Coffee County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Coffee County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1836.

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

County Courthouse
Coffee County Courthouse 300 Hillsboro Blvd. Manchester, Tennessee 37355 Phone: 931-723-5106

Coffee County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 1327 McArthur Street Manchester, TN 37355 Phone: 931-723-5106

Coffee County Register of Deeds Land records 1341 McArthur Street, Suite 2 Manchaster, TN 37355 Phone: 931-723-5130

Coffee County Circuit Court Clerk Court records P.O. Box 629 Manchaster, TN 37349 Phone: 931-723-5110

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

History
The county is named after "John Coffee (1772–1833), frontiersman, planter, and veteran of Creek War and War of 1812."

Parent County
1836--Coffee County was created 2 May 1836 from Warren, Franklin, and Bedford Counties. County seat: Manchester

Record Loss
1870 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * Lost census: 1890
 * Marriages recorded between 1836 and 1853 are lost

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


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

Neighboring Counties

 * Bedford
 * Cannon
 * Franklin
 * Grundy
 * Moore
 * Rutherford
 * Warren

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Coffee County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Coffee County Genealogical Research," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Fall 1992). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

Bible

 * W.P.A. Bible, Family and Tombstone Records, Coffee County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1943. FHL US/CAN Film 24624. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

African American
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

 * W.P.A. Bible, Family and Tombstone Records, Coffee County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1943. FHL US/CAN Film 24624. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

The following website may lead you to Coffee County cemetery data:


 * 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 Coffee County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


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


 * Coffee County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Coffee county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Coffee County cemeteries

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

1840


 * Potter, Dorothy and Betty Majors. 1840 Federal Census of Coffee County, Tennessee. Tullahoma, Tennessee: Coffee County Historical Society, 1970.  Transcription and index.

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, Coffee County on page 155.]

1850


 * Porch, Deane. Coffee County, Tennessee, 1850 Census. Franklin, Tennesssee: Mrs. Clyde Lynch, 1969. Transcription and index.
 * Index and transcription of the 1850 Census for Coffee County Tennesse. Hosted by USGenWeb Census project.

1860


 * Bridgewater, Betty A. 1860 Federal Census of Coffee County, Tennessee. Coffee County Historical Quarterly, v.10, no. 3-4 1979; v.11 no. 1, 1980. In two parts.

1870


 * Bridgewater, Betty A. 1870 Federal Census of Coffee County, Tennessee. Coffee County Historical Quarterly, v.14 no.2-4, 1988.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Samuel Sistler. 1880 Census, Coffee County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron and Sistler &amp; Assoc., 1992.
 * Bridgewater, Betty A. The 1880 Mortality Schedule.Soffee County Historical Quarterly, v.9, no. 1, 1978.

1890 -- Lost, but a substitute is available:


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1978.

Court
County Court


 * W.P.A. Coffee County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, Vol. 1 1836-1841. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24623 Item 1. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Coffee 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


 * Coffee County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Coffee County, Tennessee, 1836-2004. Waynesville, N.C.: County Heritage, 2005. FHL US/CAN Book 976.864 H2h.

Bibliography


 * [Butler] Gray, Sandra Lewis. Kinship Treasures from Coffee County Tennessee: Their Ancestors and Descendants Including Lineages of Butler, Davis, and Winnett Families. [Booneville, Miss.]: S.L. Gray, 1997. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W73g.
 * [Chapman] Chapman, Clifford J. The Chapman Family Unknown: Unknown, 1966. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C366cc and FHL US/CAN Film 896942 Item 3; digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Davis] See Butler.
 * [Elkins] One page summary of Rev. Asa Elkins and family. BYU Family History Archive
 * [Roberts] Turbett, James A. The Roberts--Smith Book: The Roberts and Smith Families of Upcountry South Carolina; Bedford County, Tennessee; Coffee County, Tennessee; Hamilton County, Tennessee; and Boone County, Arkansas. Alexandria, Va.: J.A. Turbett, 1994?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R541t.
 * [Winnett] See Butler.

Land

 * Coffee County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1836 and is located at 300 Hillsboro Blvd, Manchester, Tennessee 37355, 931-723-5106. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entrie.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1836-1910 with indexes 1836-1930; Court minutes 1812-1926 with indexes 1853-1930; Platt books 1912-1969; poll tax-road releases 1879-1920; surveyors books 1836-1955; and trust deeds 1875-1901 with indexes 1868-1930.

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

 * The Goodspeed Histories of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren and White Counties: With Biographical Sketches and Aboriginal Map of Tennessee. McMinnville, TN: B. Lomond Press, 1972. Reprint. Originally published: Nashville, TN: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1887. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 924077 Item 2. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.
 * Fairbanks, George Rainsford. History of the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tennessse. Jacksonville, Florida: H.&amp;W. B. Drew Co., 1905. Free digital copy.

Military
Revolutionary War

The following Coffee 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, Coffee County on page 155.]
 * 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.]

Civil War


 * Head, Thomas A. Campaigns and battles of the Sixteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, in the war between the states, with incidental sketches of the part performed by other Tennessee troops in the same war.1861-1865. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. Free digital copy

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 Coffee County click on the following cities:


 * Manchester
 * Tullahoma

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 Coffee 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 Coffee 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 Coffee 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.
 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Coffee County, Tennessee have been published in The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, the quarterly of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society (23+ Vols.). To view a list of these articles, visit their online Index to Articles (1988-2005). Surname indexes are also available online for Vols. 2-22. The website also offers back issues for sale in paper and on CD. The Family History Library has a complete collection of this quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Prisons
Learn if your Coffee 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 Coffee County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

The following Coffee County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1833-1860] W.P.A. Coffee County Record of Wills, Volume 1, 1833-1860 Index. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24623 Item 5. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1836-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's wills.]
 * [1858-1868] W.P.A. Coffee County, Tennessee Bonds and Settlements, 1858-1868. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24623 Item 6. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Taxation
The following Coffee County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1836] Duncan, Ruth Henley G. "Coffee County Tax List 1836," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring 1996):15-19. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1862] Direct Tax Assessments, 1862, Coffee County Historical Society Quarterly. Manchester TN: Jun 1990. Vol. 20 Iss. 1-2.
 * [1865-1870] Revenue Docket, 1865-70, Coffee County Historical Society Quarterly. Manchester TN: Jun 1990. Vol. 20 Iss. 1-2.
 * [1866] Tax List, 1866, Civil District 13, Coffee County Historical Society Quarterly. Manchester TN: 1997. Vol. 24 Iss. 1-4.
 * [1882] Tax List, 1882, Manchester, Coffee County Historical Society Quarterly. Manchester TN: Sep 1998. Vol. 25 Iss. 4.

Marriage
The original Coffee County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages recorded between 1836 and 1853 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 Coffee County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1853-1989] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1853-1897 are available for interlibrary loan.
 * [1853-1975] Available at the Family History Library. Indexes are included with this film group. These films include both a separate group of records marked colored and colored records intermixed with other marriage records.

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


 * [1853-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 . [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1853-1870] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 . [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1853-1886] Marriage Records, 1861-1864, Coffee County, Tennessee. 3 vols. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript.  Items 2-4. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells two Coffee County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
 * [1853-1870] Potter, Dorothy W. Marriage Books A and C, 1853-1870, Coffee County, Tennessee. Manuscript, 1973. Includes index.
 * [1870-1897] Bridgewater, Betty A. "More Coffee County Marriages, 1870-1897", Coffee County Historical Quarterly   Vol. 11, no. 3 and 4 (Nov 1980).
 * [1754-1862] Marriage Records. Not complete; early dates not taken from county records.
 * 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; indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Coffee, 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 all counties.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Coffee 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.]

Libraries

 * Coffee County Manchester Public Library 1005 Hillsboro Blvd Manchester, TN 37355 Telephone: 931-723-5143 Email: website@coffeecountyibrary.org Hours: Monday -Tuesday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Wednesday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Thursday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm,Friday- Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday Closed The Library has an extensive collection of research materials available in their Genealogy Department. Many genealogy researchers have come here from all over North America to explore their Middle Tennessee roots.Included in the genealogical resources are Family History Files: a file cabinet that houses family histories and genealogies provided by genealogists to share with others researching the same names. Researchers are invited to leave copies of their research information, or to make copies from files.
 * Coffee County Lannom Memorial Library 312 North Collins Street Tullahoma, Tennessee Telephone: 931-455-2460 Lannom Memorial Library is a sister library to the Manchester branch.

Societies

 * Coffee County Historical Society 101 W. Fort St. Box 2 Manchester, TN 37355-7502 Telephone (931)728-0145 or 728-9890 The Coffee County Historical Society holding include books and periodicals,county and family Histories, microfilm, cemetery info, and more. They publish a quarterly journal "The Coffee County Historical Society Quarterly" since March of 1970.
 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Coffee County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy &amp; 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.

Family History Centers

 * Tullahoma Tennessee Old Shelbyville Hwy 130 Tullahoma, Coffee, Tennessee, United States Telephone: 913-455-5230 This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * Coffee County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Coffee County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Coffee County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)