Maury County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee   Maury County Middle Tennessee county. Established 1807.





Quick Dates
Maury County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Maury County Courthouse 10 Public Square Columbia, TN 38401 Phone: 1-931-381-3690

Maury County Clerk Marriage records 10 Public Square Columbia, TN 38401 Phone: 1-931-375-5200

Maury County Register of Deeds Land records P.O. Box 769 1 Public Square, Room 108 Columbia, TN 38401 Phone: 1-931-375-2101

Maury County Clerk and Master Probate and court records 41 Public Square Columbia, TN 38401 Phone: 1-931-375-1307

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

History
The county is named after Tennessee Senator Abram Maury of Williamson County.

Parent County
1807--Maury County was created 16 November 1807 from Williamson County. County seat: Columbia

County Pronunciation


Did we get the accent right? If not, contact Nathan W. Murphy, [mailto:murphynw@familysearch.org murphynw@familysearch.org].

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

 * Census loss: 1810, 1890
 * County records are complete.

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Maury County biography, court, and probate records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Maury County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Maury County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * Maury Co. TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * Maury County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Maury county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Putnam County cemeteries

For free lookups of "Maury County Cemetery Listing", click here.

Bible, Family &amp; Tombstone Records : These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Maury County federal population schedules are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide online indexes.

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

1810 - Lost, but substitutes are available, see also Taxation:


 * Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Maury County, Tennessee Wills and Settlements, 1807-1824 and 1820 Census. Unknown: unknown, 1964. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Maury County on pages 156-157.]

Church
Methodist Episcopal

'*Mathews, Reverend John D.D. Peeps into Life Autobiography. Methodist Episcopal Church Tennessee Conference, 1904. Free digital copy.


 * History of Mt. Joy Church [http://www.tngenweb.org/maury/lookupindex.htm Free lookups available!

[1806-1858] History of Zion (Presbyterian) Church. These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLAon Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

• [1825-1926] History of St. Peters Episcopal Church. These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

•[1828-1890] St. Peters Church, Columbia TN, Records. These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

• [1914-1919] St. Peters Church, Columbia TN, Minutes. These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

Court

 * [1808-1809] County Court Minutes, These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLAon Roll 58 of Record Group 107.Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1810-1815] Circuit Court Minute Book, Volume A.These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1817-1821] Circuit Court Minute Book,These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLAon Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1823-1829] Chancery Court Minute Book,These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLAon Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1810-1825] Wills and County Court Minutes, Volume 1 Book B. These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Maury County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Brown] Descendant of Ervin Brown, b. abt 1813 South Carolina, resident of Maury County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 21975). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 12), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Maury, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 70,000 entries.


 * Home Demonstration Clubs. Ancestor Charts: Bicentennial Project of the Home Demonstration Clubs of Maury County, Tennessee. Huntsville, Ala.: Margaret M. Cowart, 1976. FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 D2h.
 * Maury County Historical Society Book Committee. Maury County Tennessee: History &amp; Families, Founded 1807. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 H2mct.

Bibliography


 * [Beasley] Croft, Carol Daun The Beasley family : of John Wesley and his wife Rachel Wantland Tacoma, Washington : C.D. Croft, 2005 FHL book 929.273 B38cc. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Bigham] Bigham, Esther W. Genealogical Collection of Esther Bigham. MSS., microfilmed in 1993. FHL US/CAN Film 1598132 Item 5.
 * [Brady/Bain] Renick, Marjorie Monro Hall and Robert Edward Brady/Bain family history Bend, Oregon : M.A. Renick, 1998 FHL book 929.273 B729re. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Butler] See Ingram
 * [Dooley] Dooley, William Kenneth. The Dooley Family of Maury County, Tennessee: 1746-2000. 2 vols. [Shreveport, La.]: W.K. Dooley, [2001?]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D72dw v. 1-2.
 * [Duncan] Harris, Olive and Joe Cleatus Harris. William Duncan of Scotland, Chatham Co., N.C., Maury and Marshall Counties, Tennessee and His Eleven Known Children and Their Descendants. MSS. FHL US/CAN Book 976.4 D2c.
 * [Ferrell] Ferrell, Ed. Ferrell family records, ca. 1789-1930. Juneau, Alaska: E. Ferrell, 1991.
 * [Good] Hooten, Una Good. A Family History. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983. Item 7
 * [Griggs] Madeira, Pauline and Kim Beauchamp. The Ancestors of Harvey Louis Hardin : with Chapters on the Descendants of Samuel Sanford Hardin, James Pate, David McAlister, William Waddell, Samuel P. Griggs and John Selby. S.l.: Rex H. Madeira, Jr., 1999.
 * [Hardison] Hawkins, Fred Lee and Dorothy Westmoreland Gilliam. Hardison and Allied Families: Especially those of Maury and Marshall Counties of Tennessee. Columbia, Tenn.: F.L. Hawkins, 1992.
 * [Ingram] Bingham, James Barry Descendants of Jonas Ingram and Melinda Butler Baltimore, Maryland : Gateway Press, c1991 FHL book 929.273 In4. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Kennedy] McKennon, Sara Tom Brooks and Deane Kennedy Hendrix. The John Kennedy Ancestors ... n.p.: n.p., 1979?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K383m.
 * [Knight] Garrett, Jill Knight. Knight Cousins. [Columbia, TN: Unknown, 1967. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 928090; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Lendermon] Boswell, Imogene May and Jean Boswell Pippenger. The Ancestors and Descendants of Henry D. Lendermon: Randolph County, North Carolina; Greenville County, South Carolina; Maury County, Tennessee; Carroll County, Tennessee; Marshall County, Mississippi. Carrollton, Texas: I.M. Boswell &amp; J.B. Pippenger, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L546p.
 * [Lindsey] Thorndale, William. Lindseys of Long Marsh Run, now Clarke County, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley: and Lindseys of Little Bigby Creek, Maury County, Tennessee. 1975. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L645tw.
 * [Moss] Moss, T.C. The David Moss Family: Green, Adair, Boyle, Barren, Hart, and Warren Co., Ky.; Williamson and Maury Co., Tenn.; Mississippi. Memphis, Tenn.: T.C. Moss, 1968. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M855mo.
 * [Nelson] Shipp, Bonnie Morrow Some ancestors and some descendants of Wibbie Reams Nelson and John Andrew Franklin Morrow Digital copy available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Payne] John C. Payne, Toney L. Payne, Gale Payne Nagy The big Payne book : a history of the Payne family of Virginia, Western North Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri [S.I.] : J.C. Payne, c2007 FHL book 929.273 P293 pjc. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Robb] Robb, Henrietta Robb-Lanterman family record Salt lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 1977 FHL film 1036565 item 5. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Williams] Yancey, Dennis J. and Nicholas M. Williams. The Yancey Family History Collection: Information Concerning John and Harriett Yancey Williams of Maury Co., Tennessee, Records Obtained from Nicholas M. Williams, Waverly, Iowa. MSS., microfilmed in 1994. FHL US/CAN Film 1598292 Item 1.
 * [Yancey] Yancey, Dennis J. and Nicholas M. Williams. The Yancey Family History Collection: Information Concerning John and Harriett Yancey Williams of Maury Co., Tennessee, Records Obtained from Nicholas M. Williams, Waverly, Iowa. MSS., microfilmed in 1994. FHL US/CAN Film 1598292 Item 1.

Land
Deeds

Maury County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1807 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 769, Columbia, Tennessee 38402-069; Telephone: (931) 375-3690. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.


 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of a general index to deeds 1807-1843; deed books 1808-1881;. land entry books 1820-1919; Surveyor's books 1834-1838; Maury County Land ownership maps 1878 from the Library of Congress.

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina

The original Maury County land entries issued by North Carolina are kept at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. On their website, users can bring up a list of land entries issued in Maury County, both before and after its land became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1778-1815.

