Morgan County, Tennessee Genealogy

Morgan County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Morgan County (established 1817) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Description
The County was named for Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), an American Revolutionary War officer who commanded the troops that defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens, and who later served as a U.S. congressman from Virginia. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

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

County Courthouse


Morgan County Courthouse 415 N. Kingston Street Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-3105

County Clerk has birth records 1908-1912, marriage records from 1862, divorce and probate records, land records from 1818.

Morgan County Clerk Marriage records and Birth records 1908-1912 P.O. Box 301 Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-3480

Morgan County Register of Deeds Land records 415 North Kingston St. Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-3105

Morgan County Clerk and Master Probate records 415 N. Kingston St. Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-3881

Morgan County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 415 N. Kingston St. Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-3503

All of the offices are located on the 1st floor of the courthouse.

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

History


East Tennessee county. Established 1817.

The county is named after Revolutionary War Officer Daniel Morgan (1736-1802).

Parent County
1817--Morgan County was established 15 October 1817 from Roane County. County seat: Wartburg

County Pronunciation

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

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. .

Record Loss
1826, 1870, and 1904  Fires damaged the courthouse records.


 * Lost census: 1820
 * Lost marriage records: 1817 to 1861
 * Lost probate records: 1817 to 1865

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Morgan County biography, cemetery, family Bible, land, and marriage 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: Morgan 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
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
 * Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Putnam County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his Cemetery Maps Catalog$

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Morgan 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 Morgan County,TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810 - 1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

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.

These records have also been abstracted:


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Morgan County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 2 :56. For availability, see Periodicals.

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, Morgan County on page 154.

1850


 * Porch, Deane and Louise Gillespie Lynch. Morgan County, Tennessee 1850 Census. Franklin, Tenn.: Louise G. Lynch, 1973..

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Morgan County is included in Vol. 1.

1860


 * Index to 1860 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..

1870


 * Index to 1870 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..

1880


 * Index to 1880 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Morgan County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1996..

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. . Morgan County is included in Vol. 5.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

Family Histories
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 Morgan, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 15,000 entries.


 * The Heritage of Morgan County, Tennessee, 1817-1999. Tenn.: Morgan County Heritage Book Committee, 1999..

Bibliography


 * Alexander - Gaston, Essie Gladys. The Clift-Penland Family. Unknown: Unknown, 1949. Available at digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($). Mentions the John Alexander family that went from Morgan County, Tennessee to Arkansas.
 * Bowman - Bowman, Charles W. Bowman Genealogy: Fragmentary Annals of a Branch of the Bowman Family: To Which is Appended Data Relating to other Bowmans and the Spencers. Washington, D.C.: Law Reporter Print. Co., 1912. Available at ; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books (full view); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Kindred - Henrick, Ruby Rigor. Thomas Kindred Family History: Albermarle County, Virginia to Morgan County, Tennessee 1776-1986. St. Louis, Missouri: R.R. Henrick, 1986..
 * Laymance - Roberts, Snyder E. A Sketch of Laymance Families of Morgan County, Tennessee. Tenn.: S.E. Roberts, 1985..
 * Ruffner - Roberts, Pauline H. Ruffner Families of Maienfeld, Switzerland and Morgan County, Tennessee. Oliver Springs, Tenn.: P.H. Roberts, 1981. Book: ; Microfilm:.
 * Stinecipher - Roberts, Snyder E. Data Sheets on Stinecipher Families of Morgan &amp; Roane Counties, Tennessee. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: S. Roberts, 1987..

Land
The original Morgan County Deed Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to KZ (1818-1901) and accompanying Indexes (1818-1914). FHL copies:.

Law and Legislation
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.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names.

Local Histories

 * Hughes, Thomas. Rugby, Morgan County, Tennessee, Settlement. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke &amp; Co., Print, 1880. 1975 reprint: . Digital version at Google Books.

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Morgan County Revolutionary War Pension Records
 * Revolutionary War Soldiers of Morgan County

The 1840 Census of Pensioners has been abstracted multiple times:


 * 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, Morgan County on page 154.]
 * Revolutionary &amp; Military Pensioners, 1840, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Spring 1986).

Additional resources include:


 * Local Soldiers, Revolution to Desert Storm, Morgan County Messenger, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1993).
 * Matthias Williams Pension Application, 1832, Morgan County Messenger (Summer 1998).
 * 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.
 * Revolutionary War Pens. Info., Court Minutes,1850-52, Pellissippian, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1981).

War of 1812

 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Morgan County pensioners (p. 49).]

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * USGenWeb Archives, Morgan County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Pensions.
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1891 - 1965 - at FamilySearch — images

Other Resources
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Morgan County. Includes soldier's name, county, pension #, unit or widow.
 * United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883: Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for... (Washington Printing Office; 1883). Online at Internet Archive. Morgan County, page 367.
 * TNGenWeb, Military Links for Morgan County. Scroll down to "Military Records."

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 Morgan County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Oakdale
 * Rugby
 * Sunbright
 * Wartburg

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 Morgan County.
 * Tennesse Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. Coal Mines and Mining--Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: A.B. Travel, 1883. Free digital copy.

Periodicals

 * Morgan County Messenger
 * The Family History Library has Volume 1, no. 2 (Fall 1986) Indexed at PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) Volume 1 (May 1986) - Volume 21 (Spring 2007)

Probate Records
The original Morgan County Wills are kept at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, TSLA microfilmed Wills 1866-1935. FHL copy:. In 1988, TSLA also microfilmed Will Book 2 (1889-1958). FHL copy:.

Online Records


 * 1779 – 2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * Wills, 1866-1958 (3 vols.)
 * Insolvent estate records, 1887-1931 (2 vols.)
 * Inventories, 1887-1947
 * Probate records, 1880-1912
 * Settlements, 1878-1926 (2 vols.)

Taxation
The following Morgan County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1814 - "1814 Roane County, Tennessee Tax List," available online. "Only the tax list for the militia company that included most of the people that became Morgan Countians in 1817 is included here."
 * 1817 - "1817 Roane County, Tennessee Tax List," available online. Includes area that later became Morgan County.
 * 1836, 1848, 1874, 1876 - Morgan County, Tennessee, Tax Lists: Year 1836, 1848, 1874, 1876. n.p.: n.p., n.d..
 * 1836 - "Tax List, 1836," Morgan County Messenger, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Winter 1988).
 * 1836 - "Tax List Excerpt, 1836," Scott County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Summer 1993).
 * 1836 - "Morgan County Tax Records District 1, 1836," available online.
 * 1848 - Thornton, Mrs. Robert E. "Morgan County Tax List - 1848," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1967):23-29. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

Birth

 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1869 - 1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1780 - 2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1780 - 2002 - at FamilySearch.org— index


 * 1790 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * 1796 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $


 * 1862 - 1895 - Morgan County Marriage Index 1862-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.

Death

 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914 - 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images

For deaths of Methodists in Morgan County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 1847-1914 - 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
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Morgan County Genealogical and Historical Society 124 S. Kingston St., P. O. Box 684 Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-5500 (Located in the Archive Building (old jail building) and have an extensive collection of Civil War Pension Records, vertical files, genealogical books, census records, family histories and more.) Open Wed., Thur., Fri., 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Facebook

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

Coalfield Public Library 112 Jerry Jones Rd. P.O. Box 97 Coalfield, TN 37719 Phone: 1-865-435-4275 E-mail coalfieldlibrary@yahoo.com Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs. 12 noon-6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sunbright Public Library 142 Melton Dr. Sunbright, TN 37872 Phone: 1-423-628-2439 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Sat. 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Wartburg Public Library 514 Spring St. Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 1-423-346-2479

Deer Lodge Public Library 110 Corinne Ave. Deer Lodge, TN 37726 Phone: 1-423-965-3029

Petros Public Library 208 West Main St. Petros, TN 37845 Phone: 1-423-324-2825

Oakdale Public Library 212 Queen St. Oakdale, TN 37829 Phone: 1-423-369-2595

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Morgan County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Morgan County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNMORGAN-L (Morgan County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)
 * Morgan County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)