Step-by-Step Tennessee Research, 1850-1910

Tennessee Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research, 1880-present Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Tennessee Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.



Death Indexes

 * Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923
 * Tennessee, Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955 ($)
 * Index only.
 * Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958 Index and images ($), also at MyHeritage, ($), index
 * Index and images.
 * Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912.
 * Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1933.
 * Index only. Also at MyHeritage, index and images ($)
 * TVA Cultural Resources, Cemeteries Relocated by TVA, index
 * Online Tennessee Death Records &amp; Indexes

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Tennessee Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

 * Online Tennessee Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * GenealogyBuff Obituaries
 * ObitsArchive.com - Tennessee ($)
 * ObituariesHelp.org - Tennessee Newspaper Obituaries Listings
 * The Obituary Link Page - Tennessee Obituary Links
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Online Tennessee Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Tennessee Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * Findagrave.com Tennessee Cemetery Records
 * Billiongraves.com Tennessee Cemeteries
 * USGenWeb Tennessee Tombstone Transcription Project.
 * TVA Cultural Resources, Cemeteries Relocated by TVA, index
 * Tennessee Valley Cemetery Relocation Files, 1933-1990, ($), index
 * I Dream of Genealogy Tennessee Cemeteries
 * Tennessee Cemetery Records
 * Tennessee Cemetery Records

For more information, see Tennessee Obituaries and Tennessee Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.''' Example of a county birth index entry. Example of an indexed county marriage entry.

Online Records
Births

Marriages

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Tennessee Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Tennessee, see How to Find Tennessee Birth Records, How to Find Tennessee Marriage Records, and How to Find Tennessee Death Records.