Tennessee Genealogical Society Blog

Revolutionary War Bounty Land

10/8/2019

Although Tennessee is not a federal land state, meaning none of its land was owned by the federal government, some North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans received bounty land in the state. Bounty land is land the federal government set aside as a reward for those who served in the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian Wars.

Modern day Tennessee was once part of western North Carolina. However, in 1784 North Carolina gave the lands back to the United States to create a military reserve. This land was to be used for land grants to North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. North Carolina did not use any of its own land for bounty land grants.

Revolutionary War bounty land grants and warrant records can be found in the major online genealogy databases. Remember, just because a man’s name was on a warrant does not mean he was in the war. Many grants were sold to individuals other than the veteran and there was a lot of cheating in the grant process. It is wise to search a roster of soldiers in the Revolutionary War to verify that the name on a warrant was a veteran. One such list is contained in this digitized book, Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution.

Ancestry.com: North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843

Free State of Scott

10/7/2019

by Barbara Hermann

This bit of information would have startled me awake in my 7th grade Tennessee History class: While doing research on Scott County, I discovered that in 1861, United States Senator Andrew Johnson made a speech in Scott County against secession from the Union. Scott County voters voted against secession. A short time later the county court, by resolution, formed “the Free and Independent State of Scott.” This took place after Tennessee voted to secede in June 1861. Although neither Tennessee nor the United States government ever legally recognized the Free State of Scott, the vote to create it was rescinded in 1986 as part of the statewide Homecoming ’86 celebration. You can read more about it in the Tennessee State Library archives at https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/tri-star-chronicles-scott-county.

Recently, I saw an ad for a movie on Netflix titled “Free State of Jones” and thought it might be fiction relating to Scott County, but it is actually the story of the real Jones County in Mississippi that became an independent state after a Confederacy draft law passed allowing one white male to be exempted from military service for every 20 slaves on a plantation. Poor farmers did not want to “fight a rich man’s war.” It turns out there was also a county in Alabama (Winston) that also chose to become a “free state” instead of joining the Confederacy! You can read more about these three counties in the online encyclopedias for each state.

Burned Counties in Tennessee

10/6/2019

Courthouse fires and other natural disasters caused records held in certain Tennessee counties to be permanently lost. These are termed “burned counties.” For a complete list, visit “Lost Records: Courthouse Fires and Disasters in Tennessee” at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Pictured is the fourth Putnam County Courthouse, taken sometime in 1900, probably not long after its construction was completed. The third court house in the county caught fire and burned on 13 May 1899. Many of the records housed in the court house were destroy.

Here are some tips for research in burned counties:

Create a detailed family group record to use as your guide. Research the family as well as their friends, associates, and neighbors.
Check for relevant records in counties surrounding your burned county.
Look at records held by the state and federal government, such as land grants, censuses, and pension records from wars.
Also check church records, newspapers, as well as published county histories and biographies.

County Boundary Changes

10/5/2019

County boundaries changed frequently in the early years of the state. And continued to change, with Loudon, Monroe, McMinn, Sumner, Macon, Haywood and Tipton all experiencing changes in the second half of the twentieth century. There are several websites, including the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, the TNGenWeb Project and Map of Us, that are excellent resources for tracking boundary changes through time.

In order to locate records, it is critical to know the correct county for the time period you are searching. One of our clients was looking for an ancestor from Hillsdale, TN. Today, Hillsdale is in Macon County; but when her ancestor lived there, the area was part of Smith County. Knowing that, we were able to find the information she was looking for.

Know Your County History

10/4/2019

When you begin to research an early Tennessee ancestor, it is very important to take time to learn about the history of the area. Which county was the area in when your ancestors were there? Who were the first settlers; what drew them to the area and why? What was the predominant religion? This information can provide clues for not only finding your ancestors, but understanding potential migration paths.

Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee From the Earliest Time to the Present, (1887) including its Early Explorations and Pre-historic Races, also its Aboriginal and Pioneer Annals, which includes county histories for 82 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, is one source for early historical information. It provides a nineteenth century perspective along with information on early settlers and settlement locations, and the significant geographical features, climate, crops and roads that influenced settlement. The county histories also discuss the growth of churches, schools, businesses and county government.

Other sources for county history information include the Tennessee County History Series published by the Memphis State University Press in the 1980’s, books published by county historical societies, and county websites. TSLA has two very useful resources: the Bibliography of Local History Sources and the County Genealogical “Fact Sheets."

