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 Willard (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 Willard. 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 doctors and 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.
Willard is located in Trousdale 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 Trousdale County: Macon, Smith, Sumner & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Willard. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willard:
- Trousdale County (The home county of Willard)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Hartsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Johntown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Johntown is located in Trousdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johntown
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Jenkins Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Jenkins Village is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkins Village
- Hermitage Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hermitage Springs is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage Springs
- Clementsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clementsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clementsville
- Davidson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Lakewood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lakewood is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Old Hickory
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hermitage
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rayon City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rayon City is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayon City
- Marvel ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Marvel is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvel
- Estimated population in 2014: 11,322 people
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Alexandria
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Temperance Hall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Temperance Hall is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temperance Hall
- Population from the 2010 Census: 5,791 people
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- North Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- North Springs is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Springs
- Haydenburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Haydenburg is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenburg
- Rough Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rough Point is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rough Point
- Whitleyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Whitleyville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitleyville
- Nameless
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Nameless is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameless
- Gainesboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Green Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Green Grove is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Grove
- Siloam
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Siloam is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Meadorville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Meadorville is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadorville
- Lafayette
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Frog Pond
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Frog Pond is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Pond
- Gibbs Crossroads
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Gibbs Crossroads is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbs Crossroads
- Mill Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mill Town is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
- Red Boiling Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Walnut Shade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Shade is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Shade
- Putnam County
- Pekin ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pekin is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,114 people
- Robertson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Black Jack
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Black Jack is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Jack
- Mitchell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mitchell is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Estimated population in 2014: 198 people
- Mulloy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mulloy is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulloy
- White House
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Calistia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Calistia is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calistia
- Jernigan Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jernigan Town is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jernigan Town
- Cross Plains
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Dixon Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dixon Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
- Pleasant Shade
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Rock City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rock City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Monoville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Monoville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monoville
- Difficult
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Difficult is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Difficult
- Estimated population in 2014: 14,993 people
- Defeated
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Defeated is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defeated
- Carthage
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- South Carthage
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- South Carthage is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Carthage
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,406 people
- Bluff Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,734 people
- Shaver Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shaver Town is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Town
- Gordonsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Brush Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Brush Creek is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Sumner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Chipman
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chipman is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipman
- Bledsoe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bledsoe is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bledsoe
- Bransford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bransford is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Population from the 2010 Census: 170 people
- Castalian Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bethpage
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Westmoreland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rogana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Rogana is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogana
- Rock Bridge
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Rock Bridge is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Bridge
- Trousdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Trousdale is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
- Sugar Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Sugar Grove is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Fairfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Gallatin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Centerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Centerville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,595 people
- Possum Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Possum Town is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
- Lebanon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Laguardo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Laguardo is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laguardo
- Estimated population in 2014: 132 people
- Linwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Linwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Saulsbury
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Saulsbury is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
- Greenwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Commerce
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Commerce is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Beckwith
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beckwith is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckwith
- Leeville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Leeville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeville
- Doaks Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Doaks Crossroads is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doaks Crossroads
- Doaks Crossroads has also been known as:
- Doaks
- Watertown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Allen County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Adolphus
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Petroleum
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Petroleum is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petroleum
- Holland
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Holland is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Oak Forest
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Oak Forest is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Red Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Red Hill is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Scottsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pope
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Pope is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope
- Halfway
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Halfway is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Mount Aerial
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Aerial is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Aerial
- Trammel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Trammel is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammel
- Cedar Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cedar Springs is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Halifax
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Halifax is located in Allen County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
- Barren County (KY)
- Austin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Austin is located in Barren County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
- Monroe County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Akersville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Akersville is located in Monroe County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
- Fountain Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gamaliel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mud Lick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mud Lick is located in Monroe County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Lick
- Simpson County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Black Jack
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Black Jack is located in Simpson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Jack
- Gold City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gold City is located in Simpson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold City
- Franklin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Warren County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Drake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Drake is located in Warren County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
- Alvaton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willard, see our County-by-County Page for Willard.
Cemeteries Near Willard ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willard.
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 Willard - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willard covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Charlton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Willow Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Wolf Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hartsville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hartsville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Hartsville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1369711 <2>
- Hartsville Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Adams - Jacob Story Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fairview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Love - Ladd Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Chestnut Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hodge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Stalcup Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fleeman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (656 more) ...
- William Galbraith Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Holman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Rankin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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 in 1895, Willard had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Hartsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Eulia
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Eulia is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulia
- Chipman
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chipman is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipman
- Hillsdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hillsdale is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Bledsoe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bledsoe is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bledsoe
- Bransford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bransford is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Population from the 2010 Census: 170 people
- Castalian Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bethpage
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Westmoreland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Meadorville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Meadorville is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadorville
- Rogana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Rogana is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogana
- Dixon Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dixon Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Long Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Long Creek is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
- Sideview ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sideview is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sideview
- Lafayette
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willard. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willard.
Newspapers Published in Willard ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willard.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willard, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willard.
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 helpful 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 Willard:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Trousdale County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Davidson County
- DeKalb County
- Jackson County
- Macon County
- Putnam County
- Robertson County
- Smith County
- Sumner County
- Wilson County
- Allen County
- Barren County
- Monroe County
- Simpson County
- Warren 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> | 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 Willard, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Willard) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |