Tennessee Census

United States   Tennessee    Census

Online Tennessee indexes and images

 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)


 * Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Tennessee, click here

Microfilm images

 * 1890 Veterans United States Census Office. 11th Census, 1890. Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0123. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1948 (Family History Library films ). Some Confederate veterans are included.
 * 1857 Agricultural. Marshall County, Tennessee Agricultural schedule, 1857. Nashville, Tennessee: State Library and Archives (Family History Library film ). This record is arranged by districts within Marshall County and then alphabetically by surname.

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Tennessee, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
Tennessee took censuses in the years between the federal censuses. The dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.


 * 1787-1791 McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (Family History Library films item 4: parts 1 and 2;  item 3: part 3).
 * 1770-1790 Fulcher, Richard C. 1770–1790 Census of the Cumberland Settlements: Davidson, Sumner and Tennessee Counties (in what is now Tennessee). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1987. (Family History Library book .) Also Ancestry.com $.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Tennessee censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types

Research guides
The Tennessee State Library and Archives offers three free online census guides:


 * Making the Best Use of Tennessee Census Index Books, 1820-1840
 * Making the Best Use of Tennessee Census Index Books, 1850-1880
 * Making the Best Use of Tennessee Census Index Books, 1880-1930

See the Tennessee Archives and Libraries article for facilities with regional collections which might include census records.