Meigs County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Meigs County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Meigs County was named for Colonel Return J. Meigs, who operated a federal Indian agency across the river in Rhea County until 1817. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Meigs County Courthouse Main Street P O Box 218 Decatur, TN 37322 County Courthouse Phone: 423-334-5747

Meigs County Clerk 17214 State Highway 58 N. Decatur, TN 37322 County Clerk Phone: 423-334-5747 County Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 423-334-5821

Meigs County Register of Deeds P.O. Box 246 Decatur, TN 37322 County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-334-5228

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1836. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information East Tennessee county. Established 1836.

The county is named after Revolutionary War hero and Indian Agent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_J._Meigs,_Sr. Return Jonathan Meigs] (1740-1823).

Bible Records

 * Wallis - Billings, W.P. Joseph William "Barlow" Wallis Family Bible (Records, ca. 1854-1925). MSS..

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Meigs County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Meigs 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 familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide online indexes.

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

See Meigs, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810-1891


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

1840


 * Broyles, Bettye J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. 1980..

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Meigs County on page 154.

1850


 * Broyles, Bettye J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. 1980..
 * Broyles, Bettye J. Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900. 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8836 X2b. Includes 1850 census.
 * Maddux, Agnes. Tennessee Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850, Meigs County. n.p.: n.p., n.d..

1860


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900. 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8836 X2b. Includes 1860 census.

1870


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900. 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8836 X2b. Includes 1870 census.

1880


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900. 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8836 X2b. Includes 1880 census.
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Meigs County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry — index $

1900


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900. 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8836 X2b. Includes 1900 census.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * Rhea county Historical and Genealogical Society (Spring City, Tennessee) and Bettye J. Broyles Meigs County, Tennessee County Court minute book 1, 1836-1841; town of Decatur commission minutes, 1836-1840; Trustees book of claims, 1836- 1845; Strays taken up by ranger, 1836-1845; Decatur, Tennessee: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1992. Free lookups available!

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 TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Genealogies
General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Meigs, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 10,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Blackwell - Saylor, Ronald. The Blackwell Researcher's Newsletter. Grass Valley, Calif.: J. Saylor, 1998-..
 * Carter - Ross, Ernest Lafayette and William C. Carter. John Andrew Hickman, John Carter, Lewis Carter: Some Ancestors and Descendents. Cleveland, Tenn.: E.L. Ross &amp; W.C. Carter, 1979..
 * Lillard - Lillard, Jasper Worth. The Lillard Collection. MSS..
 * Qualls - Curtis, John T. and Grace Curtis. Qualls Cousins: Families and Descendants of Nathan Qualls Sr. of Meigs County, Tn. Tularosa, N.M.: J. Curtis, 1992..
 * Rhinehart - Ferris, Dixie Rhinehart Calder. Caswell Rhinehart Family Journal, 1844 to 1997. Cary, N.C.: D.R.C. Ferris, 1997..
 * Rothwell - Fischer, Myra Smith. A Rothwell Book: Comprising the Descendants of Claiborne Rothwell of Albemarle County, Virginia, through Nine Generations and Interesting Sketches About Some of His Descendants. Memphis, Tennessee: M.S. Fischer, 1964. Available at.
 * Tillery - Taylor, Patty Hughes. Discovering Our Tillery Family -- Yesterday and Today: Descendants of Samuel Thomas Tillery. Atkins, Ark.: P.H. Taylor, 2001..

Land and Property Records
The original Meigs County Deed Books did not survive before 1879. TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to 3 (1879-1964). FS Library copies:. The following records serve as substitutes and may help to alleviate some of the record loss:


 * Land Abstract Books, 1835-1872. Original records, TSLA. TSLA microfilmed these records. FS Library copies:.
 * Probate of Deeds 1836-1847. Original records, County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in the 1960s. FS Library copy:.

Local Histories

 * Meigs County Heritage Book Committee The history of Meigs County, Tennessee and its people, 1836-1997 Walsworth Pub., 1997. Free lookups available!

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

 * Vincent, Don. 800 Missouri Families. 5 vols. Seattle, Wash.: n.p., 1988-1990. ff. Discusses Missouri families with Meigs County origins.

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Meigs County on page 154.

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Meigs County pensioners (p. 23).

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) - CSA - Company I.
 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
 * 26th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (3rd East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company A.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company D.

Union Soldiers


 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company E.
 * 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Meigs County:


 * Allen, V.C. Rhea and Meigs counties (Tennessee) in the Confederate War Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Free lookups available!
 * USGenWeb Archives, Meigs County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Meigs 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. Meigs County, page 364-365.

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 Meigs County click on the following town:


 * Decatur


 * Meigs County, Tennessee Obituaries, from mid-2004 to Present Free lookups available!


 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 1847 - 1851 - 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. (Largely Methodist?)

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * East Tennessee Roots: Published by East Tennessee Roots The table of contents for some issues are available on their website;.
 * A genealogical article with abstracts of Meigs County, Tennessee records has been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to this publication's articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The FamilySearch Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots.

Probate Records
The original Meigs County Will Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1964, TSLA microfilmed Wills, Inventories, and Settlements for the years 1836-1964. FS Library copies:.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1836-1881 Images of Wills, Inventories, Settlements 1836-1850; 1850-1858; 1858-1881 at South Eastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1836-1964 Meigs County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1836-1861 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . Includes an index to this county's probate records. Free Lookups Available!

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.


 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records
The original Meigs County Tax Books (1839-1863, 1872-1883, 1940-1964) are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in 1964. FS Library copies:.

Vital Records

 * 1914-1930 - Meigs County Vital Statistics (1914-1930). Free Lookups Available!

Birth

 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1909-1912 - Meigs County Birth Index 1909-1912 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($).
 * 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1850 - A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs counties, Tennessee, 1808-1850. Digital Book. Includes marriages, census, and miscellaneous info.
 * 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1895 - Meigs County Marriage Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1850-1900 Meigs County, Tennessee Census and Marriage Records, 1850 through 1900 Digital Book (click on view all pages)
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry— index and images $
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1838-1870 - 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols.  ff. Includes names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for this county for specified years.
 * 1838-1867 - Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols.  ff. Indexes of brides, grooms, and marriage dates for this county for specified years.  Free Lookups Available!

Death

 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1908-1912 Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1933 Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1925-1937 - Meigs County Death Index 1925-1937 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce
Online Records Online Titles
 * 1796-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library

FamilySearch Centers

 * Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center
 * Crossville Tennessee Family History Center
 * Loudon Tennessee Family History Center
 * Maryville Tennessee Family History Center
 * Art Circle Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Blount County Library - an affiliate library.
 * Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Meigs-Decatur Public Library 120 Memorial Drive Decatur, TN 37322 Phone: 423-334-3332 Website

Museums
Meigs County Historical Museum and Society 200 Smith Ave. Decatur, TN 37322 Phone: 423-334-4424 Website Facebook

Societies
Meigs County Historical Museum and Society 200 Smith Ave. Decatur, TN 37322 Phone: 423-334-4424 Email: [mailto:meigsmuseum@meigsmuseum.com meigsmuseum@meigsmuseum.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Meigs County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Meigs County, Tennessee History (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors with in the context of their local history.
 * Meigs County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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