Greene County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Greene County East Tennessee county established in 1783. From 1784 to 1788, this land was claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.







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

County Courthouse
Greene County Courthouse 101 South Main St. Greeneville, TN 37743 Phone: 1-423-798-1708

Greene County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 204 North Cutler St., Suite 200 Greeneville, TN 37745 Phone: 1-423-798-1708

Greene County Register of Deeds Land records 204 North Cutler St., Suite 215 Greeneville, TN 37745 Phone: 1-423-798-1726

Greene County Clerk and Master Court records 101 South Main St. Greeneville, TN 37743 Phone: 1-423-798-1742

Hours: Mon.- Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

History


The county is named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786).

Greene County was created in 1783 by the North Carolina legislature from Washington County. In 1784 Greene joined two neighboring counties in declaring their independence from North Carolina. In 1785 these counties applied for admission to the United States as the State of Franklin. The request was denied and hope for Franklin statehood faded by 1789. In 1789, when North Carolina was admitted to the United States, she ceded her westernmost counties including Greene County to the United States. The United States turned these counties into the Southwest Territory. In 1792 the Southwest Territory created Jefferson County partly out of Greene County. 1796 all the land in these Southwest Territory counties became part of the new State of Tennessee.

Parent County
1783--Greene County was created 18 April 1783 from Washington County. County seat: Greeneville

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (female)

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 censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1890
 * Many pre-1800 marriage bonds and licenses are lost; only a fraction of those issued in 1815 survive
 * Lost probate: 1783 to 1800

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

Biographies

 * Crockett, David. Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas. (New York : Wm. H. Graham, Tribune Buildings, 1848. Free digital copy.

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

Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Greene County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.

The Tennessee Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online resources:

Published Greene County cemetery records:


 * Works Progress Administration. Greene County, Tennessee Tombstone Inscriptions. Washington, D.C.: WPA Records, 1935. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Greene County 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.

See Greene County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1790- Lost, only statistics survive, but substitutes are available, see Taxation and:


 * Eakle, Arlene. Tennessee Research. 2010. Purchase information at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog. [Includes a reconstructed 1790 census, sources: "Contemporary lists–tax lists, militia rolls, land grants and deeds, claims for pre-emption lands, names recorded in diaries and journals. And numerous histories compiled by local historians from records that we have not seen or read ourselves."]
 * Jackson, Ronald Vern. Ohio, 1790, Volume Two. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1986. . [Includes "Territory Southwest of the River Ohio," i.e. East Tennessee. ]
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990..

1800 - Lost

1810 - Lost, but a substitute is available:


 * 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..

1820 - Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.

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. ; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Greene County on page 152.]

1880


 * Sistler, Byron. 1880 Census Greene County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1993..

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. . [Greene County is included in Vol. 7.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1920


 * Godwin, William. 1920 Greene County, Tennessee Census Index: Includes Heads of Households and Persons Whose Surnames Differ from Those of Heads of Household. Greeneville, Tenn.: Greene County Genealogical Society, 2002..

Church

 * Greene County Bank. Faith of Our Fathers. Greeneville, Tenn.: n.p., n.d. . [Includes photographs of 21 Greene County churches with short histories.]

Quaker


 * Records of Births, Deaths and Marriages from Monthly Meeting of Friends, New Hope, Green County, Tennessee: Notes of Mildred S. Grimsley in Possession of the Las Vegas Nevada Family History Center. Las Vegas, Nev.: Las Vegas Nevada Family History Center, 1989..

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


 * [Brown] Multiple descendants of Benjamin Brown, b. 1807 Greene County, Tennessee, d. 1881 Fulton County, Indiana. Y-DNA 25 Marker Tests, FTDNA (Kits 22271, 35699). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 27), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study.
 * [Brown] Multiple descendants of Jotham Brown, b. 1783 prob. Botetourt County, Virginia, d. 1859 Greene County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Tests, FTDNA (Kits 20597, 40665, 40836, 41839, 41841, 72264, 155288). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 34), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study.
 * [Brown] Descendant of Peter Brown, b. abt 1793 Ayrshire, Scotland, d. 1837 Greene County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 12 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 43434). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 20), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
 * [Brown] Descendant of Brown family of Greene County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 30190). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 44), 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

Gordon Aronhime (1911-1983) collected information on hundreds of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee pioneers. His note cards, which reference more than 4,000 early settlers of the Holston-Clinch River area and East Tennessee (1770s-1790s), are held at the Library of Virginia. The cards have been digitized and made available online.

