Tipton County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Tipton County West Tennessee county. Established 1823.





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

County Courthouse


Tipton County Courthouse 100 Court Square Covington, TN 38019 Phone: 1-901-476-0209

Tipton County Clerk Marriage, probate and court records P.O. Box 528 220 Hwy. 51 N., Suite 2 Covington, TN 38019 Phone: 1-901-476-0207

Tipton County Register of Deeds Land records P.O. Box 626 Room 105 Courthouse 100 Court Square Covington, TN 38019 Phone: 1-901-476-0204

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

History
The county was named after "Jacob Tipton, father of Armistead Blevins, who supervised the organization of Shelby County; Tipton was killed by Native Americans in 1791 in a conflict over the Northwest Territory."

Parent County
1823--Tipton County was established 29 October 1823 from Chickasaw Indian Lands. County seat: Covington

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

 * Lost census: 1890
 * Lack of marriage records: 1823 to 1839

Although these are not burned records, applying strategies used for burned counties may aid in compensating for their loss. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Tipton County biography, tax, and WPA 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: Tipton 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

The Runaway Slave Blog is a free online resource where runaway slaves listed in pre-1865 West Tennessee newspapers are identified. Some of the runaway ads appeared in Tipton County newspapers.

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 Tipton County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


 * Tipton 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 Tipton county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Tipton County cemeteries

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Tipton 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.

1840 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, Western District, Tipton County on page 159.]

1850


 * Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh census of the United States, 1850, Tipton County, Tennessee, free population schedules Searcy, Arkansas : L.E. Presley, 1979 FHL US/CAN book 976.817 X2c 1850

1860


 * Felldin, Jeanne Robey and Tucker, Charlotte Magee 1860 United States census, Tipton County, Tennessee, surname index Tomball, Texas : Genealogical Publications, c1976 FHL US/CAN book 976.8 A1

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Samuel D. 1880 census, Tipton County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler and Associates, 1992 FHL US/CAN book 976.817 X2s

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

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 Tipton, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 15,000 entries.


 * Hayes, Sallie. Tipton County, Tennessee Family Histories &amp; Cemetery Records. n.p.: S. Hayes, 199-. FHL US/CAN Book 976.817 D2h. [Includes information about surnames: Ruffin, Craddock, Hyde, Sasser and Sherman.]
 * Matthews, Paul A. Early Families of the Memphis Area: Profiles of 135 Families of Fayette, Shelby and Tipton Counties in Tennessee, Crittenden County, Arkansas and DeSoto and Marshall Counties in Mississippi: With Historical Time Lines and Photogrpahs of Those Counties. Memphis, Tennessee: Descendants of Early Settlers of Shelby and Adjoining Counties, 2008. FHL US/CAN Book 976 D2m.

Bibliography


 * [Baskerville] Baskerville, P. Hamilton (Patrick Hamilton), 1848 - 1925. Baskerville Family. Richmond : W.M. Ellis Jones' Sons, Inc. 1912. Free digital copy.
 * [Bird] Embry, Iola. Bird History. Typescript. FHL US/CAN Film 2241.
 * [Cox] Bush, Lorena W. They followed the sun: some ancestors and descendants of Zachary Taylor Cox and Elizabeth Jane Hitt. Unknown: unknown, 1979. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C839b; FHL US/CAN Film 1321115 Item 7; digital version at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Cullum] Cullum, David and Ed Cullum. Cullums Synonymous: The Descendants of Reverend Marcus Hiram Collum and Elizabeth Jane Davis (North Carolina--Tennessee--Texas). Dallas, Texas: Cullums Synonymous, 1984. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C898c.
 * [Cullum] Cullum, David and Ed Cullum. Cullums Synonymous [Newsletter]: A Cullum Family Newsletter. Dallas, Texas: Cullums Synonymous, 1984-1994. FHL 929.27305 C898c.
 * [McCain] Lynn, E. Elizabeth. McCain Family Members: From the Waxhaws, Tipton County, Tennessee, and Elsewhere. Montreat, North Carolina: E.E. Lynn, 1984. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M123L.
 * [Mitchell] Goggans, Helen Mitchell, Mavis P. Kelsey and Billie Mitchell Langford. The Mitchell Family of Tipton County, Tennessee: Their Antecedents in Colonial Southside Virginia Including Jones and Bishop and Their Numerous Descendents. Kingsland, Arkansas: H.M. Goggans, A. Mitchell, &amp; B.M. Langford, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M692go.
 * [Pace] Pace, William Carroll and Doris Pace Resner. Pace's, Smith's, Baucom's. 2 vols. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: W.C. Pace, [1990?]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P114p ff.
 * [Pullen] Archibald Pullen Family Bible Records, 1777-1851 and Pedigree Chart, 1762-1923. FHL US/CAN Film 1145775 Item 3.
 * [Trobaugh] Kennedy, Chester C. Konawa, I.T.: Two Pioneer Families, Hammons and Trobaugh. Konawa, Oklahoma: C.C. Kennedy, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184ke.
 * [Wood] Wood, McFarland W. Descendants of Josiah Wood through his son David Wood, Albermarle County, Virginia. [microform]. Hopkinsville, KY: Unknown, 1947. Digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($). One branch of the family went to Tipton County.

