Hawkins County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States Tennessee  Hawkins County

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

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

County Courthouse
Hawkins County Archives 951 E McKinney Avenue, Suite A Rogersville, TN 37857 Phone: (423) 921-0904



Hawkins County Courthouse 100 E. Main St. Rogersville, TN 37857 Phone: 1-423-272-8150

Hawkins County Clerk County Clerk has marriage records from 1789 and probate records. P.O.Box 790 100 E. Main St., Suite 204 Rogersville, TN37857 Phone: 1-423-272-7002

Hawkins County Register of Deeds Register of Deeds has land records and other registered instruments, such as mortgages, bills of sale, and military discharges. 110 E. Main St., Room 202 Rogersville, TN 37857 Phone: 1-423-272-8304

Hawkins County Circuit Court Clerk Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records. 115 Justice Center Drive, Suite 1237 Rogersville, TN 37857 Phone: 1-423-272-3397

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

History


East Tennessee county established in 1786. Originally known as the Carter's Valley Settlement, from 1785 to 1789, this land was also claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.

The county is named after North Carolina Senator Benjamin Hawkins (1754-1816).

The land of Hawkins County was first organized by the State of Franklin in March 1786 from parts of Sullivan and Greene counties under the name Spencer County. It seems to have included at least the present area of Hawkins County. However, the Franklin statehood effort collapsed by 1789. Spencer county existed only briefly, its legality is questionable, and little trace remains.

The research of René Jordan shows that a small segment of present-day Hawkins County was inhabited by people who considered themselves Virginians, not North Carolinians. Their wills and other records can be found in Washington County, Virginia.

Later in 1786 the North Carolina legislature reconstituted a parallel-county of Franklin's Spencer County and called it Hawkins County. It was known by both county names while Franklin's statehood efforts lasted. Now the land on which the lost county of Spencer County was located is known as Hawkins County, Tennessee. By the time of the 1790 census of the Southwest Territory (proto-Tennessee), the County of Hawkins also included parts of modern Claiborne, Hancock, Union, Grainger, Hamblen, Anderson, Knox, Jefferson, Roane, and Loudon counties.

Early boundaries of Hawkins County, as researched by René Jordan, extended from the Virginia border to the Georgia border, overlapping lands released by applicable treaties. (See map and timetable at TNGenWeb site.)

In 1796 the land of Hawkins County (formerly Spencer County) became part of the new State of Tennessee. This area is where many Melungeons are believed to have settled. The Melungeon page identifies surnames believed to be associated with this group.

Parent County
1786--Hawkins County was created 18 November 1786 from parts of Sullivan County, and Greene County. County seat: Rogersville

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (male)

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1863 Fire damaged courthouse records.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820
 * Early marriages beginning in 1820, but incomplete due to damage

Timelines
A timeline of events in Hawkins County, Tennessee before 1790 is found on page 48, Vol 21 No 2 (Apr 2004) of Distant Crossroads, the quarterly publication of Hawkins County (TN) Genealogical and Historical Society. (FHL US/CAN Book 976.895 B2d)

Getting Started
The Hawkins County Genealogy &amp; History Web Site, affiliated with the TNGenWeb Project, has been on-line since 1996. The volunteer-driven site provides free genealogical research guidance and resources to site visitors.

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Hawkins County biography, cemetery, court, and tax records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

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

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Rogers, Louise F. The Older Black Families of Rogersville, (Hawkins County) Tennessee. [Rogerville, Tenn.:Rogers] 1976. Lib. of Congress: F444.R83 R63

Bible Records
Transcripts of various family bibles are found in scattered issues of Distant Crossroads, the quarterly publication of the Hawkins County Genealogical and Historical Society.


 * Reynolds--Smith--Sanders Family Bible Records, ca. 1789-1957 in Old Family Records Collection, ca. 1754-1966: Hawkins County, Tennessee..

