Tennessee Genealogical Society Blog

Closing out Family History Month

10/31/2019

We hope you have enjoyed this series and learned a little more about researching your Tennessee ancestor. There are so many more topics and resources available than we have touched on here. Some of the topics are explored in more detail in the “Researchin’ Tennessee” series in past issues of Ansearchin’ News; members have access to these articles on-line at the Tennessee Genealogical Society website. These blog entries have sparked ideas for more topics; you’ll see more “Researchin’ Tennessee” posts in the coming months.

Some of the key resources that we lean on, and that were consulted for these blogs include:

Germantown Regional History and Genealogical Center;
Tennessee State Library and Archives;
FamilySearch Wiki;
and two great summary publications – the NGS Research in the State Series for Tennessee by Charles A. Sherrill, and from the Genealogy at a Glance series, Tennessee Genealogy Research by Michael A. Ports.

Special thanks to Sherri Onorati for posting the blog entries and attaching the graphics; to Carla Maitland and Lisa Junkins for sharing the blogs on the Tennessee Genealogical Society FaceBook page; and especially to my fellow researchers, Debra Kienzle and Barbara Hermann, for helping to research and write these posts.
~ Nancy Walczyk, Director of Research

Nashville

10/30/2019

Fire in East Nashville 1916. This photo and more are located at the Metro Archives.

Nashville, in Davidson County, was originally founded as Fort Nashborough about 1779. It became the permanent capital of Tennessee in 1826.

The Metro Archives of Nashville and Davidson County are a major repository and source of Nashville records. Located on the third floor of the Nashville Public Library at 615 Church Street in Nashville, the Metro Archives hold a wealth of information about Nashville, including the records for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, city directories, vital records, cemetery records, wills, court records and manuscript collections. A future blog will discuss the Metro Archives holdings in more detail.

As one of Tennessee’s major cities and the home to state government offices, Nashville began keeping vital records earlier than some other parts of the state. Nashville began recording births in 1881 and deaths in 1874. Indexes and scanned images of this data are available in two Ancestry.com databases, Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 and Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923. These databases are available to Tennessee residents through TEL.

Marriage records in Davidson County date back to 1789. Many of these can be found at the Metro Archives.

Nashville first published a City Directory in 1853. City directories from 1860-1960 are available at Ancestry.com. Hardcopies of the directories from 1853-1997 are available at Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA). The Metro Archives have directories from 1853-1929 on microfilm, and hardcopies from 1929 to 2002.

More information about Nashville/Davidson County genealogy research can be found through the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society, the Davidson County TSLA Fact Sheet and the FamilySearch wiki.

Memphis

10/29/2019

A page from the 1863 Elmwood Cemetery Daily Burial Record. Shelby County Register of Deeds has Elmwood Cemetery Daily Burial Records from 1853-1919, among other records.

Memphis, in Shelby County, was founded in 1819, and is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

As one of Tennessee’s major cities, Memphis began keeping vital records earlier than some other parts of the state. Memphis began recording births in 1874, deaths in 1848, and marriages as early as 1820.

One of the best resources for early vital records for Shelby County is the Shelby County Register of Deeds website. This site contains indexes and/or images for births 1874-1917, deaths 1848-1967, and marriages 1820-2014. The site also contains a state-wide index to Tennessee death records for the years 1949-2014 and many other databases of interest to a genealogist.

The Memphis and Shelby County Room on the fourth floor of the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library has many valuable resources for genealogists, including microfilmed copies of local newspapers, a surname index, and funeral home books.

Memphis published the first City Directory in Tennessee in 1849. City directories from 1855-1960 are available at Ancestry.com. City directories from 1849-1943 are available on the Register of Deeds site. Hardcopies of the directories from 1850-2017 are available at Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) and some are also available at the Memphis Public Library.

In addition to the resources listed above, more information about Memphis/Shelby County history and genealogy research can be found through the West Tennessee Historical Society, the Shelby County TSLA Fact Sheet, and the Shelby County FamilySearch wiki.

