Hickman County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Hickman County





Quick Dates
Hickman County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Hickman County Courthouse Public Square Centerville, TN 37033 Phone: 1-931-729-2621

Hickman County Archivist 8 Public Square Centerville, TN 37033 Phone: 1-931-729-6478 The Hickman County Archives is now open for public use on a limited Thursday and Friday schedule. All bound volumes that have been microfilmed, with the exception of deeds and deeds of trust, are available for review with the original volumes on site for verification of unclear images.

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

History
The county is named after "Edwin Hickman, a longhunter killed by Native Americans near the present-day Centerville."

Parent County
1807--Hickman County was created 3 December 1807 from Dickson County. County seat: Centerville

County Pronunciation


Did we get the accent right? If not, contact Nathan W. Murphy, [mailto:murphynw@familysearch.org murphynw@familysearch.org].

Record Loss
1864--Fire damaged records


 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1890
 * Lost marriages: 1807 to 1868
 * Lost probate: 1807 to 1866

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


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Research Guides

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

African Americans
Census takers found no free African Americans living in Hickman County, Tennessee in 1820.

The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * African American Research for Tennessee is specific for Tennessee

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 Hickman County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


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


 * Hickman County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries for Hickman County. Some of the books or other books may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * Some cemetery transcriptions for Hickman County are on Interment.net


 * ePodunk list of Hickman County cemeteries


 * For free lookups of some cemetery records in Hickman County click here.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Hickman 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 Hickman County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

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


 * Ballard, Linda and Shelley Bishop. 1820 Census of Hickman County, Tennessee.Lyles, Tennessee : Linn-Shell Pub., 1987.
 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.

1830


 * Coleman, Brenda W.United States Census Hickman County, Tennessee, 1830.Atoka, Tennessee : B.W. Coleman, 1996.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Hickman County on page 156.]

1850


 * Garrett, Jill K. and Catherine K. Gilliam. 1850 Census of Hickman County, Tennessee.S.p.: 1967.

1860


 * United Daughters of the Confederacy. Thomas Stewart Easley Chapter, no. 1814. Hickman County, Tennessee, United States Census, 1860.Centerville, Tennessee : Printing Unlimited, n.d.

1870


 * Bridges, Alec F.1870 Federal Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Gallatin, Tennessee : A.F. Bridges, 2000.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Hickman County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1999.

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 8 1891. [Hickman County is included in Vol. 8.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

1900


 * Bridges, Alec F.1900 Federal Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Gallatin, Tennessee : A.F. Bridges, 2001. v. 1-2.

1910


 * Tatum, Rubye and Bruce Tatum. 1910 Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Lyles, Tennessee : Tatum, 1984.

Court

 * Leeper, Kate and Paul Court records of Hickman County, Tennessee 1833-1856 s.n., 1968  Free lookups available!
 * Dotson, Olgia Hickman County, Tennessee court records, 1814-1829 Centerville, Tennessee : Hickman County Historical Society (TN), 2000. FHL US/CAN book 976.8434 R2d Free lookups available!

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Hickman County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

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


 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Historical Sketches of Hickman County, Tennessee. Unknown: Unknown, 19??. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8434 H2; FHL US/CAN Film 1036548; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Bible records for Martin, Haskins and Tyler Families as well as other family and tombstone records. Free lookups available!

Bibliography


 * [Bates] Bates, James E. James Bates &amp; Elizabeth Tubb, Parents of the 7 Bates Brothers of Hickman County, Tennessee?. Greenbelt, Md.: J.E. Bates, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B318bja.
 * [Beasley] Lockhart, William Thomas. The Beasley Family of Benton, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart Counties of Tennessee. Florissant, Missouri: W. Lockhart, 1985. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B38Lw.
 * [Fowlkes] Olney, Adelle Whitby. Fowlkes of Virginia &amp; Hickman County, Tennessee. San Bernardino, Calif.: A.W. Olney, 1974. FHL US/CAN Film 2397827 Item 4.
 * [Moffitt] Young, Laurie M. Family Notes on Keith, Lott, Sketoe, Donahoo and Arnold of Muhlenberg: Lear and Sheffield of Christian, Todd and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; Smith and Beck, Spencer County, Indiana; Moffitt, Randolph County, North Carolina, Perry, Hickman and Humphries Co., Tn. Boise, Idaho: L.M. Young, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K269y.
 * [Peery] Peery, Charles Lee. Genealogy of James Peery: Virginia Pioneer, Revolutionary War Veteran, Tennessee Frontiersman, Hickman County Resident, Ancestors and Descendants. Cullman, Ala.: Gregath, 1997. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P345pg 1997.
 * [Wilson] Bevell, John Calvin. Adam Reed Wilson of Hickman County Tennessee and Panola County Mississippi: A Record of His Ancestry, His Children and His Descendants. Monrovia, Calif.: J.C. Bevell, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W691bjc.