Before Statehood in 1796

10/3/2019

Before Tennessee statehood in 1796, parts of Tennessee were located in present day North Carolina. For example, in 1775, Washington District, North Carolina was formed from land around the Watauga, Holston, and Nolachucky Rivers. This later became part of Washington County, Tennessee. Davidson County, North Carolina was formed in 1783 from the Cumberland District and later became part of Davidson County, Tennessee.

Keep in mind when doing research that some persons born before Tennessee became a state may report their birthplace as North Carolina rather than Tennessee.

Maps from mapofus.org

Tennessee State Library and Archives

10/2/2019

This world-class facility will blend the necessity of historic preservation with the ever-increasing demand for digital access. - Secretary Tre Hargett,

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), located in Nashville, will soon be opened in its new 165,000 square foot facility on Bicentennial Mall at the intersection of Sixth Avenue N and Jefferson Street. Scheduled to be opened Fall 2019, the new building will ensure Tennessee's history will be preserved for generations.

"This world-class facility will blend the necessity of historic preservation with the ever-increasing demand for digital access. I applaud Gov. Haslam and the entire General Assembly for making this a reality so we can better serve Tennesseans,” Tennessee State Secretary of State Tre Hargett said during the facility's ground breaking ceremony.

TSLA will be referenced frequently in this month’s blog posts. They have a wealth of information available to the genealogy researcher. Some of the information is online at https://sos.tn.gov/tsla, and some of it is just a phone call, email, chat or visit away. One resource that is still growing is the Genealogy Index Search. This index searches across many of the databases at the archives and identifies available records.

In addition, TSLA has partnered with Ancestry to provide Tennessee residents free access to a number of Tennessee specific databases. These databases can be accessed through the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL).

Celebrate Family History Month with TNGS

10/1/2019

October is Family History Month, and to celebrate, we will post a Tennessee genealogy research tip each day this month. The series will culminate on October 26th with a presentation at TNGS by Nancy Walczyk, Director of Research, on Tennessee Research (a part of our State Research Series.) This month's blogs reflect the experience of our volunteer researchers.

TNGS does research for individuals on a Tennessee ancestor as a fundraising project for the Society. More information about that project can be found on our website at https://tngs.org/Research-Requests.

Family History builds bridges between the generations of our families

DNA for Newbies

4/11/2018

If you've considered taking a DNA test but you're not exactly sure which one to get or even what you can learn from them, then this two-part series lecture is for you!

Join us on Thursday, May 3 at 12pm at the Tennessee Genealogical Society, 7779 Poplar Pike in Germantown, when Debbie Atchley presents DNA Part 1 - Which test do I need to order? She will discuss the difference between the three main types of DNA tests used and which ones each of the four major DNA companies use.

Part 1 of the DNA series will answer basic questions for those new to the science of DNA, such as which company uses which test, how to choose the correct test to answer your particular genealogical questions, and how DNA is carried through the generations.

The Part 1 workshop will not cover analyzing or comparing DNA, chromosome browsers, GEDMATCH, or any other DNA analysis. These topics will be covered in DNA Part 2, which will be held on Saturday, July 28. That registration will be made available soon.

Click here to register for DNA Part 1 - Which test for I need to order. The lecture is FREE for members and $5 for non-members.

Click here to join the Tennessee Genealogical Society and receive all lectures given by TNGS for free or at a discounted price in addition to other fabulous benefits!

The Importance of Newspapers... More Than Just for Obits!

3/1/2018

Newspapers have been used to record information around the world since the 17th century and the importance of newspapers in genealogical research should not be underestimated. They have long been a trusted source for familial obits or birth announcements, but did you know there is so much more you can learn from them? For many genealogy researchers, newspapers are virtually an untapped treasure trove of genealogical information just waiting to be discovered!

Join us on Tuesday evening, March 13th at 7pm at the Tennessee Genealogical Society as Joe Burns presents a very informative lecture on how to find success with historical newspapers and learn the art of gleaning important genealogical information from the archives of newsprint. Listen as he breaks down the six most important steps to successfully complete any research task – answering WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW – as they apply to newspapers and what you can learn once you do!

Joe will also share his thoughts on which websites he considers to be great resources for historical newspaper research. You don't want to miss this lecture! As always, the lecture is free for TNGS members and $5 for guests. Seating is limited so please register now to reserve your spot!

Newspaper Research presented by Joe Burns on Tuesday, March 13th, 7-8:30pm at the TN Genealogical Society office located at 7779 Poplar Pike, Germantown, TN.