1838 Tipton County Tax List
Tax lists are another great census substitute, especially for the early years of Tennessee statehood. White males, age 21 and older, paid an annual poll tax for the privilege of voting. Thus, tax lists provide proof of residence and establish a minimum age. They are also useful in identifying spelling variants of surnames. Some tax lists include information on acreage or other assets, providing information on the person’s financial circumstances. Some tax lists also indicate if the individual owned slaves.
Tax lists are compiled by civil districts, so they can be used to track the movements of an individual both within a county and between counties. Cathy L’Altrelli has an article in Ansearchin News, Vol 66 No 1 2019, entitled “Asbells, Intermarried Families & Neighbors: Migration from Lawrence Co., TN in the 1830’s”, that is an excellent example of using tax lists to trace family migration. James L. Douthat has also published a series 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists, by county, that includes the 1835 law establishing the civil districts, a description of the layout of the districts in the county (along with a map), and tax lists by districts for the years 1836 – 1839, where available.
Ancestry.com has a database containing many of the Tennessee tax lists: “Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895.” This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL
Tax lists are compiled by civil districts, so they can be used to track the movements of an individual both within a county and between counties. Cathy L’Altrelli has an article in Ansearchin News, Vol 66 No 1 2019, entitled “Asbells, Intermarried Families & Neighbors: Migration from Lawrence Co., TN in the 1830’s”, that is an excellent example of using tax lists to trace family migration. James L. Douthat has also published a series 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists, by county, that includes the 1835 law establishing the civil districts, a description of the layout of the districts in the county (along with a map), and tax lists by districts for the years 1836 – 1839, where available.
Ancestry.com has a database containing many of the Tennessee tax lists: “Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895.” This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL
