Morgan County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Daniel Morgan (1736-1802), an American Revolutionary War officer who commanded the troops that defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens, and who later served as a U.S. congressman from Virginia. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Morgan County Courthouse 415 N. Kingston Street Wartburg, TN 37887 County Courthouse Phone: 423-346-3105 County Clerk Phone: 423-346-3480 County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-346-3105 County Clerk and Master Phone: 423-346-3881 County Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 423-346-3503

County Clerk has birth records 1908-1912, marriage records from 1862, divorce and probate records, land records from 1818.

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

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information

East Tennessee county. Established 1817.

The county is named after Revolutionary War Officer Daniel Morgan (1736-1802).

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * 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 Morgan County.
 * Tennesse Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. Coal Mines and Mining--Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: A.B. Travel, 1883. Free digital copy.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Morgan 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 Morgan 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 $

1820 Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, 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. ; digital version at Lineages. Covers this county.
 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Morgan County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 2 :56. For availability, see Morgan.

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..

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, Morgan County on page 154.

1850


 * Porch, Deane and Louise Gillespie Lynch. Morgan County, Tennessee 1850 Census. Franklin, Tenn.: Louise G. Lynch, 1973..

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Morgan County is included in Vol. 1.

1860


 * Index to 1860 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..

1870


 * Index to 1870 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..

1880


 * Index to 1880 Morgan County Census (Tennessee). Wartburg, Tenn.: Morgan County Genealogical Society, 199?..
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Morgan County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1996..

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. . Morgan County is included in Vol. 5.
 * 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 $

Court Records
Law and Legislation 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.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names.

Genealogies
General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Morgan, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 15,000 entries.


 * The Heritage of Morgan County, Tennessee, 1817-1999. Tenn.: Morgan County Heritage Book Committee, 1999..


 * Alexander - Gaston, Essie Gladys. The Clift-Penland Family. Unknown: Unknown, 1949. Available at digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($). Mentions the John Alexander family that went from Morgan County, Tennessee to Arkansas.
 * Bowman - Bowman, Charles W. Bowman Genealogy: Fragmentary Annals of a Branch of the Bowman Family: To Which is Appended Data Relating to other Bowmans and the Spencers. Washington, D.C.: Law Reporter Print. Co., 1912. Available at ; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books (full view); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Kindred - Henrick, Ruby Rigor. Thomas Kindred Family History: Albermarle County, Virginia to Morgan County, Tennessee 1776-1986. St. Louis, Missouri: R.R. Henrick, 1986..
 * Laymance - Roberts, Snyder E. A Sketch of Laymance Families of Morgan County, Tennessee. Tenn.: S.E. Roberts, 1985..
 * Ruffner - Roberts, Pauline H. Ruffner Families of Maienfeld, Switzerland and Morgan County, Tennessee. Oliver Springs, Tenn.: P.H. Roberts, 1981. Book: ; Microfilm:.
 * Stinecipher - Roberts, Snyder E. Data Sheets on Stinecipher Families of Morgan &amp; Roane Counties, Tennessee. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: S. Roberts, 1987..

Land and Property Records
The original Morgan County Deed Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to KZ (1818-1901) and accompanying Indexes (1818-1914). FHL copies:.

Local Histories

 * Hughes, Thomas. Rugby, Morgan County, Tennessee, Settlement. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke &amp; Co., Print, 1880. 1975 reprint: . Digital version at Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Morgan County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Morgan County Revolutionary War Pension Records
 * Revolutionary War Soldiers of Morgan County
 * 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, Morgan County on page 154.]
 * Revolutionary &amp; Military Pensioners, 1840, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Spring 1986).

Additional resources include:


 * Local Soldiers, Revolution to Desert Storm, Morgan County Messenger, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1993).
 * Matthias Williams Pension Application, 1832, Morgan County Messenger (Summer 1998).
 * 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 War Pens. Info., Court Minutes,1850-52, Pellissippian, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1981).

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Morgan County pensioners (p. 49).]

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 (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry  (free)
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * USGenWeb Archives, Morgan County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Pensions.

Other Resources
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Morgan 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. Morgan County, page 367.
 * TNGenWeb, Military Links for Morgan County. Scroll down to "Military Records."

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 Morgan County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Oakdale
 * Rugby
 * Sunbright
 * Wartburg


 * 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;


 * Morgan County Messenger:


 * The Pellissippian: Published by the Anderson County Historical Society (formerly called, Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society). The table of contents for some issues are available on their website..

Probate Records
The original Morgan County Wills are kept at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, TSLA microfilmed Wills 1866-1935. FHL copy:. In 1988, TSLA also microfilmed Will Book 2 (1889-1958). FHL copy:.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry $
 * 1800-1958 Morgan County portion of  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

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
Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1814 "1814 Roane County, Tennessee Tax List," available online. "Only the tax list for the militia company that included most of the people that became Morgan Countians in 1817 is included here."
 * 1817 "1817 Roane County, Tennessee Tax List," available online. Includes area that later became Morgan County.
 * 1836, 1848, 1874, 1876 Morgan County, Tennessee, Tax Lists: Year 1836, 1848, 1874, 1876. n.p.: n.p., n.d..
 * 1836 "Tax List, 1836," Morgan County Messenger, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Winter 1988).
 * 1836 "Tax List Excerpt, 1836," Scott County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Summer 1993).
 * 1836 - "Morgan County Tax Records District 1, 1836," available online.
 * 1848 - Thornton, Mrs. Robert E. "Morgan County Tax List-1848," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1967):23-29. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Morgan.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry $
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry $
 * 1862-1895 - Morgan County Marriage Index 1862-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

 * 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

 * 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

Libraries
Coalfield Public Library 112 Jerry Jones Rd. P.O. Box 97 Coalfield, TN 37719 Phone: 865-435-4275 E-mail coalfieldlibrary@yahoo.com Website

Sunbright Public Library 142 Melton Dr. Sunbright, TN 37872 Phone: 423-628-2439 Website

Wartburg Public Library 514 Spring St. Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 423-346-2479 Facebook

Deer Lodge Public Library 110 Corinne Ave. Deer Lodge, TN 37726 Phone: 423-965-3029 Facebook

Petros Public Library 208 West Main St. Petros, TN 37845 Phone: 423-324-2825 Facebook

Oakdale Public Library 212 Queen St. Oakdale, TN 37829 Phone: 423-369-2595 Facebook

Societies
Morgan County Genealogical and Historical Society 124 S. Kingston St., P. O. Box 684 Wartburg, TN 37887 Phone: 423-346-5500 Facebook Website
 * Located in the Archive Building (old jail building) and have an extensive collection of Civil War Pension Records, vertical files, genealogical books, census records, family histories and more.

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

Websites

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