Cocke County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Cocke County







East Tennessee county in the Great Smoky Mountains region. Established 1797. From 1784 to 1788, this land was claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.

County Courthouse
Cocke County Courthouse 111 Court Ave. Newport, Tennessee 37821 Phone: (423) 623-6176

Cocke County Clerk Marriage records Birth and Death records 1909-1911 and 1928 - 1930 Phone: 423-623-3321

Cocke County Clerk and Master Probate records 360 East Main Street Courthouse Annex Newport, TN 37821 Phone: 423-623-3321

Cocke County Register of Deeds Land records Phone: 423-623-7540

Cocke County Circuit Court Clerk Court records Phone: 423-623-6124

Hours: Mon.- Tues. and Thurs.- Fri. 8 am - 4:30 pm Wednesday 8 am - noon

History


Cocke County is named after Senator William Cocke (1747-1828) of Tennessee.

North Carolina first organized the land that would eventually become Cocke County as part of Washington District in 1776, then as part of Washington County in 1777, and then as part of Greene County in 1783.

In August 1784 delegates of three western North Carolina counties, Washington, Sullivan, and Greene (all now in Tennessee), declared their Independence from North Carolina because of perceived neglect, and misuse by North Carolina’s legislature. By May 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the new State of Franklin. The Franklin statehood request was denied.

In 1789 North Carolina ceded its westernmost counties to the United States which used them to form the Southwest Territory. North Carolina and the Southwest Territory did not recognize Franklin's claims. In 1792 the Southwest Territory using land from its Greene and Hawkins counties erected a new county named Jefferson County.

In 1796 all these lands became part of the new State of Tennessee. In 1797 Tennessee divided off most of the old Greene County portion of the newer Jefferson County to form the new Cocke County.

Parent County
1797--Cocke County was created 9 October 1797 from Jefferson County. Early records may be found in Jefferson County. County seat: Newport

Record Loss
1876 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * The three earliest federal censuses (1800, 1810, and 1820) do not survive.
 * Antebellum deed books have been lost.
 * Pre-1876 wills were destroyed.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Cocke County, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

Cemeteries

 * 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 Cocke County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


 * Cocke County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * Cocke County cemetery information with transcriptions of grave relocations by name of deceased on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Cocke county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Cocke County cemeteries

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Cocke 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, these indexes are often more accurate than those available online.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820 - Lost

1830


 * Fox, George and Juanita Fox. Cocke County, Tennessee Early Lists: 1839 Tax List, 1830-1840 Federal Census. n.p.: G. and J. Fox, 2009. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8895 X2g.
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

1840


 * Fox, George and Juanita Fox. Cocke County, Tennessee Early Lists: 1839 Tax List, 1830-1840 Federal Census. n.p.: G. and J. Fox, 2009. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8895 X2g.

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


 * Hensley, Benny E. Beneath the Oaks at the Foot of Meadow Creek Mountain, Oak Hill, Parrottsville, TN. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8895 D2h.

Bibliography


 * [Denton] Lawson, Fred Raulston. The Lawsons of East Tennessee. Decatur, Ga.: Looking Glass Books, 1999. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L444Lf.
 * [Shultz] Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273R22b 1978. [The Shultz family is discussed in Vol. 2.]
 * [Thomas] Lawson, Fred Raulston. The Lawsons of East Tennessee. Decatur, Ga.: Looking Glass Books, 1999. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L444Lf.
 * [Williams] Dixon, Ben F. American Ancestry of Pryor Williams. San Diego, CA: Privately published, 1959. Available at FHL US/CAN Fiche 6018493; digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
Cocke County's early deed books were destroyed in the Civil War. The Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed surviving Deed Books 1 to 20 (1865-1867, 1872-1902), General Index to Deeds (1872-1902), Trust Deed Books 1 to 3 and 10 (1877-1889, 1899-1902) and Trust Deed Index (1877-1902). Copies of their films are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 956189-956203.

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 Tennessee State Library and Archives 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 Tennessee State Library and Archives; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Maps

 * [1832] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp index. [Includes 1832 map of the 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 Cocke 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.

East Tennessee Roots

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Cocke 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 D25e.

Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Cocke County, Tennessee records were published in the Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter (33 vols., 1977-2007), the journal of the Smoky Mountain Historical Society. Tables of contents for most issues are available online. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has acquired a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.889 B2s, as well as Journal Contents and Index of Names: 1977 thru 1996 FHL US/CAN Book 976.889 B2s index. Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Prisons
Learn if your Cocke County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Probate
Cocke County's early will books were destroyed. The Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed surviving wills covering the date range 1876 to 1913. A copy of their film is also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Film 956185.

Taxation
The Tennessee State Library and Archives has microfilmed the original Cocke County Tax Books 1876-1894 (gaps). Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 956205-956206.

The following Cocke County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1803] Unpaid Taxes -- 1803 (Blount, Cocke, Sevier Cos.), Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 3 (1984). For FHL access, or to purchase back issues, see Periodicals. [Abstract of The Knoxville Gazette, Aug. 8, 1803.]
 * [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 CockeCounty.]
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Cocke County.]
 * [1821, 1827] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1821 and 1827 tax lists.]
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Cocke County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee, Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8895 R4d.
 * [1839] Taxpayers, 1839, East Tennessee Historical Society Publications. Knoxville TN: 1965. Vol. - Iss. 37.
 * [1839] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp index. [Includes 1839 tax list.]
 * [1839] Fox, George and Juanita Fox. Cocke County, Tennessee Early Lists: 1839 Tax List, 1830-1840 Federal Census. n.p.: G. and J. Fox, 2009. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8895 X2g.
 * [1883] Release from Delinquent Taxes, 1883, Tennessee Ancestors. Knoxville TN: Apr 2001. Vol. 17 Iss. 1.

Vital Records
Death

For deaths of Methodists in Cocke 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.]

Societies and Libraries
The Smoky Mountain Historical Society P.O. Box 5078 Sevierville, TN 37864-5078 smhs@SmokyKin.com

Stokely Memorial Library 383 East Broadway Newport, TN 37821 Phone: 423-623-3832 Genealogical Resources: Newspapers, census, vital records, deeds, court records, funeral home records, land, church, tax lists, historical books, cemetery records and more. To see a list of microfilmed material click here.

Web Sites

 * Cocke County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Cocke County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Cocke County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNCOCKE-L (Cocke 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: FRANKLIN-STATE-L (State of Franklin 1784-1788 List)
 * Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest Compiled Genealogies of Local Families