Tennessee Counties and Historical Facts
Tennessee County records vary widely from county to county in both quality and quantity. Some have been carefully preserved while others have been much abused and neglected. Some Tennessee records have simply disappeared.
For genealogists doing research in Tennessee there is no effective replace for an on-site search of county courthouse records.
Tennessee County Records
The register of deeds office holds Tennessee deed records. Court and probate records can be found in the county court.
However, Davidson County and Shelby County have separate courts for circuit court and probate issues. Most records can be found at the county seat, but not all records have survived for each county.
See also a list of
links to county and county seat government run websites. List of Tennessee Extinct Counties
counties that no longer exist because they were discontinued, renamed or merged with another county.
A lot of these counties were established and disbanded within the 19th century;
county borders have changed very little since 1900.
These are important for genealogy research purposes. Pay attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was eliminated or joined with some other county.
See the History of Tennessee Counties for more details.
List of Tennessee Counties with Burned Courthouses
The damage to courthouses greatly has a bearing on genealogists in every way.
Not only are these historic structures torn from our lifetimes, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others.
Once destroyed they’re lost forever. Although they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too.
all records were damaged or lost in some counties. Bedford County Courthouse – 1830 (tornado), 1863 & 1934 (fires) Bledsoe County Courthouse – 1908 – (fire) Blount County Courthouse – 1879 & 1906 (fires) Cannon County Courthouse – 1934 (fire) Carroll County Courthouse – 1931 (fire) Carter County Courthouse – 1933 (fire) Chester County Courthouse – 1910 (fire) Claiborne County Courthouse – 1863 & 1931 (fires) Cocke County Courthouse – 1876 (fire) Coffee County Courthouse – 1870 (fire) Cumberland County Courthouse – 1905 (fire) Davidson County Courthouse – 1856 (fire) Decatur County Courthouse – 1869 & 1927 (fires) Dickson County Courthouse – 1830 (tornado) Dyer County Courthouse – 1864 (fire) Fayette County Courthouse – 1925 (fire) Fentress County Courthouse – 1905 (fire) Gibson??? County Courthouse – 1941 (fire) Gile County Courthouses – 1813, 1857 & 1907 (fires) Grainger County Courthouse – 1946 (fire) Grundy County Courthouse – 1853 & 1990 (fires) Hamilton County Courthouse – 1910 (fire) Hancock County Courthouse – 1885 & 1930 (fires) Hardeman County Courthouse – 1864 (fire) Hardin County Courthouse – 1859, 1864 & 1949 (fire) Hawkins County Courthouse – 1863 (fire) Henderson County Courthouse – 1896 (fire) Hickman County Courthouse – 1864 (fire) Humphreys County Courthouse – 1876 & 1898 (fires) James County Courthouse – fires in 1890 and 1913 caused extensive record loss. Jackson County Courthouse – 1872 & 1926 (fires) Lauderdale County Courthouse – 1869 (fire) McMinn County Courthouse – 1964 (fire) McNairy County Courthouse – 1881 (fire) Macon County Courthouse – 1860 & 1901 & 1932 (fires) Marion County Courthouse – 1922 (fire) Marshall County Courthouse – 1872 & 1927 (fires) Meigs County Courthouse – 1904 & 1964 (fire) Monroe County Courthouse – 1820s (fire) 1860 (razed/Civil War) Montgomery County Courthouse – 1878 & 1900 (fires) 1999 (tornado) Morgan County Courthouse – 1826 & 1870 & 1904 (fires) Obion County Courthouse – 1842 (earthquake) Overton County Courthouse – 1865 (fire) Perry County Courthouse – 1863 & 1928 (fires) Pickett County Courthouse – 1934 – (fire) Polk County Courthouse – 1895 & 1935??? (fires) Putnam County Courthouse – 1860s (burned/Civil War) 1898 (fires) Rhea County Courthouse – 1869 & 1927 (fires) Rutherford County Courthouse – 1832 (tornado) Scott County Courthouse – 1946 (fire) Sevier County Courthouse – 1856 (fire) Stewart County Courthouse – 1862 (fire/Federal troops) Sullivan County Courthouse – 1863 (fire) Trousdale County Courthouse – 1900 & 1904 (fires) Union County Courthouse – 1870s & 1969 (fires) Warren County Courthouse – 1852? (fire)? Washington County Courthouse – 1839 (fire) Wayne County Courthouse – 1973 (fire) Weakley County Courthouse – 1948 (fire) Wilson County Courthouse – 1881 (fire)
List of Tennessee Counties