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Greene, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 150,000 entries!


 * East Tennessee Historical Society. First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early Settlers and Their Present-day Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 2000. . [Identifies families that had settled in Tennessee before it achieved statehood in 1796.]
 * Greene County History Book Committee. Historic Greene County, Tennessee and Its People 1783-1992. Waynesville, N.C.: Don Mills, 1992. and Index:.
 * Hensley, Benny E. Beneath the Oaks at the Foot of Meadow Creek Mountain, Oak Hill, Parrottsville, TN..
 * McAmis, Edward Crawford. Tennessee's First Settlers &amp; Soldiers. St. Leonard, Md.: E.C. McAmis, 2000..

Bibliography


 * [Alexander] Peterson, Ruth S. Descendants of Captain William Alexander and Elizabeth King of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Guilford and Randolph Counties, North Carolina, Greene County, Tennessee. Detroit, Mich.: Louisa St. Clair Chapter, D.A.R., 1951-1952..
 * [Alexander] Peterson, Ruth S. and Daughters of the American Revolution. Louisa St. Clair Chapter (Detroit, Mich.). Additional Descendants of the Alexanders of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Guilford and Randolph Counties, North Carolina, Greene County, Tennessee: Supplement to "Descendants of Captain William Alexander and Elizabeth King of Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, Guilford and Randolph Counties, N.C., Greene Co., Tennessee," 1952. Detroit, Mich.: Louisa St. Clair Chapter, D.A.R., 1961..
 * [Austin] Austin Family Records. MSS.,.
 * [Ayres] Ayres, Lilah Kate. Some Descendants of Samuel Oren Ayres of Virginia and Greene County, Tennessee. Midway, Tennessee: I.K. Ayres, 1991. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Bailey] Wood, Eugene L. Some Descendants of Thomas Bailey and Elizabeth Weems of Greene County, Tennessee. Albuquerque, N.M.: E.L. Wood, 1981..
 * [Bewley] Bewley, S. Jack. Descendants of George Anthony Bewley. 1982..
 * [Bigham] Bigham, Esther W. Genealogical Collection of Esther Bigham. MSS., microfilmed in 1993. FHL US/CAN Film 1598134 Item 4. [Nathanial Bigham family of Grene County, Tennessee (sic)]
 * [Borders] Borders, William S. The Borders Families. Cullman, Ala.: W.S. Borders, 1989..
 * [Bowman] MacDonald, Helen Lay. Jacob and Elizabeth (Keller) Bowman, Their Descendants. Hayden Lake, Idaho: H.L. MacDonald &amp; G.R. Bowman, 1981..
 * [Britton] Jobe, Sybil Shipley. From Out of the Past Rode All of These Brittons: A Genealogical History of the William Britton, Sr. Family of Greene County, TN. Neosho, Mo.: S.S. Jobe, 1986..
 * [Burd] Burd, Maurice L. Missouri Burds. 2 vols. Jefferson City, Missouri: M.L. Burd, 1984-1997. ff; digital version Part 1: BYU Family History Archives and Part 2: BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Carter] The Carters of Green County, Tennessee - Written 1893. MSS., microfilmed in 1974..
 * [Carter] Carter, John Denton. The Carters of Greene County, Tennessee: An Early American Frontier Family. Biloxi, Mississippi: J.D. Carter, 1981..
 * [Carter] Schnegelberger, Elizabeth Carter. Family History of Levi Carter Descendants and Allied Families--- Cassel, Glendenning, Stewart, Cummins/Harvey, Clelland, Van Metre... Mound City, Mo.: E.C. Schnegelberger, 1991..
