Tennessee, White County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of records from White County including marriages, 1950-1975; chancery court records 1825-1937, and circuit court records, 1809-1900. The county court records include primarily probate records. The chancery and circuit court records include disputed estate and property records, some wills, and divorces. The chancery court records also include an index. This collection is being published as images become available.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The names of the primary individuals
 * The place of residence
 * The approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth to locate census,church, and land records
 * Use the occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records
 * Use the records to identify heirs and relatives and to learn about adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents
 * Use the document (such as the will) or the recording dates to approximate a death date
 * Use the information in probate records to substitute for civil birth and death records since the probates exist for an earlier time period
 * Probate and divorce records may have clues about land transactions and guardianships of minor children
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the deceased or the testator
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after 1900
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning or end of individual volumes. Local historical and genealogical societies may also have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Tennessee.
 * Tennessee Guided Research
 * Tennessee Record Finder
 * Tennessee Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Heritage of White County, 1806-1999.Sparta, Tennessee : White County History Book Committee, c1999. FS Library 976.866 H2h
 * Chancery Court records, 1811-1937
 * Circuit Court case files, 1806-1902
 * Marriage records, 1836-1976
 * Marriage records, 1838-1967
 * Military discharges, 1943-1966
 * Deed records, 1801-1967; index to deeds, 1809-1967
 * Deed Probate deed books, 1833-1947
 * Probate records, 1841-1967
 * Will Books, 1944-1965
 * Probate records, 1866-1967

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Monroe Seals. History of White County. (1935)

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.