Instructions:


 * 1) Follow this link to conduct a "Call Number Search" using the MARS Catalog on their site.
 * 2) Using the pull down window, change "Call Numbers starting" to "A MarsID matching."
 * 3) Type 12.14.11 (Windows Vista users may need to include a period after the last digit, for example 12.14.11.) and click Search. This is the specific MarsID for Maury County.
 * 4) Click on the entry that is returned: "Tennessee, Maury County."
 * 5) In the window that pops up, click Show List of Child Records and a list of Maury County land entries will be produced. Browse to find abstracts of the original records.

N.B. You can also search by name through the Basic Search, but it lacks soundex capabilities.

Law and Legislation

 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. January 25, 2005. [In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service.] TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Maury County, the blue-grass region of Tennessee. Its Agricultural and Mineralogical Resources, including a View of the County seat, the City of Columbia. Her Commerce and Industries, Schools and Churches, Past Development and Future Possibilities. Columbia, Tennessee: Herald Book and Job Rooms, 1884. Free digital copy.
 * Robbins, David Peter. Century Review, 1805-1905, Maury County, Tennessee: A Condensation of the Most Important Events of the Past One Hundred Years, and Descriptive Sketches of the Cities and Villages. Columbia and Mt. Pleasant in Detail. Columbia, Tenn.: Board of Mayor &amp; Aldermen, 1905. Digital version at Ancestry ($); Google Books. 1980 reprint: FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 H2r.
 * Fleming, William Stuart A historical sketch of Maury County read at the centennial celebration in Columbia, Tennessee, July 4th, 1876 Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2007 FHL book 976.859 H2. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

Maps

 * [1878] Map of Maury County, TN. Originally published 1877. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Military
Revolutionary War

The following Maury County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Maury County, Tennessee Soldiers Buried in Zion Cemetery

Additional resources include:


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Maury County on pages 156-157.]
 * Lightfoot, Marise Parrish. Let the Drums Roll: Veterans and Patriots of the Revolutionary War Who Settled in Maury County, Tennessee. [Columbia, Tenn.]: Maury County Historical Society, 1976. FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 D3L.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.]

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Maury County pensioners (p. 22).]
 * Garrett, Jill K. War of 1812 Soldiers of Maury County, Tennessee. Columbia, Tenn.: Jane Knox Chapter, D.A.R., [190-?]. FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 M2g.
 * Maury County, Tennessee War of 1812 Soldiers Buried in Zion Cemetery Courtesy : TNGenWeb

Civil War


 * Garrett, Jill K., Virginia Wood Alexander and Evelyn B. McAnally. Confederate Soldiers and Patriots of Maury County, Tennessee. Columbia, Tenn.: Capt. James Madison Sparkman Chapter, United Daughter of the Confederacy, 1970. FHL US/CAN Book 976.859 M23g.
 * Quintard, Charles Todd. Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Sewanee, Tennessee: The University Press, 1905. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive. Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment.
 * William R. Ray, Lance J. Herdegen, Sherry Murphy Four years with the Iron Brigade:the Civil War journals of William R. Ray Da Capo Press 2002. Free lookups available!
 * Shellengerger, John K. The Battle of Spring Hill, Tennessee, November 29, 1864. Cleveland, Ohio: Arthur H. Clark Co, 1913. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
 * Watkins, Samuel R. "Co. Aytch": Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment, or, a Side Show of the Big Show. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Times Printing Co., 1900. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Spanish American War


 * Hale, Will T.The First Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. Nashville, 1899. Free digital copy.

World War II


 * Alexander, Virginia Wood and Ashton, Margaret D. Maury County remembers World War II Columbia, Tennessee : Maury County Historical Society, c1991. FHL US/CAN book 976.859 H2mc v.1-2 Free lookups available

Newspapers
Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at TSLA. Most of these newspapers may be accessed by interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee, although there are some newspapers which are not available in or outside of Tennessee. For further information regarding interlibrary loan policies and newspapers not available for interlibrary loan click here. For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Maury County click on the following cities:


 * Columbia
 * Mount Pleasant
 * Spring Hill

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Maury County.]