 * [Clark] MacDonald, Helen Lay. The Family of Walter Clark and Elizabeth Bowman. Hayden Lake, Idaho: H.L. MacDonald, 1985..
 * [Cotter] Miller, Vinita Carter. Cotters, Ireland to America. Springfield, Mo.: G.B. Carter, 1984, 1990..
 * [Creamer] Brenneman, Yvonne Neimeister. Abstracts, Revolutionary War Pension Application Files, Including Bounty Land Warrant Applications, Relating to Persons of the Surname Cramer. Typescript (carbon copy, 27 leaves) at the National Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D.C..
 * [Crouch] Crouch, L.M. (Mrs.) Crouch Family Genealogical Data, 1787-1977. Typescript..
 * [Crowder] Crowder, Roy E. The Crowders in Moultrie County, Illinois. Microfilmed in 1967:.
 * [Dunn] Lansford, Delores Caylor. Dunn Family History. [Florida?]: D.C. Lansford, c1992, 1993..
 * [Dyche] Cunningham, Mary Jo. Dyche Trails and Tales with Histories of the O'Malley, Curtis, and Still Families..
 * [Ellenburg] Sauls, Blanche Ellenburg and Diana Smith Chesser. An Ellenburg Family History. [Tennessee]: D.S. Chesser, 1988..
 * [Ellis] Scott, Betty Ellis. The Ancestors and Descendants of John Charles Ellis and Alcinda B. Glaze: A Genealogical Study. Gig Harbor, Washington: B.E. Scott, 1996..
 * [Frazier] Nelson, Virginia Knight. Samuel Frazier, a Whig of 1776, One of the Framers of Tennessee's Constitution, 1796, First State Senator from Greene County, Tennessee, 1796-1801, His Wife, Rebecca Julian, and Their Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: Nelson, 1978..
 * [Frazier] Myrick, Kent Davis. Descendants of John C. Frazier of Greene County, Tennessee. Phoenix: K.D. Myrick, 1991..
 * [Gable] Mueting, Elizabeth Weddle. Descendants of Barnabas (1770) &amp; Elizabeth (1780) (Cohen) Gable. 1984..
 * [Goforth] Andreasen, Marget E. Descendants of William K. Goforth. Renton, Wash.: Marget E. Andreasen, 1998. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Gragg] Gragg, H.L. and Bernice Gragg. Descendants of Malcom Thomas Alexander Gragg. Urich, Missouri: H.L. &amp; B. Gragg, 1985?.
 * [Hallmark] Wilson, Barnett. The Wilson, Hallmark, Hendricks, Hewitt Families. [Fort Payne, Ala.]: B.F. Wilson, [19--]..
 * [Hampton] Mellen, Diana L. Yesterday: The Hampton, McCracken, Longwith, Mabry &amp; Wells Families. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1991..
 * [Harpine] Harpine, Jacob William. Philip Harpine and Catherine, and Their Descendants. Staunton, VA: McClure Print Co., 1952. Available at FHL US/CAN Fiche 6047350; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Havins] Havins-Havens Association. The History of the De[s]cendants of John and Mary Henderson Havins. 5th ed. San Antonio, Tex.: Havins-Havens Assoc., 1963..
 * [Henderson] Harper, Norma Hiser. Hidden Hendersons of Greene and Cocke Counties, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Harper, 1979..
 * [Henegar] Allen, Lucie H. A Sketch of the Life of Henry Benton Henegar and His Wife Margaret Lea Henegar: Their Antecedents and Posterity. Dayton, Tenn.: L. Allen, 1931..
 * [Hixson] Anonymous. Hixson oe [sic] Tennessee. Chattanooga, TN: Lookout Pub. Co., 1940. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H642h; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Holt] Click, Lillie Duckworth. Some Ancestors and Descendants of Della Holt and George Edward Duckworth. [Burleson, Tex.]: L.D. Click, 1994..
 * [Hubbs] Hart, Ruth Gibbs and Karen L. Cooper. Descendants of John Hubbs 1763-1991, and Allied Families: Terrells, Grants, Floyds, Mackey and Warfields. Evansville, Ind.: Evansville Bindery, 1991..