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Hawkins County Genealogical and Historical Society. Hawkins County, Tennessee, Cemeteries: Civil Districts. 4 vols. Rogersville, Tenn.: Hawkins County Genealogical Historical Society, 1988.FHL is missing Vol. 2. FHL US/CAN;Book 976.895 V3c v. 1 ff.
 * Montgomery, Mary Alice Hurt. Cemetery Census for Hawkins County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee and Washington County, Virginia. Kingsport, Tenn.: M.A.H. Montgomery, 2002?..

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hawkins 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 Hawkins County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

1790- Lost, only statistics survive, but substitutes are available:


 * Eakle, Arlene. Tennessee Research. 2010. Purchase information at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog. Includes a reconstructed 1790 census, sources: "Contemporary lists–tax lists, militia rolls, land grants and deeds, claims for pre-emption lands, names recorded in diaries and journals. And numerous histories compiled by local historians from records that we have not seen or read ourselves."
 * Jackson, Ronald Vern. Ohio, 1790, Volume Two. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1986. . Includes "Territory Southwest of the River Ohio," i.e. East Tennessee.
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990..

1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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..

1820 - Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown,Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. ; indexed at Lineages. Covers this county.

These records have also been abstracted:


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Hawkins County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 4 :174. For availability, see Periodicals.

1810 - 1891


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

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. . Free Lookups Available!
 * Lawson, Rowena. Hawkins County, Tennessee, 1830-1850 Censuses. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1987..

1840


 * Lawson, Rowena. Hawkins County, Tennessee, 1830-1850 Censuses. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1987..

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, Hawkins County on page 153.

1850


 * Lawson, Rowena. Hawkins County, Tennessee, 1830-1850 Censuses. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1987. . Free Lookups Available!

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Hawkins County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1996. . Free Lookups Available!

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. . Hawkins County is included in Vol. 7.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters 


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

Church
Baptists


 * The memberships records for Richardson Creek Missionary Baptist Church (near Byrd Creek, Tate Cem, and Chestnut Grove) for 1847-1857, 1874-1875 are transcribed on page 52 of the Jan 1998 edition of Distant Crossroads, the quarterly publication of the Hawkins County (TN) Genealogical and Historical Society.


 * DeBoard, George Mitchell et al. Personal Records of a Minister: Rev. George Mitchell DeBoard, Grainger County, Tennessee; Includes Many People from Hancock, Hawkins and Hamblen Counties, Tennessee). Dallas, Texas: H.P. Garner, 2001?..

Methodists


 * Carter Valley - A list of those promising to pay for the securing of ground and building of a parsonage house for the Carter Valley Circuit is found on page 75, Vol 19, No. 3 of Distant Crossroads, the quarterly publication of the Hawkins County (TN) Genealogical and Historical Society, 2002.

Genealogy
More than 75 genealogies have been published about Hawkins County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Hawkins County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.


 * Gordon Aronhime (1911-1983) collected information on hundreds of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee pioneers. His note cards, which reference more than 4,000 early settlers of the Holston-Clinch River area and East Tennessee (1770s-1790s), are held at the Library of Virginia. The cards have been digitized and made available online.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 9 British aliens, many of whom had families,living in Hawkins County.

Land
Deeds

The original Hawkins County Deed Books are held at the Hawkins County Courthouse. TheTSLA microfilmed Deed Books 1-39 (1787-1894) and General Indexes (1787-1906) in 1974. Copies of these films are also available at the Family History Library:.

Some of these records have been abstracted:


 * 1788 - 1800 - Historical Records Project (Tennessee). Deed Books, 1788-1800, Hawkins County, Tennessee. Typescript, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tenn..
 * 1788 - 1861 - Historical Records Survey (Tennessee). General Index to Deeds, 1788-1861, Hawkins County, Tennessee. Typescript, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tenn..
 * 1801 - 1819 - Murray, Joyce Martin. Hawkins County, Tennessee, Deed Abstracts, 1801-1819. Dallas, Texas: J.M. Murray, 1998..
 * 1802 - 1860 - Hawkins County Genealogical and Historical Society (Rogersville, Tennessee). Hawkins County Deeds 1802-1860(Selected). n.p.: Hawkins County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society, 2008..