Knoxville

10/28/2019

A Brief Account of the Execution of the Six Militia Men - The books, pamphlets, ephemera and maps included in this collection are selected from the rare and fragile print materials held by the library. These items are held in closed library stacks and may be missed by the casual researcher.

Knoxville (Knox County) began as James White’s fort in 1786. The fort became the capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790. Renamed Knoxville in 1791, the city served as the first capital of Tennessee from 1796 to 1812.

As one of Tennessee’s major cities, Knoxville began keeping vital records earlier than some other parts of the state. Knoxville started recording births and deaths in 1881. Indexes and/or scanned images of this data are available in two Ancestry.com databases, Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 and Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923. These databases are available to Tennessee residents through TEL. Marriage records as early as 1792 are available for Knox County. The Knox County Public Library has an excellent set of web pages linking to online vital record databases for Knox County and much of Tennessee.

Knoxville first published a City Directory in 1859. City directories from 1859-1943 are available at Ancestry.com. Hardcopies of the directories from 1859-2018 are available at Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) and the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection located on the 3rd floor of the East Tennessee History Center.

More information about Knoxville/Knox County history and genealogy research can be found through the Knox County Public Library, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, the Knox County TSLA Fact Sheet, FamilySearch wiki, and the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Chattanooga

10/27/2019

Chattanooga (Hamilton County), Tennessee’s fourth largest city, was incorporated in 1839. The area was settled as early as 1816, with the establishment of a trading post, Ross’s Landing, by brothers John and Lewis Ross.

As one of Tennessee’s major cities, Chattanooga began keeping vital records earlier than some other parts of the state. Chattanooga began recording births in 1879 and deaths in 1872. Indexes and/or scanned images of this data are available in two Ancestry.com databases, Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 and Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923. These databases are available to Tennessee residents through TEL.

Marriage records as early as 1857 are available for Hamilton County. The Hamilton County Clerk’s office has a searchable database of these records.

Chattanooga first published a City Directory in 1871. City directories from 1871-1960 are available at Ancestry.com. Hardcopies of the directories from 1871-2018 are available at Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) and the Chattanooga Public Library holdings contain many years as well.

More information about Chattanooga/Hamilton County history and genealogy research can be found through the Hamilton County Tennessee Genealogy Society, the Chattanooga Area Historical Association, the Hamilton County TSLA Fact Sheet, the FamilySearch wiki, Chattanooga History and the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Passports of Southeastern Pioneers

10/26/2019

Another fascinating book at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center is Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823: Indian, Spanish and other Land Passports for Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North and South Carolina by Dorothy Williams Potter. It is shelved in the Regional section under USA/Southeast/Pot.

Before 1824, the Secretary of War was responsible for the Federal government’s relations with the Indian tribes. The department wanted to insure that only “reputable” people, with good intentions, entered the area; thus, the issuance of passports authorizing travel. State Governors, military commanding officers, and those authorized by the President actually issued the passports.

Sometimes a pass only contained the date, the name of the person(s) it was issued to, where they were traveling to and who issued the authorization. Other times, the pass and supporting documentation contained more information about the individual, their family and acquaintances. For example, a passport was issued on 17 Feb 1798 for “Mr. Robert Trimble … to call upon his brother-in-law Thomas Tirchey.” Families travelling together were frequently identified. In one passport issued 18 Mar 1798, a large party travelling down the Holston and Tennessee rivers was identified as including “five negroes;” and the back of the passport included the names of the “Negroes.”

The book is well indexed, easy to consult, and a great resource for tracing early inhabitants of Tennessee.

Tennessee Tidbits

10/25/2019

Shelved in the Tennessee section under “TN Register Fis” at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center are four volumes of Tennessee Tidbits, 1778-1914 compiled by Marjorie Hood Fischer. It is a fascinating collection of items (derived from county court records) showing “birth, death, marriage, divorce, guardianship, naturalization, illegitimacy, lunacy, migration, residency, relationship, adoption, disability, military service, emancipation, tribute, apprenticeship.” The author selected items that she felt would be of genealogical interest; and, in preparing Volume 1, she read “every available record left” after a courthouse fire.