 * [Johnson] Whitt, J.B. and Aileen M. Whitt. Whitt-Johnson Family History: Ancestors and Descendants of Estill V. Whitt &amp; Sara Ann Johnson Whitt: With Related Families, Bailey, Barker, Bishop, Blevins, Boggs, Copenhaver, Harkrader, Holbrook, Ison, Leedy, Lester, Lyon/s, Nickell, Perry, Pride, Rader, Redwine, Repa. New Richmond, Ohio: J.B. Whitt, 1988..
 * [Kennedy] Webb, Margaret Vance. Daniel Kennedy of Greene County, Tennessee, 1750-1802: 'Father of Greene County, Tennessee', Ancestry and Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: M.V. Webb, 1992..
 * [Kilgore] Lansford, Delores Caylor. Kilgore Family History. [Florida?]: D.C. Lansford, 1992..
 * [Kindel] Dalbey, Eudora M.M. Kindel. Dalbey--Kindel Family Papers, ca. 1841-1911.
 * [King] King, Elijah S. The Descendants of Edward King of Sullivan County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: Lawson McGhee Library, 1938..
 * [Kiser] Bridgforth, William Adams. The Family and Descendants of Alford Douglas Kiser. Johnson City, Tenn.: W.A. Bridgforth, 1995..
 * [Lawson] Lawson, Fred Raulston. The Lawsons of East Tennessee. Decatur, Ga.: Looking Glass Books, 1999..
 * [Ledgerwood] Riggins, Stephen and Eithel Riggins. Country Lilacs. Toronto, Ontario: S. Riggins, 1983..
 * [Loyd] Lloyd, Gary G. Some Early Lloyd (Loyd) Families of New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Kirksville, Mo.: G.G. Lloyd, 1997..
 * [MacMurtrie] McMurtry, Richard K. MacMurtrie Clan Family Records, 2005 Publication. .
 * [McGill] Bates, Lucille M. Walter McGill, Preacher and Penman. San Antonio, Tex.: Naylor, 1971..
 * [McKeehan] McKeehan, Wallace C. The McKeehan Story. [Bellaire, Tex.]: W. McKeehan, [1995]..
 * [Milligan] Brock, Charles H. Milligan Family of Greene County, Tennessee and Harrison County, Missouri. Typescript..
 * [Millsaps] Millsaps Records [ca. 1719-1864]..
 * [Ottinger] Ottinger, Charles Love and Marie Matthews Ottinger. From Affoltern to Atlanta: The Story of One Branch of the Ottinger Family Tree. Tennessee: C.L. Ottinger, 1992..
 * [Park] Patrignani, Ruth Duncan. Park Family of Greene and Cocke Counties, Tennessee. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2000..
 * [Parsons] Bishop, Rachel Parsons Flynn. The Parsons Family of Natural Bridge, Virginia. Moneta, Va.: R.P. Bishop, 1987..
 * [Paulsell] Paulsell, Otis D. Paulsell Family Bible Records Transcript, 1837-1970, and Paulsell Cemetery Records Transcript, 1798-1975..
 * [Pickering] Simmons, Paul V. The Pickering Descendants. Lakewood, Colo.: P.V. Simmons?, 1993..
 * [Powell] Creech, Lillian Broughton, Fredwyn Creech Schwendeman and Sharon Creech Roark. Pioneer Profiles: Powell, Sargent/Sergent, Durham, Creech and Related Families of Kentucky. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 2005..
 * [Pratt] Hurley, William Neal. Pratt Families of Virginia and Associated Families: Primarily the Descendants of Oliver Pratt, 1784-1832. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1996..
 * [Pratt] Pratt, Floyd Thomas. Henry Pratt Family of Greene County, Tennessee. Bradenton, Florida: Pratt Publications, 2003..
 * [Pruitt] Prewitt, Richard A. William Pruitt, Sr &amp; Mary Martin, Their Descendants. Des Moines, [Iowa]: R.A. Prewitt, 1996. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Rainey] Hoskins, Marcelle Erline Douglass. David D. Rainey: Some Family Trails. Richardson, Tex.: M.D. Hoskins, 1990..