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina

The original Hawkins County land entries issued by North Carolina are kept at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. On their website, users can bring up a list of land entries issued in Hawkins County, both before and after it became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1778-1804.

Instructions:


 * 1) Follow this link to conduct a "Call Number Search" using the MARS Catalog on their site.
 * 2) Using the pull down window, change "Call Numbers starting" to "A MarsID matching."
 * 3) Type 12.14.9 (Windows Vista users may need to include a period after the last digit, for example 12.14.9.) and click Search. This is the specific MarsID for Hawkins County.
 * 4) Click on the entry that is returned: "Tennessee, Hawkins County."
 * 5) In the window that pops up, click Show List of Child Records and a list of Hawkins County land entries will be produced. Browse to find abstracts of the original records.

N.B. You can also search by name through the Basic Search, but it lacks soundex capabilities.

Land Entries

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Hawkins County land records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1824 - 1835 - Entry Book A: 1824-1835
 * 1836 - 1860 - Entry Book B: 1836-1860
 * 1830 - 1837, 1869 - 1902, 1824 - 1828 - Entry Books C-D: 1830-1837, 1869-1902; Surveyors Book: 1824-1828

Land Grants

The original Hawkins County Land Grant Books are held at the Hawkins County Archival Project in Rogersville, Tenn. The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed Land Grant Books 1-2 (1784-1819) in 2007:.

Billie R. McNamara abstracted, indexed, and published these records:


 * 1787 - 1819 - McNamara, Billie R. Hawkins County, Tennessee Land Grant Books 1 &amp; 2, 1787-1819. Knoxville, Tenn.: B.R. McNamara, 1996. . Available from the author.

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.

Maps

 * 1777 - 1985 - Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * 1786 - Reeves, Charles A. Hawkins &amp; Sumner Counties, Tennessee - Created in 1786. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
 * 1790 - Reeves, Charles A. Hawkins County, Territory of Tennessee, County Bounds as they existed in 1790. Published 1998, based on an earlier map of unknown provenance. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
 * 1911 - Reeves, Charles A. Hawkins County RFD [Rural Free Delivery], showing houses and mail delivery information for the entire county, as published by the U. S. Postal Service. Published 2013, facsimile of the original map. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

The 1840 Census of Pensioners has been abstracted multiple times:


 * 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, Hawkins County on page 153.
 * Census of Pensioners, 1840, Hamblen Heritage, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Winter 1995).
 * Census of Pensioners, 1840, Eastern District (sel.), Sullivan County Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 2004).
 * Soldiers in Census, 1840, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Winter 1999).

Additional resources include:


 * 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.
 * Revolutionary Soldiers, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan. 1984); Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1984); Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1984); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Oct. 1984); Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan. 1985); Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1985); Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct. 1985); Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan. 1986); Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr. 1986); Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul. 1986); Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1986).
 * Revolutionary War Soldiers Buried in County, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 21, No. 3 (2004).
 * Joshua Walker, Rev. War Pension, 1834, Holston Pastfinder, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Jun. 1998).

Militia and Indian Wars

 * Roster of Soldiers, 1788, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1994).
 * Service against Chickamaugas, 1790 Claims, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Dec. 1989).

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. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Hawkins County pensioners (pp. 66-67)
 * Soldiers of War of 1812 Buried in TN, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan. 1987).
 * War of 1812 Soldiers, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr. 1987).
 * War of 1812 Soldiers of Co. Bur. Ft. Williams Cem., Distant Crossroads, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1990).

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)
 * 1891 - 1965 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Civil War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Hawkins County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Hawkins County.

Confederate Soldiers


 * 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate) - CSA - Company B.
 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 4th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Branner's) - CSA - Company D.
 * 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company D.
 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
 * 12th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Day's) - CSA - Companies A and C.
 * 16th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Neal's) - CSA - Company F.
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
 * 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies E and K.
 * 39th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (W. M. Bradford's) (31st Infantry) - CSA - Companies D and G.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company E.
 * 60th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Crawford's) (79th Infantry) - CSA - Companies B and L.
 * 61st Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Pitts') (81st Infantry) - CSA - Company B.
 * 63rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Fain's) (74th Infantry) - CSA - Company D.

Union Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies C, D, and E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hawkins County:


 * Carter, William Randolph. History of the First regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry in the Great war of the Rebellion, with the Armies of the Ohio and Cumberland, under Generals Morgan, Rosecrans, Thomas, Stanley and Wilson. Knoxville, Tennessee: Gaut-Ogden Co. Printers, 1902. Free digital copy. Union.
 * Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
 * The Blue &amp; Gray from Hawkins County Tennessee, by Sheila Weems Johnston. A large assortment of Civil War links.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hawkins 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. Hawkins County, page 344-346.

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 Hawkins County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Church Hill
 * Kingsport.
 * The Kingsport Times (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * Kingsport News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * Kingsport Times News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * Rogersville

Occupations

 * Gump, Lucy Kennerly and Thomas Amis. Amis Ledger: Interpretive Transcription of an East Tennessee Business Record Book. 2 vols. Johnson City, Tenn.: L.K. Gump, 1996. ff.
 * Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. . Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Hawkins County.

Periodicals

 * Distant Crossroads
 * Family History Library has Volumes 1 (1983) to present . Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI). For further information see Web page: Hawkins County (TN) Genealogical & Historical Society. For indexes for back issues of Distant Crossroads(1997 - present) click here. For index of surnames in Distant Crossroads (1998 - 2008) and index of surnames in Families of Hawkins County, Tennessee 1786 - 1999 click here. For a digital version of Distant Crossroads Volumes 23 and 24 at Family History Archives.

Probate Records
The original Hawkins County Wills are held at the County Archives. In the 1970s, TSLA microfilmed some of these records covering the years 1797-1910. FHL copy:. In 2007, GSU microfilmed wills (1779-1975) and an index covering the same years:.

Online Records


 * 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * Wills, 1797-1910 (4 vols.)
 * Bonds, Letters, 1879-1918 (4 vols.)
 * Court records, 1911-1920
 * Index to Chancery court, 1811-1820
 * Insolvent estate records, 1875-1972 (2 vols.)
 * Settlements, 1865-1904 (3 vols.)

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Hawkins County probate records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1797-1826
 * 2) Will Books 2-3: 1826-1921

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


 * [1786-1864] Eugenia Lauderdale Messick's book Hawkins County, Tennessee Wills, 1786-1864 ( Vol 1) contains complete TRANSCRIPTIONS of the surviving wills that were copied by the County Court Clerk sometime after the Civil War, as the original will books of Hawkins County, Tennessee were destroyed by fire in 1863. The every name index makes her book a powerful starting point in researching the wills of Hawkins County, Tennessee.
 * [1786-1851] Bell, Annie W.B. Hawkins County, Tennessee Marriages and Wills, 1786-1851. 1934..
 * [1786-1886] Gardner, Carolyn S. and Sheila W. Johnston. Wills of Hawkins County, Tennessee. Rogersville, Tenn.: Hawkins County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society, 1991..
 * [1797-1886] Historical Records Project (Tennessee). Will Books, 1797-1886, Hawkins County, Tennessee. Typescript, The TSLA, Nashville, Tenn..
 * [1797-1861] 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 wills.] Free Lookups Available!
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Hawkins County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills. Free digital copy available online, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Taxation
The original Hawkins County Tax Books (1879-1880, 1886, 1892-1893) are held at the Hawkins County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in the 1970s. FHL copies:.