Periodicals
Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:


 * Ansearchin' News
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Maury County, Tennessee records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.
 * Maury County Historical Society Newsletter - Historic Maury
 * The Family History Library has only the current volume. FHL US/CAN V.F. Tennessee See website for further information:http://historicmaury.org/ Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)
 * The Maury Genealogist
 * The Family History Library has Volume 1, no. 1 (Feb. 1972) FHL US/CAN 976.859 B2m
 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Maury County, Tennessee have been published in The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, the quarterly of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society (23+ Vols.). To view a list of these articles, visit their online Index to Articles (1988-2005). Surname indexes are also available online for Vols. 2-22. The website also offers back issues for sale in paper and on CD. The Family History Library has a complete collection of this quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.
 * The River Counties
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Maury County, Tennessee records were published in The River Counties Quarterly, (14 vols.) edited by Jill K. Garrett. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2rc.

Prisons
Learn if your Maury County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.

Private Papers

 * Family Bible of James Harvey Emerson and Rebecca Rutherford Dallis: Colombia, Maury County, Tennessee. Microfilmed in 1963. FHL US/CAN Film 301101 Item 43.
 * Guide to the Jill Knight Garrett Collection, ca. 1800-1969, available online, courtesy: TSLA. [Garrett collected a large amount of material pertaining to families in Maury County and the surrounding area.]

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within a few months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The Maury County Court has responsibility for the probate records.The Maury County Archives holds many records.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Maury County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1806-1815
 * 2) Will Book C: 1823-1824

The following Maury County probate records have been abstracted, indexed, or both:


 * [1807-1824] Garrett, Jill Knight. Maury County, Tennessee Wills and Settlements, 1807-1824 and 1820 Census. Unknown: unknown, 1964. Free online.
 * [1807-1832] Garrett, Jill Knight. Maury County, Tennessee, Will Books A, B, C-1, D and E, 1807-1832. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1984. Indexed. (FHL book 976.859 P2gjk.)
 * [1807-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]
 * [1806-1815] Maury County Will Books Vol. 1-1806-1815. Simmons Historical Publications. Digital version vailable at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1809-1817] Maury County Will Books Vol. 2-1809-1817. Simmons Historical Publications. Digital version vailable at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Maury County Will Book, Volume 3. Simmons Historical Publications. Digital version vailable at World Vital Records ($). [The database at World Vital Records has this labeled as Volume 1 but it is actually Volume 3 and contains records from Will Book B, p. 235 through Will Book C, p. 25.]

Public Records

 * Maury County Road Minutes 1817-1825. Simmons Historical Publications. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

Taxation
The following Maury County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1807-1812] Tax Sales, 1807-12, Historic Maury, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Jun. 2002).
 * [1808] "Maury County Tax List 1808," Historic Maury, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec. 1996):144-146.
 * [1808-1848] [Decription of?] Revenue and Tax Book, 1808-48, Historic Maury, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1971).
 * [1808-1810] "Maury County Tax List 1808-1810," Historic Maury, Vol. 32, Nos. 1 through 4 (March 1996-Dec. 1996).
 * [1808-1810] Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810. [Cites the two Historic Maury publications as sources.]
 * [1808] Tax Roll, 1808, Historic Maury, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Sep. 2001).
 * [1809] Tax Sales, 1809, Historic Maury, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Nov. 1965).
 * [1809] Tax Roll, 1809, Historic Maury, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Dec. 2001).
 * [1810] Tax Roll, 1810, Historic Maury, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Mar. 2002).
 * [1810] "Reconstructing the Maury County Census with Court, Marriage and Tax Records, 1810," Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy &amp; History
 * [1811] Lightfoot, Marise P. "Maury County, Tennessee Taxables for the Year 1811," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 10, No. 2 (April 1963):57-62; Vol. 10, No. 3 (July 1963):125-130; Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1964):29-34; Vol. 11, No. 2 (April 1964):81-84. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1811, 1816] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1811, 1816 tax lists.]
 * [1812] Tax List, 1812, Historic Maury, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1972).
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Maury County.]
 * [1818] Tax List, 1818, Historic Maury, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1972).
 * [1824] William Edmondson's Tax List, 1824, Historic Maury, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Nov. 1965).
 * [1824] Tax List, 1824, River Counties, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan. 1975); Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr. 1975).
 * [1828] Return of Taxable Property and Polls, 1828, Historic Maury, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan. 1966).
 * [1832] Tax List, 1832, River Counties, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1978); Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1978); Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1978); Vol. 7, No. 4 (Nov. 1978).
 * [1836] Tax List, 1836, [25 Districts; Introduction], Historic Maury, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan. 1968); Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr. 1968); Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul. 1968); Vol. 4, No. 4 (Oct. 1968). Historic Maury. Columbia TN: Jan 1968. Vol. 4 Iss. 1
 * [1861] Tax Assessments, Polls and Militia, 1861, Historic Maury, Vol. 29, No. 2 (1993).
 * [1868] Tax List, 1868, Historic Maury, Vol. 18, Nos. 1-4 (1982).
 * [1870] County Tax Assessments, 1870, Described, Historic Maury, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul. 1970).