 * [Rankin] Nelson, Selden. Rankin Family of East Tennessee. Library of Virginia. Genealogical Notes [Collection], Box 10, Ran..
 * [Reagan] Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. . [The Reagan family is discussed in Vol. 1.]
 * [Reaves] Reaves, Timothy O. The Reaves Family Tree. Greenville, Tenn.: T.O. Reaves, 1983..
 * [Rice] Calhoun, William Gunn. The Rice Family, 1680 to 1973: Thomas Rice, David Rice, John Holt Rice. Washington College, TN: Pioneer Printers, a Student Industry of Washington College Academy, 1973. Available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Robertson] Keith, Arthur Leslie. Descendants of Thomas Robertson, 1744-1833. 1933..
 * [Robertson] Keith, Arthur Leslie and Nadine English Watson. English - Robertson Families in America. Laguna Park, Tex.: N.E. Watson, 1981?..
 * [Rudder] Shockey, Amanda Rudder Taylor. Our Rudder Family. Camden, Ohio: A. Shockey, 1993..
 * [Rudder] Shockey, Amanda Rudder Taylor. Rudder &amp; Relatives. Camden, Ohio: A. Shockey, 1993..
 * [Seaton] Scoudan, Fern Orr. Seaton-Roberts: A Pedigree. Cardiff by-the-Sea, Calif.: F.O. Scoudan, [2000?]..
 * [Shields] Webb, Margaret Vance. Joseph Shields of Washington County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: M.V. Webb, 1994..
 * [Simmons] Simmons, Paul V. The Descendants of Elkano Simmons and Nancy Jane Pierce Simmons. Lakewood, Colo.: P.V. Simmons, 1993..
 * [Smith] Moore, Linn Vincent and Lorene Thompson Moore. The Smith Family Newsletter (James Emerson Smith): and Adjoining Families. Newsletter. Sanger, Calif.: L.V. Moore, 1982..
 * [Susong] Lamons, Margaret A. Susong Family. 1960..
 * [Susong] Carey, Henrie Polk Bowen and Hazel Harvey Caruthers. Susong Genealogy (of Virginia &amp; Tennessee). 1960 Typescript..
 * [Toole] Craig, Joe Mason and Mary Marcie Craig. John Toole, Ruth Ann Rankin, and Their Descendants. Oceanside, California: J.M. &amp; M. Craig, 1984. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Trimble] Elam, Lena Mae and Clint Ronald Jordan. Walter &amp; Rosannah Trimble &amp; Their Descendants. 2 vols. Lynnwood, Washington: C.R. Jordan, [1987?]. ff.
 * [Weems] Carter, John Denton. Rhoda Munsey Weems Carter, a Pioneer Methodist Mother of the Upper South. Biloxi, Miss.: J.D. Carter, 1977..
 * [Welty] John Welty, Rev. War Soldier, Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 18, No. 1 (May 2002).
 * [West] Lawson, Fred Raulston. The Lawsons of East Tennessee. Decatur, Ga.: Looking Glass Books, 1999..
 * [Williams] King, James F. The Benjamin Williams Family of Greene County, Tennessee: A History, Compiled from Public Records, Private Papers, and Family Tradition. Gray, Tenn.: J.F. King, 1982..
 * [Willis] Willis, David W. Henry Willis of Long Island. 4 vols. San Diego, Calif.: D.W. WIllis, 2008-2009. ff.
 * [Wills] Neal, Carl B. The Wills Family of Johnson County, Tennessee. Olympia, Washington: [J. Kvatum?], 1960..
 * [Woolsey] Hubbs, Ferol Frost. Hubbs - Frost and Allied Families. 1958. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H862hf.
 * [Woolsey] Young, Marjorie Lewis. Our Woolsey Family. Grand Prairie, Tex.: M.L. Young, 1994..
 * [Wright] White, Richard E. Andrew Wright's Pedigree (1791-1865) Through My Grand-daughter (1977): Allied Lines -- Hunter, White, Clark, Billings, Waddle, Brooks, DeShaze, Cornwall, Kiefer, Daugherty, Dunnica, Couch, Hagan and Welty. Rawlins, Wyoming: R.E. White, 1985..

