Camden, Tennessee

Courthouse
For additional records, see Benton County.

History
Camden was originally created as a stop between Nashville and Memphis. Upon the creation of Benton County in 1836, it was adopted as the county seat, and officially incorporated as a city in 1838.

Parent County

1836--Camden was adopted as the county seat of Benton County, Tennessee.

Learn more on Genealogytrails.com

Resources
Research Guides
 * 1) Records Fact Sheet for Benton County at the Tennessee State Library and Archives; this contains lists of all the resources kept by the Tennessee State Library and Archives for researching in Benton County.

African American Church
 * 1) The collection in FamilySearch: Tombstone inscriptions from black cemeteries in Benton County, Tennessee contains historical background and various records of black persons from approximately 1867-1980. This collection contains the records that could be found for black persons from various sources as compiled by Jonathan Kennon Thompson. It is available as a book in the Family History Library, and is on microfiche as filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.

Methodist

1. Cowell's Chapel

located: 1681 NATCHEZ TRACE RD, CAMDEN, TN 38320

Information about the pioneer families of this church can be found in the book by Jonathan K T Smith: [Cowell's Chapel in Benton County, Tennessee, and its pioneer families ]

Newspapers
 * 1) The Camden Herald was established in 1869. Selections from the Camden Herald in 1881 and 1 December 1887 can be found on the FamilySearch Catalog on microfilm.
 * 2) The Camden Chronicle was started in 1890. These newspapers can be searched for 1890-1903 on Newspapers.com (paid). Some editions are available on microfilm, including v. 1, no. 1 (25 Apr. 1890)-v. VI, no. 23, whole no. 153 (14 Apr. 1893); and [Vol. 1, no. 1 (1890)-v. 60, no. 33 (30 Dec. 1949) ; 60th year, no. 34 (6 Jan. 1950).]
 * 3) Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith has compiled a book of Selective gleanings from Camden, Tennessee newspapers, 1882-1932 which is available to view as a book or on microfilm at the Family History Library, and there is a digitized version which can be viewed from familysearch.org.

Funeral Homes
 * 1) Records from the Camden Funeral Home for 1930-1933, 1936-1968, 1930-1968 have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah as shown on the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * 2) Records from the Stockdale-Malin Funeral Home for 1932-2001 have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah as shown on the FamilySearch Catalog.

Taxation

How can Tennessee Tax Lists help my research?

The records available for tax lists online vary by county and by year. If an ancestor is not found in a database in a given year, there are explanations for why. Tennessee government did not require the tax lists to be kept permanently, so many have been destroyed. White males over 21 would be listed, and provide an estimation of the property, land, and slaves belonging to the person.
 * 1) Early Tennessee Tax Lists at the Tennessee State Library and Archives; this page contains information that is useful for identifying the microfilmed tax lists that are available for counties in Tennessee.
 * 2) Ancestry.com has a searchable database with the indexes for the Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895 from Tennessee State Library and Archives. (paid)

Websites

 * 1) Ancestry.com, collection of indexed records from Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 2) Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 3) FamilySearch Catalog
 * 4) TN GenWeb Benton County
 * 5) GenealogyTrails Benton County
 * 6) GenealogyInc Benton County
 * 7) Official Benton County Website
 * 8) Benton County, Tennessee Wiki

Books

 * 1) Benton County, by Jonathan K T Smith.
 * 2) History of Tennessee, by Goodspeed Publishing Co.