The following Hawkins County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1799, 1801] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. [Includes 1799, 1801 tax lists.]
 * [1799, 1801, 1809-1812] Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. . [Includes 1799 and 1801 petitions and 1809-1812 tax lists.]
 * [1801] "Hawkins County Land Sold for 1801 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Winter 1997):41. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1809-1812] Creekmore, Pollyanna. "Early East Tennessee Taxpayers: Hawkins County Tennessee Tax Lists 1809-1812," East Tennessee Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 32 (1960):117-131.
 * [1809-1812] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index . [Includes 1809-1812 tax lists.]
 * [1809-1812] Hawkins County, Tennessee, 1809-1812 Tax List..
 * [1809-1812] 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. . [Cites Creekmore's Early East Tennessee Taxpayers publications as a source.]
 * [1810] Tax List, Capt. Nathaniel Smith's Company, 1810, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Oct. 1989).
 * [1811] Welder, Kathy. "1811 Hawkins Co. Tax List (Partial)," available online, courtesy: RootsWeb.
 * [1814] "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3(Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Hackins (Hawkins) County.]
 * [1816] List of Unpaid Taxes for 1816, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1822] List of Insolvencies for 1822, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1825-1826] List of Delinquent Taxes for 1825 and 1826, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1832] List of Insolvencies for 1832, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1833] Tax List for Capt. Frost Company, 1833, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul. 1989).
 * [1836] Barham, Eleanor Riggins. "Hawkins County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Fall 1984):115-120; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter 1984):163-169. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. 1836 Hawkins County, Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1994. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * [1855-1856] Revenue Docket, 1855-56, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr. 1998); Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct. 1998).
 * [1862] U.S. Direct District Tax, 1862, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan. 1997); Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr. 1997); Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul. 1997); Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct. 1997); Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan. 1998); Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr. 1998); Vol. 15, No. 3 (Jul. 1998); Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct. 1998); Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan. 1999); Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr. 1999); Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul. 1999); Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 2000); Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr. 2000); Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul. 2000); Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct. 2000).
 * [1868-1869] Delinquent Tax List, 1868-1869, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr. 1986).
 * [1886] Tax Books, District 5, 1886, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1991).
 * [1899] Tax Books, 1899, Distant Crossroads, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul. 1995); Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct. 1995); Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan. 1996); Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr. 1996); Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul. 1996); Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct. 1996).

For missing years, alternative resource to consider is "Tennessee Legislative Petitions".

Vital Records
See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


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

Marriage

 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch.org— index


 * 1790-1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * 1796-1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1838-1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

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


 * 1789-1865 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1987. . [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]


 * 1789-1866 - Hawkins County Marriage Records 1789-1866. Free Lookups Available!


 * 1819-1895 - Hawkins County Marriage Index 1819-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1866-1899 - Hawkins County Marriages 1866-1899. Free Lookups Available!
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Hawkins County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Death

 * 1908-1912 - Hawkins County Death Certificates 1908-1912. Free Lookups Available!

For deaths of Methodists in Hawkins County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following resources:


 * 1847-1914 - 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.]


 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914-1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

H. B. Stamps Library 407 East Main Street Rogersville, TN 37857 A guide to the Genealogy Room at the H. B. Stamp Library is found on pages 76-77, Vol 19 No 3 (2003) of Distant Crossroads, the quarterly publication of the Hawkins County (TN) Genealogical and Historical Society.

Hawkins County, Tennessee Genealogical and Historical Society PO Box 429 Rogersville TN 37857-0429

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay St. P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, TN 37901-1629 Phone: 1-865-215-8824 E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * Hawkins County, Genealogy &amp; History (TNGenWeb Project / USGenWeb affiliate)
 * TNGenWeb Project Group on Facebook
 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets About Tennessee Counties: Hawkins County (TN State Library and Archives)
 * Hawkins County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Hawkins County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNHAWKIN-L (Hawkins County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: FRANKLIN-STATE-L (State of Franklin 1784-1788 List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: UPPEREASTTN-L (Upper East Tennessee List)