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 11 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Greeneville and Greene County.

Land
Deeds

The TSLA microfilmed the original Greene County Deed Books 1 to 50 (1785-1887) and Indexes (1785-1931). Copies of their films are also available at the Family History Library:.

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


 * 1) Deed Book 1: 1785-1793
 * 2) Deed Book 2: 1785-1797
 * 3) Deed Book 3: 1787-1797
 * 4) Deed Book 4: 1790-1802

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina

The original Greene 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 Greene County, both before and after it became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1778-1803.

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 12.14.6 (Windows Vista users may need to include a period after the last digit, for example 12.14.6.) and click Search. This is the specific MarsID for Greene County.
 * 4) Click on the entry that is returned: "Tennessee, Greene County."
 * 5) In the window that pops up, click Show List of Child Records and a list of Greene 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.

Published abstracts:


 * Burgner, Goldene Fillers and Betty Goff Cook Cartwright. North Carolina Land Grants in Tennessee, 1778-1791. [Greenville, S.C.]: Southern Historical Press, 1981..
 * Burgner, Goldene Fillers. North Carolina Land Grants Recorded in Greene County, Tennessee. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981..

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.] The 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 the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Brandon, Connie B. Step Back in Time to Laurel Gap / Baileyton: (Late 1700s through Early 1900s) in Greene County, Tennessee. Greenville, Tenn.: C. Brandon, 2005..

Maps

 * [1783] Reeves, Charles A. Davidson &amp; Greene Counties [Tennessee] - Created in 1783. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Military
Indian Wars


 * Service against Chickamaugas, 1790 Claims, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Dec. 1989).

Revolutionary War

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Greene County, Tennessee Revolutionary War Pension Files

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Greene County on page 152.]
 * 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. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at journal website. [Includes Greene County pensioners (p. 65)]
 * War of 1812 Pensioners and Widows, 1869-79, Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Nov. 1990). For access, see Periodicals.
 * Capt. Robert Maloney Company - War of 1812 Courtesy: TNGenWeb

Civil War


 * Carter, William Randolph. History of the First regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry in the Great war of the Rebellion, with the Armies of the Ohio and Cumberland, Under Generals Morgan, Rosecrans, Thomas, Stanley and Wilson. Knoxville, Tennessee: Gaut-Ogden Co. Printers, 1902. Free digital copy. Union.

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 Greene County click on the following town:


 * Greeneville

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. . Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Greene 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 records of Greene County, Tennessee 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
 * The Blount Journal
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Greene County, Tennessee records have been published in The Blount Journal, the publication of the Blount County Genealogical and Historical Society. Began in 1985, still in print. Tables of contents are available online. Purchase back issues through the society. The Family History Library has acquired most volumes.
 * East Tennessee Roots
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Greene County, Tennessee records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots.
 * The Greene County Pioneer
 * The Greene County Pioneer. 25+ vols. Limestone, Tenn.: Greene County History and Genealogical Society, 1986-present. ff.
 * The Pellissippian
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Greene County, Tennessee records were published in the The Pellissippian (25 vols., 1980-2004), the quarterly of the Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society. The society has posted tables of contents for all 25 volumes on their website. They also have back issues available for purchase. The Family History Library has acquired the first 20 volumes.
 * Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Greene County, Tennessee records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002).

Prisons
Learn if your Greene County ancestors went to prison!


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

Private Papers

 * [Stephens] Stephens Bible. [Tex.]: Texas DAR, Genealogical Records Committee, 1998. . ["This Bible was owned by A. Stephens, Jr.; S. L. Stephens in 1848; and S. S. Stephens in 1862 of Greene Co., Tennessee..."]