Birth
See Tennessee Vital Records


 * [1908-1912] Vital Statistics; Births, Deaths, 1908-1912. Manuscript. Nashville, Tennessee: TSLA, 1969.

Marriage
The original Maury County marriage record books are kept at the County Courthouse. The original loose marriage records 1808-1950 are kept a the Maury County Archives. The County Archives has microfilm of the marriage record books.

The following Maury County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1808-1986] Available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Marriages 1808-1867 and marrigae bonds 1808-1838 are available for interlibrary loan.
 * [1807-1950] Tennessee, Justice of the Peace. Maury County, Tennessee, marriage records, 1807-1950. Includes separate bride and groom indexes. Originals housed at the Maury County Archives.
 * [1808-1967] Available at the Family History Library. Each volume is indexed.

The following Maury County marriage records are abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1807-1852] Alexander, Virginia W., Rose H. Priest, and Jill K. Garrett. Maury County, Tennessee marriage records, 1807-1852. S.l. : s.n., 1962, 1963. 2 vols.
 * [1807-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1807-1867] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1808-1852] Whitely, Edythe Rucker Marriages of Maury County, Tennessee, 1808-1852 Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co, 1982. FHL US/CAN book 976.859 V2w Free lookups available!
 * Garrett, Jill K. Maury County, Tennessee newspapers (abstracts) 1810-1844, 1846-1850. Typescript. 2 vols.
 * Maury County, Tennessee Historical Society, comp. Maury County Cousins. Columbia, Tennessee : Maury County Historical Society, 1971. 2 vols.
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Dickson, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.
 * [1806-1870] Marriage Records.
 * [1807-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Maury County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death

 * [1908-1912] Vital statistics; births, deaths, 1908-1912. Manuscript. Nashville, Tennessee: TSLA, 1969.
 * Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at Record Search Pilot at FamilySearch. Name index with extracted death certificate information. Search by surname then browse through the results. You may need to supply variant spellings of the names.

For deaths of Methodists in Maury County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:


 * Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Nashville Christian Advocate. [1847-1914] 10 vols. [Jackson, Tenn.]: J.K.T. Smith, 1997-2003. FHL US/CAN Books 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851 ff; digital versions at David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository. [Website expands upon the publications and includes deaths from the 1830s, 1840s, 1910s and 1920s.]

Bible, Family &amp; Tombstone Records: These records were transcribed and indexed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and published by TSLA on Roll 58 of Record Group 107. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Maury County CDs, which include a digitized version of these records, and a variety of other local records.

Societies and Libraries
Maury County Historical Society P.O. Box 147 Columbia, TN 38402 E-mail: maurycountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Maury County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

Maury County Public Library 211 W. 8th Street Columbia, TN 38401 Phone: 1-931-375-6501 Hours: Mon.-Wed. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Spring Hill Public Library P.O. Box 309 144 Kedron Parkway Spring Hill, TN 37174 Phone: 1-931-486-2932 Fax: 1-931-486-3927 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Family History Centers
Columbia Tennessee 1608 Hampshire Pike Columbia, TN Phone: 1-931-381-3650

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Maury County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Maury County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Maury County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)
 * http://southernroots.wordpress.com/ Southern Roots Blog