Acentral idea of "nameless, tennessee" is that the town seems to be without a name, but with its colorful inhabitants and their histories it's not really nameless. which quotation from the story shows how the central idea emerges
a) "chronologically, the names had piled up: wives, grandparents, a stillborn infant, relatives, friends close and distant. names, names. after each, the date of the unknown finally known and transcribed"
b) "forget the durn post office,' he said. 'this here's a nameless place if i ever seen one, so leave it be.' and that's just what they did."
c) "some wanted patriotic names, some names from nature, one man recommended in all seriousness his own name. they couldn't agree, and they ran out of names to argue about."
d) "you think nameless is a funny name,' miss ginny said. 'i see it plain in your eyes. well you take yourself up north a piece to difficult or defeated or shake rag. now them are silly names."