These books may offer you some research “shortcuts” because the information is listed under the individual’s name in alphabetical order, citing the particular county court record in which it was found. Each volume includes records from the specific counties listed in the front of that book. But you might want to check all the volumes, not just the one listing information from your ancestor’s home county, because, in each, there are references to people from other counties.

An example of an interesting entry packed with “tidbits” of information:
“GANTT, Jesse V. – Married before 3 May 1847 to Caroline M. Basey, heir of James T. Basey, deceased, as shown when Jesse came into court and asked to be appointed guardian of Caroline (Har TN, Co Ct Min, D/254).” The parenthetical reference means this entry was from Hardin County, TN County Court Minutes Volume D, page 254.

Using Maps for Genealogical Research

10/24/2019

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee.

Our October 5th post discussed county boundary changes. Not only did county boundaries change, but state lines did too. (Tennessee borders eight states.) Bill Carey, cofounder of Tennessee History for Kids, and writer for The Tennessee Magazine has several excellent articles about these boundary changes and how the lines were drawn. Old maps can be useful in determining what state and county your ancestor lived in, even if they never moved.

Old maps also provide other information that can help a genealogist, from identifying neighbors and locating the closest church, to identifying key transportation routes likes roads, railroads and waterways. One site for historic maps is https://www.davidrumsey.com/. There are over 90,000 maps on this site and a wealth of information. Lisa Louise Cooke has an excellent tutorial on how to use the site.

Another set of maps that provide a wealth of information to the genealogist wanting to learn about their ancestors that lived in a city are the Sanborn Maps. These maps were originally created by the Sanborn Map Company to assess fire risk for insurance purposes. The detailed drawings show building placement on the lot, location of doors in the building, the number of stories and construction material and much more. The Library of Congress currently has 176 of these maps available online for Tennessee and they can be accessed at https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/?fa=location:tennessee.

Civil War Pension Applications

10/23/2019

Tennessee began providing pensions to Confederate veterans in 1891, and to their widows in 1905. The pensions were granted to eligible residents of Tennessee, regardless of where they served. Eligibility included the inability to support themselves, having been honorably separated from service, and having been a resident of the state for at least one year prior to their application. In addition to service information, the application contained the applicant’s place of birth, number and gender of children, and information about their personal and real property. Many people provided more information than just what the application asked for, e.g. the year or date of their birth, not just the location and many application files contain correspondence and affidavits that provide additional detail about the individual’s life. Widows had to provide proof of marriage. Thus, the pension application files are a great source of genealogical information.

These records can be accessed in the “Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965” database at Family Search.

Apprentices: Tennessee's Forgotten Children

10/22/2019

Records on apprentices from 27 East Tennessee counties, dating from pre-statehood years to the early twentieth century, reveal an often poignant story about young people - both boys and girls, white and "of color," who became apprentices. You can begin your research on apprentices in these 27 counties in East Tennessee's Forgotten Children, Apprentices from 1778 to 1911 by Dr. Alan N. Miller.

Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902, the second volume of Tennessee's "forgotten children" contains more than 7,000 apprenticeship records scattered among the minutes of the county courts for Middle Tennessee. Spanning the period from 1784 to 1902 and covers 35 MIddle Tennessee counties: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson, and Wilson.

West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889, also written by Alan N. Miller, is the third and final book in Miller's apprentices' series. This third volume contains over 4,000 apprenticeship records spanning the period from 1821 to 1899 and covers 19 Tennessee counties, including: Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, and Weakley.

Originally, the English system had been designed to teach the professions and crafts; but in the colonies, it developed into a "system whereby children who were or were likely to become indigent could be supported without cost to the local government." Often these children were orphans or a child "whose father had abandoned him or utterly failed and refused to support him."

In the beginning, Tennessee followed the laws of North Carolina: Children were to be taught to read and write and were to be provided with food, clothing and shelter until the male reached the age of 21, the females to 18, unless "mulatto or mustee," in which case the age was 21. These were formal agreements recorded in county court minutes.

Each listing in the series includes the name and age of the apprentice - some as young as two and three-years-old, the date the apprenticeship began, the name of the "master" and notes which might indicate parentage, the fact that the young person was an orphan and / or the occupation the young person was to be trained in.