County Date Formed Parent County County Seat Anderson 1801 Knox and Grainger Counties Clinton Bedford 1807 Rutherford County Shelbyville Benton 1835 Humphreys County Camden Bledsoe 1807 Roane County and Indian lands Pikeville Blount 1795 Knox County Maryville Bradley 1836 Indian lands Cleveland Campbell 1806 Anderson and Claiborne counties Jacksboro Cannon 1836 Rutherford, Smith and Warren counties Woodbury Carroll 1821 Indian lands Huntingdon Carter 1796 Washington County Elizabethton Cheatham 1856 Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery and Robertson counties Ashland City Chester 1879 Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy and Madison counties Henderson Claiborne 1801 Grainger and Hawkins counties Tazewell Clay 1870 Jackson and Overton counties Celina Cocke 1797 Jefferson County Newport Coffee 1836 Bedford, Warren and Franklin counties Manchester Crockett 1871 Haywood, Madison, Dyer and Gibson counties Alamo Cumberland 1855 White, Bledsoe, Rhea, Morgan, Fentress and Putnam counties Crossville Davidson 1783 Part ofÃ‚ North Carolina Nashville Dekalb 1845 Perry County Decaturville Decatur 1837 Franklin, Cannon, Jackson and White counties Smithville Dickson 1803 Montgomery and Robertson counties Charlotte Dyer 1823 Indian lands Dyersburg Fayette 1824 Indian lands Somerville Fentress 1823 Morgan, Overton and White counties Jamestown Franklin 1807 Rutherford County and Indian lands Winchester Gibson 1823 Indian lands Trenton Giles 1809 Indian lands Pulaski Grainger 1796 Hawkins and Knox counties Rutledge Greene 1783 Washington County Greeneville Grundy 1844 Coffee, Warren and Franklin counties Altamont Hamblen 1870 Jefferson, Grainger and Greene counties Morristown Hamilton 1819 Rhea County and Indian lands Chattanooga Hancock 1844 Hawkins and Claiborne counties Sneedville Hardeman 1823 Hardin County and Indian lands Bolivar Hardin 1819 Indian lands Savannah Hawkins 1787 Sullivan County Rogersville Haywood 1823 Indian lands Brownsville Henderson 1821 Indian lands Lexington Henry 1821 Indian lands Paris Hickman 1807 Dickson County Centerville Houston 1871 Dickson, Humphreys, Montgomery and Stewart counties Erin Humphreys 1809 Stewart County Waverly Jackson 1801 Smith County and Indian lands Gainesboro Jefferson 1792 Greene and Hawkins counties Dandridge Johnson 1836 Carter County Mountain City Knox 1792 Greene and Hawkins counties Knoxville Lake 1870 Obion County Tiptonville Lauderdale 1835 Haywood, Dyer and Tipton counties Ripley Lawrence 1817 Hickman County and Indian lands Lawrenceburg Lewis 1843 Hickman, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne counties Hohenwald Lincoln 1809 Bedford County Fayetteville Loudon 1870 Roane, Monroe, Blount and McMinn counties Loudon Macon 1842 Smith and Sumner counties Lafayette Madison 1821 Indian lands Jackson Marion 1817 Indian lands Jasper Marshall 1836 Giles, Bedford, Lincoln and Maury counties Lewisburg Maury 1807 Williamson County and Indian lands Columbia McMinn 1819 Indian lands Athens McNairy 1823 Hardin County Selmer Meigs 1836 Rhea County Decatur Ã‚ Monroe 1819 Indian lands Madisonville Montgomery 1796 Tennessee County Clarksville Moore 1871 Bedford, Lincoln and Franklin counties Lynchburg Morgan 1817 Anderson and Roane counties Wartburg Obion 1823 Indian lands Union City Overton 1806 Jackson County and Indian lands Livingston Perry 1819 Humphreys and Hickman counties Linden Pickett 1879 Fentress and Overton counties Byrdstown Polk 1839 McMinn and Bradley counties Benton Putnam 1842 Fentress, Jackson, Smith, White and Overton counties Cookeville Rhea 1807 Roane County Dayton Roane 1801 Knox County and Indian lands Kingston Robertson 1796 TennesseeÃ‚ and Sumner counties Springfield Rutherford 1803 Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties Murfreesboro Scott 1849 Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties Huntsville Sequatchie 1857 Hamilton, Marion and Warren counties Dunlap Sevier 1794 Jefferson County Sevierville Shelby 1819 ChickasawÃ‚ Nation lands acquired through the Jackson Purchase Memphis Smith 1799 Sumner County and Indian lands Carthage Stewart 1803 Montgomery County Dover Sullivan 1779 Washington County Blountville Sumner 1786 Davidson County Gallatin Tipton 1823 Shelby County (previouslyÃ‚ ChickasawÃ‚ lands Covington Trousdale 1870 Wilson, Macon, Smith and Sumner counties Hartsville Unicoi 1875 Washington and Carter County Erwin Union 1850 Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson and Knox counties Maynardville Van Buren 1840 Warren and White counties Spencer Warren 1807 White, Jackson, Smith counties and Indian lands McMinnville Washington 1777 Part ofÃ‚ North Carolina Jonesborough Wayne 1817 Hickman County Waynesboro Weakley 1823 Indian lands Dresden White 1806 Jackson and Smith counties Sparta Wilson 1799 Sumner County Lebanon Williamson 1799 Davidson County Franklin