Jefferson County Genealogical Sources
at the Tennessee State Library & Archives

Census Records:

• Microfilm records for 1830-1920 include Jefferson County.
• They are indexed in statewide census indexes for 1830-1870 and microfilm indexes for 1880 and 1900-1920.
• Records for 1840, 1850, and *1880 are also in book form.

Selected County Histories:

• *Bent Twigs in Jefferson County (Bible, 1991)
• Heritage (Jefferson County Bicentennial Committee, 1976)
• *Guide to Genealogical Research in Jefferson County (McNamara)
• Jefferson County, TN, Families and History 1792-1996 (Jefferson County Historical Society)
• *Goodspeed's (1887).

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources:  Jefferson County.  The items in the bibliography may not all be available at TSLA.

Published Local Records:

• Marriages 1792-1870 (d'Armand)
• Marriages 1797-1836 (Whitley)
• Marriage Records 1792-1829 (Jefferson County Genealogical Society, 1996)
• Wills 1792-1826 (Douthat)
• *County Court Minutes 1792-1795 (Douthat)
• *Cemetery Records (Templin)
• *Land Deeds 1792-1814 (Holdaway)
• *Death Records 1914-1925 (Wiefering)
• Grant Book 1792-1794 (Douthat)
• *Wills 1826-1833 (Prevost)
• *Wills 1833-1848 (Prevost)
• Wills 1811-1826 (Douthat)
• *Miscellaneous Bonds (McNamara)
• List of Free White Males 1861 (McNamara)
• Ration Book Three 1943:  WWII Index to Registrants (Jefferson County Genealogical Society, 1996)
• County Boundary and Civil Districts 1792-1998 (Jefferson County Archives, 1998)
• Civil War Claims 1868 (Jefferson County Historical Society, 1998)
• *WPA typescripts include:
  • Deed index 1792-1846
  • Wills 1792-1844
  • Guardian report 1805-1832
  • Court order book 1801-1807
  • County court minutes 1792-1831
  • Circuit court minutes 1810-1831
  • Chancery court minutes 1836-1846

Local Records Microfilm:

• An inventory of microfilmed county records is available for purchase.
• Individual reels may also be purchased.
• Earliest records include:
  • county court minutes, marriages, wills and settlements from 1792
  • settlement of estates from 1891
  • deeds from 1846
• The following are available on interlibrary loan:
  • marriages 1792-1881 (1 reel)
  • wills 1792-1826 (1 reel)
  • wills 1826-1845 and 1891-1921 (1 reel)
  • wills 1792-1876 (1 reel)

Newspapers:

Newspapers were published in Dandridge and Jefferson City.  Scattered early issues are available from 1854, and a complete run begins in 1965.  Microfilms are provided to Tennessee libraries on interlibrary loan.  Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased.

Selected Manuscript Material:

• *Confederate Veterans Association of Upper East Tennessee (#167, 1 reel)
• *Reuel B. Pritchett collection (#544, 1 reel)
• *Westminster and St. Paul's Presbyterian Church records (#162, 174, 2 reels)
• *White Pine Presbyterian Church records (#177, 1 reel)
• *Hopewell Presbyterian Church records (#672, 1 reel)

*Indicates this title may be borrowed on Interlibrary loan.

Questions? Contact TSLA by e-mail at referenc@mail.state.tn.us