Probate
TSLA microfilmed the original Greene County Will Books 1 to 5 (1828-1931). FHL copies:.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Greene County probate 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: 1780-1828
 * 2) Will Books A-F: 1780-1883
 * 3) Will Books G-M: 1780-1883
 * 4) Will Books N-Z: 1780-1883

The following Greene County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1780-1883] Strictly By Name (see above).
 * [1783-1890] Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Greene County, Tennessee, Wills, 1783-1890. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981..
 * [1783-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . [Includes an index to this county's probate records.] Free Lookups Available!

Taxation
The original Greene County Tax Books (1809-1892) are held at the County Courthouse. Microfilmed by TSLA; FHL copies:.

The original Greene County Tax Records (1828-1832) are held at the County Courthouse. Microfilmed by TSLA in 1960s; FHL copy:.

The following Greene County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1783] Tax List, 1783, Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine. Washington DC: Apr 1919. Vol. 53 Iss. 4.
 * [1783, 1805] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index . [Includes 1783 and 1805 tax lists.]
 * [1783] Tax List, 1783, Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Sep. 1985); Vol. 1, No. 3 (Dec. 1985).
 * [1783, 1805, 1812] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. [Includes 1783, 1805, 1812 tax lists.]
 * [1783] "First Tax List for Greene County, 1783," The Blount Journal, (Nov. 1988). For FHL access, or to purchase back issues, see Periodicals.
 * [1783] Tax List, 1783, A-F, Pellissippian, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct. 1988).
 * [1785] Tax List, 1785, Greene County Pioneer. Greeneville TN: May 1991. Vol. 7 Iss. 2.
 * [1785-1800] Tax Lists, 1785, Greene County Pioneer. Vol. 9, No. 2 (Nov. 1993), Vol. 10, No. 1 (May 1994). For FHL access, see Periodicals.
 * [1787-1792] Tax Lists, 1787-92, Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Feb. 1989).
 * [1788] Taxable Property in State of Franklin, 1788, Genealogist's Post. Danboro PA: Jan 1965. Vol. 2 Iss. 1.
 * [1788, 1789] Clerk's Taxes, 1788, 1789, North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal. Raleigh NC: Nov 1992. Vol. 18 Iss. 4
 * [1796] Tax List, 1796, Greene County Pioneer. Greeneville TN: Jun 1987. Vol. 3 Iss. 2.
 * [1796] Taxables, 1796, Greene County Pioneer. Greeneville TN: May 1989. Vol. 5 Iss. 2.
 * [1797] Taxables, 1797, Greene County Pioneer. Greeneville TN: Aug 1989. Vol. 5 Iss. 3.
 * [1798] Taxables, 1798, Green County Pioneer, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Nov. 1989); Vol. 6, No. 1 (Feb. 1990).
 * [1799] Tax List, 1799, Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Aug. 1990).
 * [1805] "1805 Enumeration, Greene County, Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter 1981):159-163. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. Free digital versions at Sevier County, Tennessee, Genealogy &amp; History website and Jefferson County, Tennessee, Genealogy &amp; History website.
 * [1805, 1812] Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. . [Includes 1805 and 1812 tax lists.]
 * [1805] Tax List, 1805, Wagoner Genealogist. Wagoner OK: Mar 1988. Vol. 8 Iss. 1.
 * [1809] Standefer, Jewel B. "Petitioners of Green County, Tennessee, Asking for Reduction in Taxes, Etc., 1809," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 11, No. 3 (July 1964):121-124. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1809-1817] Historical Records Project (Tennessee). Tax Books, 1809-1817, Greene County, Tennessee. Typescript, Nashville, Tenn..
 * [1809-1817] Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Greene County Tax Digests, 1809-1817. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1986..
 * [1809-1817] 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. . [Cites Burgner's tax digests as source.]
 * [1809] "Tax List - 1809 Greene Co., Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Source: TSLA Microfilm.]
 * [1814] "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Green(e) County.]
 * [1814-1816] Direct Tax, 1814-16, Greene County Pioneer. Greeneville TN: May 1996. Vol. 12 Iss. 1.
 * [1825] "Greene County Property Sold in 1825 for Unpaid Federal Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Winter 1996):187. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1830] Houston, Sandra Kelton. Greene County, Tennessee Guardians and Orphans Court Records, 1783-1870 and 1830 Tax List. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1984..
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Greene County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee Civil District and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * Tax Reduction Petitioners, Ansearchin' News. Memphis TN: Jul 1964. Vol. 11 Iss. 3.

The Greene Co., Tennessee GenWeb site includes abstracts of tax payers by the surnames Brown and Willis.

Marriage
The original Greene County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1965, Soderberg provided the following description: "Few bonds exist for the earliest years and almost no licenses were returned or kept until after 1800. Some years show heavy losses. There is but one bond and twenty-six licenses for the year 1815. Bonds for the last part of the year 1818 have been misplaced since this compilation was started. These had been copied, however, and only the final rechecking was lost." Two organizations have microfilmed these records since the time of Soderberg's remarks:


 * 1) Marriages 1780-1960. Microfilmed in 1970s and 1980s by TSLA; FHL copies:.
 * 2) Marriage Records 1780-1981. Microfilmed between 2005 and 2008 by the Genealogical Society of Utah: ff.

Greene County's marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed several times. According to editors' introductions, each publication focused specifically on Greene County followed similar abstraction guidelines, while the regional and statewide indexes abstracted fewer details. If the 1818 marriages were lost in 1965 as Soderberg reports, and never found, later publications might omit them. The following is a list of these publications and the years they cover:


 * [1780-1837] Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). Greene County, Tennessee Marriage License &amp; Bonds, 1780-1837. 1937; reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, [199-?]. . [Abstracts names of brides, grooms, perhaps bondsmen, and officiators, as well as a date associated with the marriage; W.P.A. workers assigned each document a number; includes W.P.A. index.]
 * [1783-1818] Soderberg, Gertrude L. and Pollyanna Creekmore. Tennessee Marriage Records, Volume 3, Greene County, Volume 1, 1783-1818: Being Transcriptions from the Original Bonds and Licenses at the County Courthouse, Greeneville. Knoxville, Tenn.: Clinchdale Press, 1965. . [Abstracts names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, and officiators, dates of bond, license, and/or marriage, as well as W.P.A. reference numbers and "All information of possible genealogical value," such as distinctions for men of the same name, and signatures by marks. Source: original bonds and licenses at the courthouse.]
 * [1783-1820] Peterson, Mrs. Z.R. Greene County, Tennessee Early Marriage Bonds 1783-1820. Typescript, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Ind., 1968. . [Abstracts names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, and a date associated with each marriage. Miscataloged as a cemetery record on FHLC (14 July 2010), correction requested same day.]
 * [1783-1868] Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Greene County, Tennessee Marriages, 1783-1868. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. . [Abstracts names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, and officiators, as well as dates of bond, license, and/or marriage. Source: original licenses and bonds at the courthouse.]
 * [1783-1870] 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. 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.]
 * [1783-1868] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1987. . [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.] Free Lookups Available!

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Greene 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. 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.]

Societies and Libraries
Greene County Genealogical Society T. Elmer Cox Historical and Genealogical Library 229 N. Main St. Greeneville, TN 37745

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay Street P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, TN 37901-1629 Phone: 1-865-215-8824 E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Greeneville-Greene County Library 210 N. Main St. Greeneville, TN 37745-3816 Phone: 1-423-638-5034 Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tues., Wed. and Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mosheim Public Library 730 Main St. Mosheim, TN 37818-0611 Phone: 1-423-422-7937 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Fri. 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

Web Sites

 * (FamilySearch)
 * Greene County, TN (American History and Genealogy Project)
 * Greene County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Greene County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Greene County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNGREENE-L (Greene County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: UPPEREASTTN-L (Upper East Tennessee List)