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

Beck Cultural Exchange Center - Knoxville, Tennessee

Google Books - Diary of a Sit-in

Google Books - 1790-1865 The Negro in Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, TN Ethnic Resources

Archives and Libraries

Bearden Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Beck Cultural Exchange Center - Knoxville, Tennessee

Burlington Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection - Knoxville, TN

Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection - Knoxville, TN

Carter Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Cedar Bluff Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Corryton Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

East Tennessee Historical Center - Knoxville, TN

FamilySearch.org - Family History Center Locator: Knox County

FamilySearch.org - FamilySearch Catalog: Knox County

Farragut Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Fountain City Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Halls Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Howard Pinkston Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Karns Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Knox County Archives - Knoxville, TN

Knox County Public Library - Historical resources A-Z

Knox County Public Library - Knoxville, TN

Lawson McGhee Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Mascot Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennesseemcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Murphy Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

North Knoxville Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Norwood Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Powell Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Sequoyah Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

South Knoxville Branch Library - Knoxville, Tennessee

Tennessee Secretary of State - Knox County, Tennessee

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USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Bible Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Bibliography

TNGenWeb Project - Knox County, Tennessee

Biographies

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Oliver Perry Temple

Businesses

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Daybook of A. X. Shields of Knoxville, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

Cemeteries

Cyndi's List - Knox County Funeral Home Records Database Search Form

ePodunk - Knox County, Tennessee

Find A Grave - Knox County, Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville - Graveyard

Old Gray Cemetery - Knoxville, TN

The Political Graveyard - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Tombstone Project - Knox County, Tennessee

Census Records

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Church Records

First Presbyterian Church & Historic Cemetery - Knoxville, TN

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​History of Lebanon Presbyterian Church  "In The Fork"

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - Sketches of Tennessee's Pioneer Baptist Preachers

City & County Directories

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Directory of Churches, Missions, and Religious Institutions of Tennessee: Knox County

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

Court Records

Knox County Clerk of Circuit Court - Knoxville, TN

Knox County Public Library - 1792-1809 Hamilton District Superior Court of Law and Equity

Knox County Public Library - 1832-1899 Knox County Chancery Court Index

Knox County Public Library - 1810-1899 Knox County Circuit Court Index

Knox County Public Library - 1792-1922 Knox County Courts of Pleas and Quarter Sessions Index

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Estate Records

Knox County Public Library - 1792-1939 Knox County Wills & Estate Settlements Index

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Family Trees

Headrick.org - A Headrick Genealogy

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County Families

Funeral Homes

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County Funeral Home Database

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

General Resources

City of Knoxville - Knoxville, TN

FamilySearch Wiki - Knox County, Tennessee

Knox County, Tennessee - Knoxville, TN

TNGenWeb Project - Deciphering Old Handwriting

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County Historical Resources

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County Library Resources

US Postal Service - Zip Code Finder

History

Blount Mansion - Knoxville, Tennessee

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

Historic Cherokee Caverns - Knox County, Tennessee

Historic Ramsey House - Knoxville, Tennessee

James White's Fort - The Birthplace of Knoxville

Mabry-Hazen House - Knoxville, Tennessee

National Archives - Knox County, TN Presidential Libraries

National Register of Historic Places - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - The Conquest of the Old Southwest

TNGenWeb Project - Early Settlement of Knoxville

TNGenWeb Project - Knox County's Early Settler  

TNGenWeb Project - Knox County Historical Sites of Interest

TNGenWeb Project - Knoxville, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Chapter 14)

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Letters from Forgotten Ancestors - Knox County

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame - Knoxville, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Bleak House Knoxville, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Crescent Bend

Wikipedia.org - Knox County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Mabry–Hazen House

Wikipedia.org - Marble Springs

Wikipedia.org - Ramsey House

Wikipedia.org - Westwood Knoxville, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - William Blount Mansion

Wikipedia.org - Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Land Records

Knox County Register of Deeds - Knoxville, TN

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Legislative Petitions & Acts

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Affidavit of Stephen Bond, of Knox County, TN

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Petition of Knox County Citizens to the Tennessee General Assembly

Maps

My Genealogy Hound - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee


TNGenWeb Project - Maps by Charles Reeves

KGIS - Knoxville/Knox County Geographic Information System (KGIS)

Military Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

Longstreet-Zollicoffer Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 87 - Knoxville, TN

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Battle of Fort Sanders

Wikipedia.org - Knoxville Campaign

Native American Genealogy

The Chickasaw Nation - Ada, Oklahoma

Historic Cherokee Caverns - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - Cherokee By Blood  

TNGenWeb Project - First People of Tennessee and the American Southeast

Newspapers

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

Obituaries

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee

Knox County Public Library - Obituary Index

Knox County Public Library - 1885-1906 Obituary Knoxville Journal Index

Knoxville News Sentinel Obituaries - Knoxville, TN

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Photographs

National Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

Tennessee Encyclopedia - 1921 Catherine Wiley, Morning Oil on Canvas


Tennessee Encyclopedia - James K. Polk Slideshow

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Knox County Slideshow

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Knoxville Museum of Art from the Knoxville World s Fair Park

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Knoxville Slideshow

Tennessee Encyclopedia - McKee Hall on the campus of Knoxville College

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Swiss Settlers, Knoxville

TNGenWeb Project - Knox County Photo Album

USGenWeb Archives - Knox County, Tennessee

School Records

Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture - College of Arts & Science

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, Tennessee


Knox County Museum of Education - Knoxville, TN

McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture - Knoxville, Tennessee

Tennessee Encyclopedia - University of Tennessee Memorial Research Center and Hospital

Tennessee Encyclopedia - Webb School of Knoxville

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Knox County Schools

Societies

Beck Cultural Exchange Center - Knoxville, Tennessee

Bleak House- The Confederate Memorial Hall

Blount Mansion - Knoxville, TN

Crescent Bend House & Garden - Knoxville, Tennessee

East Tennessee Historical Society - Knoxville, Tennessee

Farragut Folklife Museum - Farragut, Tennessee

Historic Westwood - Knox Heritage

Knox Heritage - Knoxville, TN

Marble Springs State Historic Site - Knox County, Tennessee

The Muse Knoxville - Knoxville, Tennessee

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

Towns, Cities & Townships

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Farragut, Tennessee

Wikipedia.org - Island Home Park

Wikipedia.org - Knoxville metropolitan Area

Wikipedia.org - Knoxville, Tennessee

Topography and Migration Patterns

TNGenWeb Project - Knox County, Tennessee

Vital Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, TN Birth Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, TN Death Records

Genealogy Trails History Group - Knox County, TN Marriage Records

Knox County Clerk - Knoxville, TN

Knox County Public Library - 1792-1985 Knox County Divorce Index

Knox County Public Library - 1901-1950 Knox County Marriage Index

Shelby County Register of Deeds - 1949-2014 Death Records Index 

Tennessee County Clerk - 1951-Present, Knox County Marriage Index

TNGenWeb Project - ​​Knox County, Tennessee

USGenWeb Archives - Knox 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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