Tennessee Genealogy

This page of our website provides links to Tennessee genealogy databases and historical narratives about Tennessee. These genealogical records may include, vital records (birth, marriage and divorce, death), ethnic records (Black, Native American), court records (land, probate and wills, criminal and civil), church records (Bibles, baptisms, marriages, burials and histories), cemeteries, census records, military records directories and yearbooks.

Black Tennessee Genealogy

Tennessee African American Genealogy
- Tennessee African American Cemeteries
- Tennessee African American Census Records
- Chancery, Admiralty And Slavery Courts in NC
- Tennessee, Freedmen’s Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
  The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s Bureau) was created in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War to supervise relief efforts including education, health care, food and clothing, refugee camps, legalization of marriages, employment, labor contracts, and securing back pay, bounty payments and pensions. These records include letters and endorsements sent and received, account books, applications for rations, applications for relief, court records, labor contracts, registers of bounty claimants, registers of complaints, registers of contracts, registers of disbursements, registers of freedmen issued rations, registers of patients, reports, rosters of officers and employees, special and general orders and circulars received, special orders and circulars issued, records relating to claims, court trials, property restoration, and homesteads. This collection corresponds with NARA microfilm publication M1911, Records of the Field Offices for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872.
- WPA Slave Narratives
  Slave narratives are stories of surviving slaves told in their own words and ways. Unique, colorful, and authentic, these slave narratives provide a look at the culture of the South during slavery which heretofore had not been told.

Tennessee Biographies

Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee

Tennessee Cemeteries

Tennessee Cemetery Records
- TVA Relocated Cemeteries
  After completing removal operations, TVA mapped the re-interment cemeteries, assigning each cemetery and grave a number. It is from these records that the cemetery relocation database was created.
- Obion County
  - Walnut Grove Methodist Church Cemetery
- Sequatchie County
  - Davis Cemetery

Tennessee Census Records

Tennessee Census Records
- Tennessee 1910 Census Map

Tennessee Court Records

Chancery, Admiralty And Slavery Courts in NC
Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927
This collection includes waypoints and images of probate court records from Tennessee counties. The records were kept in bound volumes.
Tennessee, Probate Court Files, 1795-1955
This collection includes probate records from Tennessee counties. These records were kept either as loose papers or in files, rather than bound volumes.
Tennessee, Cocke County Records, 1860-1930
This collection includes marriage records, 1870-1929; wills, 1860-1929 and chancery court records, 1860-1930. This collection is being published as images become available.
Tennessee, Putnam County Records, 1842-1955
This collection includes records from the circuit and chancery courts of Putnam County. The records include disputed property and estates, wills, divorces and records of other civil proceedings.
Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975
This is a collection of records from White County including marriages, 1950-1975; chancery court records 1825-1937, and circuit court records, 1809-1900. The county court records include primarily probate records. The chancery and circuit court records include disputed estate and property records, some wills, and divorces. This collection is being published as images become available.

Tennessee County Genealogy and History

Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee
Tennessee, Cocke County Records, 1860-1930
This collection includes marriage records, 1870-1929; wills, 1860-1929 and chancery court records, 1860-1930. This collection is being published as images become available.
Moore County
- Moore County, Tennessee Organization
  - City of Lynchburg
Putnam County
- Tennessee, Putnam County Marriages, 1930-1961
  This collection includes digital images marriage records from Putnam County which were filmed at the Tennessee State Archives. This collection is being published as images are available.
- Tennessee, Putnam County Records, 1842-1955
  This collection includes records from the circuit and chancery courts of Putnam County. The records include disputed property and estates, wills, divorces and records of other civil proceedings.
Rutherford County
- 1878 Rutherford County Map by D.G. Beers & Company
- Rutherford County Register of Births
  Beginning in 1881, counties in Tennessee were required to keep birth records. Due to lapses in that law, there are large gaps in the official records. Rutherford County Register of Births database covers 1881-1882, 1909-1912, and 1925-1939. The data fields in the index are name, date, register number, and page number. Additional information is provided in the birth registers, which are housed at the Rutherford County Archives.
- Rutherford County Archives Marriage Indexes
  - Marriages 1804-1888
  - Marriages 1889-1940
- 1930 – 1932 Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Phone Books
  These phone books are exhibits F, G, H, and I in the case of State of Tennessee v. Quentin Hoover et al. This case was heard in Rutherford County’s Chancery Court. Each of the four books was printed and distributed by the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company. They contain names, addresses, and phone numbers of private phones and business phones. Each book is approximately 29 pages and includes the communities of Murfreesboro, Eagleville, Smyrna, Milton, Christiana, Walter Hill, Fosterville, Big Spring, Rockvale, Readyville, and Bradyville.
  - Spring-Summer Issue 1930
    Spring-Summer Issue 1931
    Fall-Winter Issue 1931
    Spring Summer Issue 1932
- Rutherford County Register of Deaths
  The death records index covers 1881 to 1939. The data fields are name, year, and entry or page number.
- Rutherford County Loose Wills, 1804 1947
  - 1804-1899
  - 1900-1947
Shelby County
- Birth Records 1874-1917
  Partial Indexes and Images from 1874 – 1883, 1886 – 1917
- Chancery Court Divorce Index 1945-1997
  Partial Index from 1945-1997. The index is organized in rough date order by first letter of last name.
- Circuit Court Indexes 1893-2000
  Partial Indexes from 1893-2000.
- Death Records 1848-1967
  Partial Indexes and Images from 1848 – 1967. According to state law, death records are confidential for 50 years.
- Marriage Records 1820-2014
  Partial Indexes and Images from 1820 – 2014
- Memphis Census 1865 – search
  - 1865 Memphis Census Complete Book. Book Contents: 198 pages Size: 86 MB
- Memphis City Directories 1849-1943
  Partial Volumes from 1849-1923.
- Memphis Police Blotter 1858-1860
  Index and Book
- Memphis Provost Marshal 1863-1865
  A Provost Marshal is an officer in the armed forces in charge of the military police. The office was created during the U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865, to enforce laws and maintain order. The following contains prisoners processed by the Union Army in Memphis.
- Naturalization Records 1856-1906
  Partial Indexes and Images from 1856 – 1906
- Occupant, Entry, and Survey Books 1819-1962
  Partial Indexes and Images from 1819 – 1962 of Shelby County Occupant, Entry and Survey Books. Occupant and Survey books contain property descriptions and surveys of land grants. These grants were issued either by the United States government, North Carolina, or Tennessee as far back as the Indian and Revolutionary wars. The following books contain the first documentation of ownership for a given tract in Shelby County.
- Probate Court Loose Paper Index 1820-1900
  A partial index of the files of the Shelby County Probate Court from 1820 to 1900.
- Probate Court Wills 1830-2004
  Partial Indexes and Images 1830 – 2004
- Quarterly Court Loose Papers Index 1820-1865
  A partial index of the files of the Shelby County Quarterly Court from 1820 to 1865.
White County
- Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975
  This is a collection of records from White County including marriages, 1950-1975; chancery court records 1825-1937, and circuit court records, 1809-1900. The county court records include primarily probate records. The chancery and circuit court records include disputed estate and property records, some wills, and divorces. This collection is being published as images become available.

Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Societies

Tennessee Genealogical Society
East Tennessee Historical Society
- Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
- The McClung Digital Collection
  A digitalcollection of photographs, documents and books on Tennessee history curated by Calvin M. McClung and provided freely online.
Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
This genealogical society covers the 40 county area known as middle Tennessee. The counties include: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van, Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson counties.
- The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy & History, 1988 – 2014
  The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy & History is an award-winning quarterly, with articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. Researchers can order back copies of articles either in paper format, or a CD to cover the years of 1987-2007.
  - Article Index Sorted by Topic
  - Index to volumes 2-27
Midwest Tennessee Genealogical Society
- Midwest Tennessee Genealogical Society Facebook Page

Tennessee Land Records

Tennessee Military Records

Military Records
- Tennessee Forts
  List of colonial forts, trading posts, named camps, redoubts, reservations, general hospitals, national cemeteries, etc., established or erected in the United States from its earliest settlement to 1902.
- Revolutionary War Records
  - 1840 Pensioners Database
  - Revolutionary War Pension Records
- United States Civil War Records
  - Tennessee Civil War Battlefield Map
  - Tennessee Southern Claims Commission Index
    Tennessee Southern Claims Commission Index: This index lists Tennesseans who filed claims with the Southern Claims Commission from 1871 to 1873. These 3,929 Tennesseans claimed their property had been taken by United States military personnel for use in the Civil War. The claim files include interesting detail about people and about the Civil War period in Tennessee. Each claimant was required to describe his losses in detail, and to prove his loyalty to the Union. Witnesses gave testimony in support of his allegations. The paperwork in the files is often extensive.
  - Civil War Pensions Index Cards
    Each card gives the soldier’s name, unit, the application number, the certificate number and the state from which the soldier served. In some cases, the soldier’s rank, terms of service, date of death and place of death are given. The index cards refer to pension applications of veterans who served in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917. The majority of the records pertain to Civil War veterans, but they also include veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, Indian wars, and World War I.
  - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
    Confederate service records of soldiers who served in organizations from Tennessee. The records include a jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, his rank, and the unit in which he served. The jacket-envelope typically contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, Union prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, inspection reports; and the originals of any papers relating solely to the particular soldier. For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier’s surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M268. Index courtesy of Fold3.
  - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
    Union service records of soldiers who served in organizations from Tennessee. The records include a jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, his rank, and the unit in which he served. The jacket-envelope typically contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, inspection reports; and the originals of any papers relating solely to the particular soldier. For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier’s surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917 and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M395. Index courtesy of Fold3.
  - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965
    Digital images of pension applications filed by Confederate veterans and their widows. Tennessee began granting pensions to resident Confederate veterans in 1891 and to their widows in 1905.
  - Moore County, Tennessee Military Units
- World War I Records
  - World War 1 Draft Registration Records
- World War II Records
  - World War II Casualties – Army – Army Air Corps
  - Tennessee Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard World War II Casualty List
- Korean War Casualty List
- Vietnam War Casualty List

Tennessee Native American Records

Tennessee Vital Records

Tennessee Vital Records
- Tennessee Death Records Index 1949-2014
- Tennessee Divorce Records Index 1980-2014
- Tennessee Marriage Records Index 1980-2014
- Tennessee, Births and Christenings, 1828-1939
  Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Tennessee. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
- Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002
  Index of marriages from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Index provided by Ancestry.com
- Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950
  Name indexes and images of Tennessee county marriages from 1790 through 1950 acquired from local courthouses. This collection contains searchable index data and images for marriage registers, marriage licenses, marriage bonds, and marriage certificates. Currently this collection is 78% complete. Additional records by county will be added as they are completed. Some images may not be viewable due to contract restrictions.
- Tennessee, Marriages, 1796-1950
  Name index to marriage records from the state of Tennessee. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
- Tennessee, Deaths and Burials, 1874-1955
  Name index to death and burial records from the state of Tennessee. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 227,540 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
- Tennessee, Death Records, 1914-1955
  Name index and images of Tennessee death certificates. Statewide death registration began in 1914.
- Tennessee, Cocke County Records, 1860-1930
  This collection includes marriage records, 1870-1929; wills, 1860-1929 and chancery court records, 1860-1930. This collection is being published as images become available.
- Tennessee, Putnam County Marriages, 1930-1961
  This collection includes digital images marriage records from Putnam County which were filmed at the Tennessee State Archives. This collection is being published as images are available.
- Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975
  This is a collection of records from White County including marriages, 1950-1975; chancery court records 1825-1937, and circuit court records, 1809-1900. The county court records include primarily probate records. The chancery and circuit court records include disputed estate and property records, some wills, and divorces. This collection is being published as images become available.