Land

 * Hickman County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1808 and is located at the Courthouse, 8 Public Square, Centerville, Tennessee 37033; Telephone: (931) 729-2621. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deed books 1808-1892 with indexes 1983-1900; surveyor's books 1827-1901.

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. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Historical Sketches of Hickman County, Tennessee. Unknown: Unknown, 19??. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8434 H2; FHL US/CAN Film 1036548; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Spence, Jerome D. and David L. Spence's history of Hickman County, Tennessee P-Vine Press, 1981. Free lookups available!

Military
Revolutionary War

The following Hickman County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1) 1835 Pension Roll
 * 2) 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

Additional resources include:


 * 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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Hickman County on page 156.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.]

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Hickman County pensioners (p. 68)]

Civil War


 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.

Newspapers
An RAOGK volunteer is willing to do free obituary lookups in Hickman County newspapers covering the years 1878 to the present. 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 Hickman County click on the following town:


 * Centerville

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Hickman 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 Hickman 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.
 * Family Findings
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Hickman County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.
 * Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:
 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)
 * Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search.
 * Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Herald
 * Hickman County Historical Society P.O. Box 64 Centerville, TN 37033 Indexed at PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) 2003 - 2007

Prisons
Learn if your Hickman County ancestors went to prison!


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

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within four months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The Hickman County Court has responsibility for the probate records. Many records are held by the [http://www.hickmanco.com/departments.htm Hickman County Archives. ]

The following Hickman County probate records have been indexed or abstracted:


 * [1866-1982] Dotson, Olgia. Hickman County Wills, 1866-1982. Nunnelly, Tennessee: O. Dotson, [1982]. Indexed. (FHL book 976.8434 P2do.)

Taxation
The following Hickman County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1815] Petition by Inhabitants Concerning Tax Complaint, 1815, Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 2 (2005).
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 v. 43 (1996). For further access, see Periodicals. [Includes Hickman County.]
 * [1836] Hughes, T.P. "Hickman County, Tennessee, 1836 Tax Record," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Summer 1980):63-69. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 27 (1980); free digital version at society's website. For further access, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] 1836 Tax List of Hickman, Tennessee. Lyles, Tenn.: Linn-Shell Pub. Co., 1987.

Marriage
The original Hickman County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Due to fire, marriages prior to 1868 are lost. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

The following Hickman County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1868-1992] Available at the TSLA. Marriages are indexed to 1940.
 * [1868-1961] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed. Marriages indexed to 1874.

The following Hickman County marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * Hickman County (Tennessee) County Court Clerk Marriage Records (Hickman County, Tennessee), 1868-1961; index to marriages 1868-1974 Nashville, Tennessee : Tennessee State Library and Archives, [197-?]-1988. Free lookups available for Marriage records volumes 1 and 2. Also, lookups for marriage index 1868-1940.
 * Daughters of the American Revolution, Duck River Chapter. Old Marriage Records of Hickman County, Tennessee. Columbia, Tennessee : P-Vine Press, 1979. 2 vols.
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Dickson, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.

Hickman County isnot included in Sistler's Early Middle Tennessee Marriages.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Hickman County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, see:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Hickman 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
Hickman County Historical Society 7 Court House Centerville, TN 37033-1639 Phone: 1-931-729-3279

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Hickman County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

J.B. Walker Memorial Library 120 West Swan St. Centerville, TN 37033 Phone 1-931-729-5130 Fax: 1-931-729-4151 Hours: Mon. 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-5:30 pm Fri. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Genealogy resources: newspapers, historical documents and more. Website includes a list of surnames which also contains material about the family.

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Hickman County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Hickman County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Hickman County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)
 * Hickman County Tennessee Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails History Group–Volunteers Dedicated to Free Genealogy)