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bluffpoint is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffpoint
- Theta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Theta is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theta
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Littlelot
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Littlelot is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlelot
- Godwin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Godwin is located in Maury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godwin
- Little Rock Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Little Rock Mills is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Mills
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Water Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Water Valley.
Newspapers Published in Water Valley ...
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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Water Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Water Valley, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Water Valley.
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 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 Water Valley:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Maury County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cheatham County
- Davidson County
- Dickson County
- Giles County
- Hickman County
- Humphreys County
- Lawrence County
- Lewis County
- Marshall County
- Rutherford County
- Williamson 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Water Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Williamsport and Santa Fe. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location. |
| <5> | 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 Water Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |