Tennessee Genealogy - Ancestry Research & Family History
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Welcome to Tennessee Genealogy

Research in Tennessee can be an exciting and rewarding experience. With records available for more than 200 years of the state's history, your family is sure to be found in a variety of records available online and at the many archives and libraries located throughout the state.

Hire a Genealogist

African-American Genealogy

Genealogy Center - African Americans Chattanooga History Unsung Heroes

Google Books - 1790-1865 The Negro in Tennessee

Access Genealogy - Lookout Mountain Cemetery

Access Genealogy - Pleasant Garden Cemetery

Bessie Smith Cultural Center - Chattanooga, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - Hamilton County Cemeteries WPA thru 1937

TNGenWeb Project - ​Tennessee - Hamilton County Tombstone Inscriptions

Archives and Libraries

Chattanooga Public Library - Chattanooga, TN

Collegedale Public Library - Collegedale, Tennessee

East Ridge City Library - East Ridge, Tennessee

Facebook - Chattanooga Public Library

Facebook - City of East Ridge - Government

Facebook - Collegedale Public Library

Facebook - Signal Mountain Library

Houston Museum-Decorative Arts - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Hunter Museum of American Art - Chattanooga, Tennessee

International Towing Museum - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Lynn H Wood Archaeological Museum -  Collegedale, Tennessee

Signal Mountain Library - Signal Mountain, Tennessee

Tennessee Secretary of State - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum - Chattanooga, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​Hamilton County Bicentennial Library Holdings

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Bible Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

Biographies

Cyndi's List - Chief John Ross Chapter NSDAR

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Alexander Hamilton

Cemeteries

Cyndi's List - Chief John Ross Chapter NSDAR

ePodunk - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Find A Grave - Hamilton County Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

The Political Graveyard - Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​Chattanooga National Cemetery

TNGenWeb Project - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Tombstone Project - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Census Records

Census Online - Hamilton Co., Tennessee
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Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

National Archives - 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps

TNGenWeb Project - 1830 Census Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGeNWeb Project - 1860 Hamilton County Census Images

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Church Records

TNGenWeb Project - ​​1942 Hamilton County Guide to Church Vital Statistics

Court Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

Crimes

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

Estate Records

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Hamilton County Wills

Family Trees

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

History

Cyndi's List - Official County Web Site

Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - Famous People of Hamilton County

Genealogy Trails History Group - Hamilton County Chronology

Genealogy Trails History Group - Hamilton County Government

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County Local History

Genealogy Trails History Group - Hamilton County Post Offices

Genealogy Trails History Group - Hamilton County The Old General

Genealogy Trails History Group - Hamilton County  Towns and Cities

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, TN (James County)

National Register of Historic Places - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​History of Hamilton County

Wikipedia.org - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Land Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Hamilton County Deeds

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Maps

My Genealogy Hound  - Hamilton County, Tennessee 

TNGenWeb Project - Maps by Charles Reeves

TNGenWeb Project - ​Map - Chattanooga - pre-Civil War

TNGenWeb Project - ​​ 1919 Map Chattanooga, TN

Military Records

Battles for Chattanooga - Lookout Mountain, TN

Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center - Chattanooga, TN

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park - Fort Oglethorpe, GA

Cravens House - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

National Archives - WWII Army Casualties: Tennessee

National Archives - WWII Army Casualties: Tennessee (Cont'd)

National Archives - U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War

National Archives - U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War

TNGenWeb Project - ​​WWI Vets Hamilton County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Native American Genealogy

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - The Cherokee Nation 

Newspapers

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Obituaries

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​Miscellaneous Obits Hamilton County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Photographs

Hamilton County, TennesseeGenealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, Tennessee

My Genealogy Hound - 1864 Chattanooga, Tennessee, Aerial View

My Genealogy Hound - First Wisconsin Cavalry Monument at Chickamauga Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee

My Genealogy Hound - Gen. Hooker and Staff in Winter Quarters, Chattanooga, Tennessee

My Genealogy Hound - G. W. Franklin, Undertaker, Funeral Home and Hearse Carriages, Chattanooga, Tennessee
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My Genealogy Hound - 1905 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee

My Genealogy Hound - 1906 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee

National Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Hamilton County Slideshow
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TNGenWeb Project - Hamilton County, Tennessee Area Pictures

USGenWeb Archives - Penny Postcards of Hamilton County

Queries

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Archived Queries Hamilton County, Tennessee

Societies

Chattanooga Delta Genealogical Society - Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga History Center - Chattanooga, TN

East Tennessee Historical Society - Knoxville, Tennessee

Facebook - Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution

Hamilton County Tennessee Genealogical Society - Chattanooga, TN

Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution - Hamilton County, TN

Vital Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, TN Birth Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, TN Death Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - ​Hamilton County, TN Marriage Records

Tennessee Deaths - Hamilton County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​1881 Hamilton County Births

TNGenWeb Project - ​1881 Hamilton County Deaths

TNGenWeb Project - ​​1918 Hamilton County Marriages

USGenWeb Archives - Hamilton County, Tennessee

VitalChek - Tennessee Vital Records

​Vitalrec.com - Tennessee Vital Records
Many Tennessee family records can be found online and at various archives and libraries located throughout the state of Tennessee. Many millions of records aren't yet available online, though, and many of these are awaiting your discovery at the local level at county courthouses, historical societies, churches, county clerks' offices, cemeteries, and elsewhere in Tennessee. To find these and other records, click on the links below to find more information about the specific counties where your ancestors lived in Tennessee. You'll find information on these pages that will lead you to the specific documentation you're searching for.

It is important to keep in mind when doing research that the names and boundaries of certain counties in Tennessee have changed over the past two hundred years. Your ancestors may have lived on a certain farm in one county and when borders were redrawn records relating to your family history might have been located in another area entirely. When searching for land, court, tax, and other records it is also a good idea to search for these records in adjacent counties. Following is a complete list of Tennessee's 95 counties along with their formation dates, county seats, and names of parent counties.
County

Anderson County

Bedford County

Benton County

Bledsoe County

Blount County

Bradley County

Campbell County

Cannon County

Carroll County

Carter County

Cheatham County


Chester County


Claiborne County

Clay County

Cocke County

Coffee County

Crockett County


Cumberland County


Davidson County

Decatur County

DeKalb County


Dickson County

Dyer County

Fayette County

Fentress County

Franklin County

Gibson County

Giles County

Grainger County

Greene County

Grundy County

Hamblen County

Hamilton County

Hancock County

Hardeman County

Hardin County

Hawkins County

Haywood County

Henderson County

Henry County

Hickman County

Houston County


Humphreys County

Jackson County

Jefferson County

Johnson County

Knox County

Lake County

Lauderdale County

Lawrence County

Lewis County


Lincoln County

Loudon County


Macon County

Madison County

Marion County

Marshall County


Maury County

McMinn County

McNairy County

Meigs County

Monroe County

Montgomery County

Moore County

Morgan County

Obion County

Overton County

Perry County

Pickett County

Polk County

Putnam County


Rhea County

Roane County

Robertson County

Rutherford County


Scott County


Sequatchie County

Sevier County

Shelby County

Smith County

Stewart County

Sullivan County

Tipton County

Trousdale County


Unicoi County

Union County


Van Buren County

Warren County


Washington County

Wayne County

Weakley County

White County

Williamson County

Wilson County
Formation Date

1801

1807

1835

1807

1795

1836

1806

1836

1821

1796

1856


1879


1801

1870

1797

1836

1871


1855


1783

1845

1837


1803

1823

1824

1823

1807

1823

1809

1796

1783

1844

1870

1819

1844

1823

1819

1786

1823

1821

1821

1807

1871


1809

1801

1792

1836

1792

1870

1835

1817

1843


1809

1870


1842

1821

1817

1836


1807

1819

1823

1836

1819

1796

1871

1817

1823

1806

1819

1879

1839

1854


1807

1801

1796

1803


1849


1857

1794

1819

1799

1803

1779

1823

1870


1875

1850


1840

1807


1777

1817

1823

1806

1799

1799
County Seat

Clinton

Shelbyville

Camden

Pikeville

Maryville

Cleveland

Jacksboro

Woodbury

Huntingdon

Elizabethton

Ashland City


Henderson


Tazewell

Celina

Newport

Manchester

Alamo


Crossville


Nashville

Decaturville

Smithville


Charlotte

Dyersburg

Somerville

Jamestown

Winchester

Trenton

Pulaski

Rutledge

Greeneville

Altamont

Morristown

Chattanooga

Sneedville

Bolivar

Savannah

Rogersville

Brownsville

Lexington

Paris

Centerville

Erin


Waverly

Gainesboro

Dandridge

Mountain City

Knoxville

Tiptonville

Ripley

Lawrenceburg

Hohenwald


Fayetteville

Loudon


Lafayette

Jackson

Jasper

Lewisburg


Columbia

Athens

Selmer

Decatur

Madisonville

Clarksville

Lynchburg

Wartburg

Union City

Livingston

Linden

Byrdstown

Benton

Cookeville


Dayton

Kingston

Springfield

Murfreesboro


Huntsville


Dunlap

Sevierville

Memphis

Carthage

Dover

Blountville

Covington

Hartsville


Erwin

Maynardville


Spencer

McMinnville


Jonesborough

Waynesboro

Dresden

Sparta

Franklin

Lebanon
Parent County

Knox and Grainger

Rutherford County

Humphreys County

Roane & Indian lands

Knox County

Indian lands

Anderson & Claiborne

Rutherford, Smith & Warren

Indian lands

Washington County

Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, & Robertson

Henderson, McNairy & Madison

Grainger & Hawkins

Jackson & Overton

Jefferson County

Bedford, Warren & Franklin

Haywood, Madison, Dyer & Gibson

White, Bledsoe, Rhea, Morgan, Fentress & Putnam

Part of North Carolina

Perry County

Franklin, Cannon, Jackson & White

Montgomery and Robertson

Indian lands

Indian lands

Morgan, Overton & White

Rutherford & Indian lands

Indian lands

Indian lands

Hawkins & Knox counties

Washington County

Coffee, Warren & Franklin

Jefferson, Grainger & Greene

Rhea & Indian lands

Hawkins & Claiborne

Hardin & Indian lands

Indian Lands

Sullivan County

Indian lands

Indian lands

Indian lands

Dickson County

Dickson, Humphreys, Montgomery & Stewart

Stewart County

Smith County & Indian lands

Greene & Hawkins

Carter County

Greene & Hawkins

Obion County

Haywood, Dyer & Tipton

Hickman & Indian lands

Hickman, Lawrence, Maury & Wayne

Bedford County

Roane, Monroe, Blount & McMinn

Smith and Sumner counties

Indian lands

Indian lands

Giles, Bedford, Lincoln & Maury

Williamson & Indian lands

Indian lands

Hardin County

Rhea County

Indian lands

Tennessee County

Bedford, Lincoln & Franklin

Anderson & Roane

Indian lands

Jackson & Indian lands

Humphreys & Hickman

Fentress & Overton

McMinn & Bradley

Fentress, Jackson, Smith, White & Overton

Roane County

Knox & Indian lands

Tennessee & Sumner

Davidson, Williamson & Wilson

Anderson, Campbell, Fentress & Morgan counties

Hamilton, Marion & Warren

Jefferson County

Chickasaw Nation lands

Sumner & Indian lands

Montgomery County

Washington County

Shelby County

Wilson, Macon, Smith
& Sumner counties

Washington & Carter

Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson & Knox

Warren & White

White, Jackson, Smith & Indian lands

Part of North Carolina

Hickman County

Indian lands

Jackson & Smith

Davidson County

Sumner County

USA State Resources

Follow the links below to find many other helpful resources available in the U.S. states where your ancestors lived in the past.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
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