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 Whitwell (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 Whitwell. 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.
Whitwell is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Jackson (AL), Dade (GA), Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton & Sequatchie.
Below are the counties that are near Whitwell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Whitwell:
- Marion County (The home county of Whitwell)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Powells Crossroads
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Condra
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Greentown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jasper
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vulcan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Vulcan is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- Comfort
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kimball
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Whiteside
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Ketchall ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ketchall is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketchall
- New Hope
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
- South Pittsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Richard City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Richard City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richard City
- Orme
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Orme is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orme
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Bledsoe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Pailo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Brockdell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brayton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bradley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Mineral Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- McDonald
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Coffee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Ruthledge Ford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Ruthledge Ford is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthledge Ford
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,116 people
- Stephenson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Winton Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Winton Town is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton Town
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Sand Switch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sewanee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Saint Marys
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Saint Marys is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
- Estimated population in 2014: 785 people
- Anderson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Greenhaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cowan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- White City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- White City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Palmer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lankford Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
- Gruetli - Laager
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tracy City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Coalmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coalmont is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
- Gruetli
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gruetli is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
- Sartain Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sartain Springs is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartain Springs
- Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
- Monteagle
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Beersheba Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Beersheba Springs is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beersheba Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
- Altamont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pelham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hamilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Fairmount
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Signal Terrace
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Signal Terrace is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signal Terrace
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,519 people
- Signal Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Summertown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Summertown is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summertown
- Population from the 2010 Census: 866 people
- Walden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Walden is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,183 people
- Fountain Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fountain Village is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Village
- Signal Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Village is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Village
- Falling Water
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Falling Water is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Water
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,232 people
- Lake Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Village is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
- Midvale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Midvale is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Red Bank
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chattanooga
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rhea County
- Graysville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sequatchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Cartwright
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Daus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Center Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dunlap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Van Buren County
- Chalybeate
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
- Warren County
- Viola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- DeKalb County (AL)
- Cartersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jackson County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Long Island
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bryant
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Copenhagen ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Copenhagen is located in Jackson County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
- Bridgeport
(20 miles [32.2 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>
- Eliza
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Browns Valley ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Browns Valley is located in Jackson County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
- Higdon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Haynes Crossing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- New Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- New Town is located in Jackson County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Stevenson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Catoosa County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Lakeview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lakeview is located in Catoosa County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Newnan Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Newnan Springs is located in Catoosa County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newnan Springs
- Estimated population in 2019: 41,581 people
- Fort Oglethorpe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Midway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dafron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dafron is located in Catoosa County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dafron
- Estimated population in 2019: 7,294 people
- Boynton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Graysville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Springs is located in Catoosa County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs
- Blue Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ellie Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ellie Spring is located in Catoosa County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellie Spring
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,714 people
- Poplar Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ringgold
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dade County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Cole City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
- Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people
- Wildwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Morganville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Morganville is located in Dade County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,835 people
- Trenton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Stewart Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town
- Rising Fawn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Walker County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Lookout Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rock City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rock City is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Rossville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Chattanooga Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chattanooga Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga Valley
- Fantasy Hills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fantasy Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fantasy Hills
- Estimated population in 2019: 316 people
- Flintstone
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- John Ross Estates
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Happy Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Happy Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Valley
- Estimated population in 2019: 192 people
- Moons
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orchard Hills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orchard Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
- Estimated population in 2019: 232 people
- Dewberry Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dewberry Town is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewberry Town
- Fairview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Park City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Park City is located in Walker County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Whitwell, see our County-by-County Page for Whitwell.
Cemeteries Near Whitwell ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Whitwell.
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 Whitwell - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Whitwell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Walker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pryor Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Price Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Red Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Davis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Gordon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Layne Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Laynes Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Shelton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (646 more) ...
- Presnell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Barker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Teague Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Whitwell had a population of 906 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Whitwell had a population of 1,719 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Whitwell, with the one closest to Whitwell listed first.
- Shirleyton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shirleyton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirleyton
- Victoria
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Victoria is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
- Inman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Inman is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
- Sequatchie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sequatchie is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sequatchie
- Stanley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Stanley is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Daus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jasper
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tatesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Tatesville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatesville
- Fairmount
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Comfort
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kimball
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Vulcan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Vulcan is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Tracy City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Ketchall ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ketchall is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketchall
- Shellmound ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Shellmound is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellmound
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Whitwell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Whitwell.
Newspapers Published in Whitwell ...
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 Whitwell.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Whitwell, 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 Whitwell.
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 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 Whitwell:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Marion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bledsoe County
- Bradley County
- Coffee County
- Franklin County
- Grundy County
- Hamilton County
- Rhea County
- Sequatchie County
- Van Buren County
- Warren County
- DeKalb County
- Jackson County
- Catoosa County
- Dade County
- Walker 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Whitwell) 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> | 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 Whitwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |