Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy

Moore County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Moore County (established 1871) 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.

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

County Courthouse
Moore County Courthouse Public Square Lynchburg, TN 37352 Phone: 931.759.7028 Register of Deeds has land records. County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has court records.

Records are located at the courthouse. Mailing address is P.O. Box 206, Lynchburg, TN 37352.

Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Closed Thursdays

History
Middle Tennessee county in the Chestnut Ridge region. Established 1871.

The county is named after "Tennessee state legislator William Moore."

Parent County
1871--Moore County was established 14 December 1871 from Lincoln, Franklin, Coffee, and Bedford Counties. County seat: Lynchburg

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Moore County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Moore County Genealogical Records Survey," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Spring 1989). For access, see Periodicals.

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Biographies

 * Douthat, James L. Moore County, Tennessee Biographies. 1887; reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free Surname Index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.
 * Family Biographies from The History of Moore County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census
1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Moore 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.

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


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


 * See Moore County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned census images. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1890 Lost 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. . Pickett County is included in Vol. 6.
 * 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 $

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


 * Doss - Descendant of Samuel H. Doss, b. 1803 Virginia, resident of Shelby and Moore counties, Tennessee; Illinois; and Madison County, Arkansas. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 85939). Genetic signature available online (labeled Sh-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

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 Moore, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 4,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Daniel - Parkes, John Franklin. Descendants of Calaway Daniel. Online at the Montgomery County Genealogy Website.
 * Frost - Frost, Wright Wilson. The Frosts and Related Families of Bedford County, Tennessee. Knoxville, TN: W.W. Frost, c1962. Available at and ; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * Edens - Colsher, Sue M. The Edens Family. Online at the Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy Website. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
 * Felps - Parks, Roy H. The Felps Family. Online at the Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy Website. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
 * Logan - Dietz, Virginia My Logan ancestors from Scotland to Logan, Missouri. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2002. . Digital version available at.
 * Parkes - Parks, Rufus Alonzo. The Parkes Family History, The Parkes Family History 2 and A Statement of M.N. Parkes, Jr. Online at the Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy Website. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
 * Simpson - Miner, Ethel Nerim. Descendants of Rice and Rachael Simpson: of Franklin and Moore Counties, Tennessee. Fountain Hills, Arizona: Four Peaks Enterprise, 1986..

Land

 * Evans, 91 deeds dated 1807-1915 in Moore County, Tennessee placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2009. It is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product to view the maps.

Local Histories

 * Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore counties.Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Free digital copy.

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * Map of 1888 Moore County, Tennessee with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)

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 Moore County pensioners (p. 49).

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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
 * Civil War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Moore County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Moore County:

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Turney's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
 * 17th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
 * 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
 * 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company C.
 * 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Moore County:


 * USGenWeb, Civil War Regiments of Moore County, Tennessee.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Moore County Tennessee Archives. Pensioners on the Roll 1883.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Moore 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. Moore County, page 366-367.

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 Moore County click on the following city:


 * Lynchburg

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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Moore County.

Periodicals

 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Moore 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 (1988-2016). 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.

Probate Records
The Moore County Court and Chancery Court have responsibility for probate records.

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


 * Wills, 1872-1966
 * Bonds, 1872-1966
 * Settlements, 1871-1962 (7 vols.)

Taxation
The following Moore County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1860 - Tax List, 1860, District 1, Moore County Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Jul. 1998).

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

See also Tennessee Vital Records

Birth

 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


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


 * 1881 - 1882 - Moore County Birth Index 1881-1882 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free. Batch.
 * 1881 - 1882 - Moore County Clerk.Vital statistics, births and deaths 1908-1911, births 1881-1882. Manuscript. TSLA, 1967.


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
State Marriage Records


 * 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 $

The original Moore County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. The following Moore County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * 1872 - 1988 - Available at the TSLA.


 * 1872 - 1966 - Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.

The following Moore County marriage records have been indexed:


 * 1872 - 1938 - Moore County Marriage Index 1872-1938 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.


 * 1915 - 1978 - Tennessee, Chancery Court. Chancery Court Records (Moore County, Tennessee)1830-1993; index, 1915-1978. Manuscript. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2007.

Moore County is not included in Sistler's Early Middle Tennessee Marriages.

Death

 * 1908 - 1911 - Moore County Clerk.Vital statistics, births and deaths 1908-1911, births 1881-1882. Manuscript. TSLA, 1967.


 * 1874 - 1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at Record Search Pilot at FamilySearch.org. 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 Moore County (or what became Moore County) between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 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.


 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


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


 * 1914 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Moore County Historical and Genealogical Society P.O. Box 408 Lynchburg, TN 37352 Phone: 1-931-759-7285 E-mail: georgestone@cafes.net Archive located in the basement of the County Building in Lynchburg Hours: Fridays 9 am - 3 pm Phone: 1-931-759-7068 E-mail: moorecountyarchives@yahoo.com

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Moore 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

Moore County Public Library P.O. Box 408 Lynchburg, TN 37352 Phone: 1-931-759-7285 Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues. 1-8 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Chestnut Ridge Cousins Genealogy Records, Surname Exchange, Maps, Obituaries, Photos, History
 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Moore County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Moore County, TN Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Moore County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-CHESTNUTRIDGECOUSINS-L (Chestnut Ridge Region Genealogy List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)
 * Moore County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)