Lauderdale County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
Lauderdale County was named for James Lauderdale. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Lauderdale County Courthouse County Courthouse 100 Court Square Ripley, TN 38063 County Courthouse Phone: 731-635-2561 County Clerk Phone: 731-635-2561 Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 731-635-0101 Register of Deeds Phone: 731-635-2171

County Clerk has marriage records from 1838 and probate records Clerk Chancery Court has divorce records General Sessions Court has court records Register of Deeds has land records.

History Timeline
Additional Information West Tennessee county. Established 1835.

The county was named after "James Lauderdale, who was killed in the War of 1812."

Biographies
All of the family biographies from the History of Lauderdale County, Tennessee (1886) by Goodspeed are availableonline at My Genealogy Hound.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. 2006. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County, 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 ($)

1840 1840 Pensioners
 * Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983..


 * 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, Western District, Lauderdale County on page 159.

1850


 * Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983. 

1850 Mortality Schedule


 * Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983. 

1880


 * Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 Census Lauderdale County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler and Associates, 2002.

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
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

 * Ellis - Benjamin F. Ellis Family, 1834-1952. MSS..
 * Ellis - Ellis, Bill. George Richard Ellis: His Ancestors and Descendants. Friona, Texas: Ellis Publishing, 2002..
 * Finch - Tuttle, Jacqulyn Davis. Finch, Pyland and Related Families of Lauderdale County, TN and Craighead County, AR. Grass Valley, Calif.: J.D. Tuttle, 1991?..
 * Holmes - Holmes, Raiford L. The John Holmes Family: of Montgomery and Carroll Counties, Mississippi. Bogalusa, Louisiana: R.L. Holmes, 197-?..
 * Powell - De Veau, Katharine Lee. Benjamin and Ambrose Powell of Culpeper County, Virginia: With Many Descendants of Benjamin. Unknown: K.L. deVeau, 1941. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 548787; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land and Property Records

 * Lauderdale County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the Courthouse, 100 Court Square, Ripley, Tennessee 38063; Telephone: (731) 635-2561.TheLand and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilmed copiies of deeds 1835-1900; land surveys 1822-1954.

Local Histories

 * Williams, Joseph S. Old Times in West Tennessee: Reminiscences, Semi-historic, of Pioneer Life and the Early Emigrant Settlers in the Big Hatchie Country. Memphis, Tenn.: W.G. Cheeney, 1873. . Digital version available through FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

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

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, Western District, Lauderdale County on page 159.

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1960):90-93. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Lauderdale County pensioners (p. 93).

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
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 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


 * 4th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Neely's) - CSA - Company G.
 * 7th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Duckworth's) - CSA - Company M.
 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Lauderdale County:


 * Lynn, H.M. H.M. Lynn Papers, 1858-1882. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Dept., Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Free digital copy. 9th Tennessee Regiment, Company C.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Lauderdale County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Fort Pillow. Located in Lauderdale County.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Lauderdale 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. Lauderdale County, page 357.
 * TNGenWeb, Lauderdale County TN Civil War.

Civil War Battle The following Civil War Battle was fought in Lauderdale County:


 * April 12, 1864 - Fort Pillow


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee

World War I
 * Tennessee World War I Veterans list: Lauderdale County

Newspapers
Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the 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 Lauderdale County click on the following cities and towns:


 * Halls
 * Ripley


 * 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;
 * Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search..


 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)


 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. . To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records
The County Court, Chancery Court, and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records of Lauderdale County.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1837-1844; 1850-1855; 1855-1860; 1860-1868 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Images of Wills ($)
 * 1837-1936 - Lauderdale 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


 * 1837-1861 - 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.

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
Lauderdale County's original Tax Books covering 1852-1856 and 1873 to 1887 are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in 1976. FHL copies:.

The original Lauderdale County Roadwork Excuses and Poll Tax 1882-1927 are kept at the County Courthouse. GSU microfilmed these records in 2008:.

Birth

 * 1881-1882 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1881-1882. Batch in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1895 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online index and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($). Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - [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
 * 1838-1888 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1875 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1851-1875 at TNGenWeb
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1851-1900 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages 1851-1900 click here for free lookups
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1838-1867 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols.  ff. Indexes of brides, grooms, marriage dates for this county for the specified years.
 * 1838-1867 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1867 FHL US/CAN Book 976.816 V2d
 * 1844-1860 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1844-1860 FHL US/CAN 976.816 V2L
 * 1867-1886 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1867-1886 FHL US/CAN 976.816 V28

Death

 * 1823-1852 - Hays, Tony. West Tennessee Death Records (ca. 1823-1852). 2 vols. n.p.: Kitchen Table Press, 1987. . Lauderdale County is included in Vol. 2
 * 1872-1923 - Tennessee, City Death Records 1872-1923 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 - Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908-1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 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
 * 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 Books Online

Family History Centers

 * Blytheville Arkansas Family History Center
 * Jackson Tennessee Family History Center
 * Trenton Tennessee Family History Center
 * Bolivar-Hardeman County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Chester County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Forked Deer Regional Library 220 N Front St. Halls, TN 38040 Phone: 731-836-5812 Facebook Halls Public Library 110 N Church St. Halls, TN 38040 Phone: 731-836-5302 Facebook Lauderdale County Library 120 Lafayette St. Ripley, TN 38063 Phone: 731-635-1872 Facebook West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library 10 Wayne Fisher Dr. Martin, TN 38238 Phone: 731-881-7065 Website Houses a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Museums
Lauderdale County Museum 123 South Jefferson Street Ripley, TN 38063 Phone: 731-635-9541 Website

Societies
Lauderdale County Historical Society 120 Lafayette Street Ripley, TN 38063 Facebook

Websites

 * Lauderdale County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Lauderdale 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: Lauderdale County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)