Land

 * Tipton County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1824 and is located at the Courthouse, P.O. Box 528, Covington, Tennessee 38019-0528; Telephone: 901-476-0204.Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of deed records 1824-1896 with indexes 1824-1900; land entry books 1820-1870; and land surveys 1821-1903.

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

 * Beasley, Gaylon Neil True Tales of Tipton County, Tennessee The History Press : Charleston, SC 2007. Free lookups available!
 * Williams, Joseph S. Old Times in West Tennessee: Reminiscences, Semi-historic, of Pioneer Life and the Early Emigrant Settlers in the Big Hatchie Country. Memphis, Tenn.: W.G. Cheeney, 1873. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 H2wj 1975. Digital version available through BYU Family History Archives.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1) 1835 Pension Roll
 * 2) 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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, Western District, Tipton County on page 159.]
 * 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. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Tipton County pensioners (p. 97).]

Civil War


 * Lynn, H.M. H.M. Lynn Papers, 1858-1882. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Dept., Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Free digital copy.  9th Tennessee Regiment, Company C.

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 Tipton County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Covington
 * Munford
 * Randolph

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Tipton 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 Tipton 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.
 * Family Findings
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Tipton County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.
 * Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:
 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)
 * Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search to retrieve them.
 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers
 * Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 16 and 30 FHL US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers are indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Prisons
Learn if your Tipton 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.

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 County Court has responsibility for the probate records of Tipton County.

The following Tipton County probate records have been indexed:


 * [1824-1861] 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.]

Taxation
The following Tipton County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1836] Douthat, James L. 1836 Tipton County, Tennessee, Civil Districts and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.817 R4d; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * [1837] Davis, Bettie Brandon. "1836 Map of Tipton County, Tennessee" and "Tipton County, Tennessee 1837 Tax List," Ansearchin' News. Vol. 40, No. 3 (Fall 1993):103-108; Vol. 40, No. 4 (Winter 1993):175-176. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1837] Tax List, 1837. Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (2000).
 * [1837-1838] Tipton County, Tennessee, Tax Rolls 1837-1838. Buffalo, Texas: Four Scribes, 1987. FHL US/CAN Book 976.817 R4t.

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in Tipton County until 1840, a few years after a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

The following Tipton County Courthouse marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1840-1874] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1989. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 1 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1840-1860] Historical Records Project (Tennessee) Marriage records, 1840-1860, Tipton County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940. FHL US/CAN Film 24841 item 1.
 * [1840-1860] Hays, Tony Tipton County, Tennessee, marriages, 1840-1860 [S.I.] : Kitchen Table Press, 1987. FHL US/CAN Book 976.817 V2h
 * [1840-1900,1910-1912,1914-1958] Tipton County, Tennessee County Court Clerk Marriage records (Tipton County, Tennessee), 1840-1900-, 1910-1912, 1914-1958 Nashville, Tennessee : Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1976-1988. FHL US/CAN Film 1010920-24, 1928840-49
 * [1864-1959] Tennessee County Court (Tipton County) Marriage licenses, 1864-1959 and divorce records, 1911-1950 Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1997. FHL US/CAN Film 2073905, 2073913, 2073978, 2074022-23, 2074073-75, 2074126-28, 2074218-20, 2074258 item 1
 * 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 titled Discover Your Ancestors; indicate a surname, marriage "event" and a county name (i.e. Tipton, 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 all counties.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Tipton 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

 * Hays, Tony. West Tennessee Death Records [ca. 1823-1852]. 2 vols. n.p.: Kitchen Table Press, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 976.8 V2ht v. 1-2. [Tipton County is included in Vol. 1]

For deaths of Methodists in Tipton 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.]

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Mailing List: SW-TN-L (Southwest Tennessee List)
 * Mailing List: TNTIPTON-L (Tipton County, Tennessee List)
 * Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List)
 * Mailing List: WESTTN-L (West Tennessee List)
 * Tipton County, TN Genealogy and History (American History and Genealogy Project)
 * Tipton County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Tipton County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Tipton County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Tipton County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Tipton County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)