Hancock County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Hancock County





East Tennessee county established in 1844.

County Courthouse
Hancock County Courthouse 1237 Main Street Sneedville, Tennessee 37869 Phone: 423-733-4341

Hancock County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 418 Harrison Street P.O. Box 201 Sneedville, TN 37869 Phone: 423-733-2519

Hancock County Register of Deeds Land records 1237 Main Street P.O. Box 347 Sneedville, TN 37869 Phone: 423-733-4545

Hancock County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 1237 Main Street P.O. Box 347 Sneedville, TN 37869 Phone: 423-733-2954

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

History


The county is named after Founding Father John Hancock (1737-1793).

Parent County
1844--Hancock County was created 7 January 1844 from Hawkins and Claiborne Counties. County seat: Sneedville

Record Loss
1885, 1930--Fires damaged records

Neighboring Counties

 * Claiborne
 * Grainger
 * Hawkins
 * Lee County, Virginia
 * Scott County, Virginia

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Hancock 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.)

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

Bibliography


 * [Eppes] Johnson, Mary Lou Shoemaker. Family of Edward Eppes of Knox County, Tennessee. Fountain City, TN?: Unknown, 1951. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
The original Hancock County Deed Books are held at the Hancock County Courthouse. The Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Deed Books J through Q (1879-1902) and the Index (1879-1968) in the 1970s. Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 968664-968668.

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.

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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Hancock 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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Hancock 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.

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Hancock County, Tennessee records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001.

Prisons
Learn if your Hancock 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.

Taxation

 * [1880] 1880 Hancock County Tax List, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 1; Vol. 6, No. 2; Vol. 6, No. 3; Vol. 6, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

Societies and Libraries
Hancock County Tennessee Historical &amp; Genealogical Society P O Box 307 Sneedville, Tennessee 37869 Telephone: 423-733-0140 or 423-733-4541

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Hancock County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Hancock County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Hancock County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNHANCOC-L (Hancock County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)