Claiborne County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Virginia tidewater aristocrat William C. C. Claiborne, one of the first judges of the Tennessee Superior Court and one of the first representatives in U.S. Congress from Tennessee. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

Claiborne County Tennessee Courthouse
Claiborne County Courthouse PO Box 173; Tazewell, TN 37879 Phone: 423.626.3284 County Clerk has marriage records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Claiborne County Courthouse P.O. Box 173 1740 Main St. Tazewell, TN 37879 Phone: 1-423-626-3283


 * County Clerk has marriage and probate records
 * Register of Deeds has land records
 * Clerk of Circuit Court has court records

Hours: Mon.-Fri.9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 8:30 a.m.-noon

Claiborne County Tennessee History


The county is named after Governor of Louisiana and Governor of Mississippi Territory William C. C. Claiborne (c1775-1817).

Parent County
1801--Claiborne County was created 29 October 1801 from Grainger and Hawkins Counties. County seat: Tazewell

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 and 1931  Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1820
 * Lack of marriage records: 1801 to 1837
 * Lack of wills: 1801 to 1839

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Bell County, Kentucky
 * Campbell
 * Grainger
 * Hancock
 * Lee County, Virginia
 * Union
 * Whitley County, Kentucky

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Claiborne County biography, court, land, probate, 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: Claiborne 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

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Claiborne 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 Claiborne 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.com — index $

1810 Lost - 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:.

These records have also been abstracted:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977..
 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Claiborne County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 7, No. 1 :34. For availability, see Periodicals.

1830


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

1840


 * Full name index linked to appropriate scanned census image.

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, Claiborne County on page 152.

1850


 * Full name index linked to appropriate scanned census image.

1860


 * Full name index linked to appropriate scanned census image.
 * Bishop, Brenda C. 1860 Census, Claiborne County, Tennessee. Elizabethton, Tenn.: B.C. Bishop, 1985..

1870


 * Minton, Vestina Lewis. Claiborne County People. Harrogate, Tenn.: T. and V. Minton, 1980. . Includes 1870 Census.
 * Bishop, Brenda C. 1870 Census Tennessee: Transcription for Claiborne County. Tallahassee, Fla.: B.C. Bishop, 1983..

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Samuel D. Sistler. 1880 Census Claiborne County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1992..

Male Voters


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

1900


 * Minton, Vestina Laws. Claiborne County, Tennessee, 1900 (Census). Harrogate, Tenn.: T. and V. Minton, 1989..

Baptist

 * Big Spring. Church minutes (1795-1948), membership list for 1800 available on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Genealogy
More than 45 genealogies have been published about Bedford County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Claiborne County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 4 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Claiborne County.

Land
The original Claiborne County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to Z2 (1801-1895) and the Index (1801-1910). FHL copies:.


 * Willis, Laura and Betty Sellers. Claiborne County, Tenn. Deeds. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical, 1997-1998. Three volumes. v. 1. 1802-1806 -- v. 2. 1806-1810 -- v. 3. 1803-1808. Available at . Digital version of volume 2 is available at World Vital Records ($). All three volumes available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Index to Deeds 1801-1860. Southeastern Genealogy ($)

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

 * Holt, Edgar A. and Joy Bailey Dunn. Claiborne County. Memphis, Tenn.: Memphis State University Press, 1981..

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Claiborne County on page 152.
 * 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 Soldiers List, Pathways, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Mar. 2005).

War of 1812

 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. ; digital version at journal website. [Includes Claiborne County pensioners (p. 40)]

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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne County.

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Companies F and L.
 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company B and D.
 * 4th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Branner's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
 * 37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (7th Infantry) (1st East Tennessee Rifles) - CSA - Company B.
 * 61st Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Pitts') (81st Infantry) - CSA - Company H.
 * 25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company I (Lee Rangers later Lee Greys).

Union Soldiers


 * 6th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - Company E.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company G.
 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies B, L, and M.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Claiborne County:


 * Civil War Veterans Buried in Claiborne County. Hosted by rootsweb.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Claiborne County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Claims and Civil War Rosters.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Claiborne 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. Claiborne County, page 335-326.

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 Claiborne County click on the following towns:


 * Cumberland Gap
 * New Tazewell
 * Tazewell

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

Periodicals

 * Reflections
 * The Claiborne County Historical Society was founded in 1982 and publishes a quarterly entitled "Reflections." The Family History Library has current volumes beginning with Volume 5. For further information see website: Claiborne County Historical and Genealogical Society. Reflections is indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Probate Records
Claiborne County's early Will Books have been lost. Surviving records begin in the late 1830s. TSLA microfilmed Claiborne County Wills 1893 to 1932. FHL copy:.

Online Records


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


 * Wills, 1837-1865, 1893-1932 (5 vols.)
 * Inventories, Settlements, Wills, 1812-1814, 1839-1850, 1867-1898 (5 vols.)
 * Bonds, Letters, 1879-1903
 * Inventories, 1848-1940 (3 vols.)
 * Settlements, 1872-1902 (5 vols.)

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


 * Inventories and Settlements of Estates, Wills: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: 1812-1814
 * Online Images of Wills & Estates 1812-1814; 1839-1844; 1844-1850; 1867-1898; 1870-1892. SoutheasternGenealogy($)

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


 * 1812 - 1814 - Strictly By Name (see above).
 * 1837 - 1865 - Historical Records Project (W.P.A.). Will Books, 1837-1865, Claiborne County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. . Will Books A to D.
 * 1837 - 1846 - Claiborne County, Tennessee, Will Book A, 1837-1846. n.p.: Claiborne County Historical Society, 1992..
 * 1839 - 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 probate records. Free Lookups Available!
 * 1844 - 1865 - Fletcher, Virginia Billingsley. Index to the Probate Court Records Claiborne County, Tennessee 1844-1865: Estate Settlements, Wills, Inventories, Sales, Guardian Reports; the Records Copied by the Historical Records Survey Transcritpion Unit as Will Books B, C, D. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: V.B. Fletcher, 1993..
 * 1848 - 1851 - Claiborne County Will Books Vol. 1-1848-1851. Kentucky: Simmons Historical Publications. s.d. Digital version at World Vital Records ($); purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * 1851 - 1855 - Claiborne County Will Books Vol. 2-1851-1855. Kentucky: Simmons Historical Publications. s.d. Digital version at World Vital Records ($); purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * 1855 - 1865 - Claiborne County Will Books Vol. 3-1855-1865. Kentucky: Simmons Historical Publications. s.d. Digital version at World Vital Records ($); purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * 1878 - 1921 - Claiborne County, Tennessee, Bonds and Letters of Administration, December 1878 - August 1921. Kentucky: Simmons Historical Publications. s.d. Digital version at World Vital Records ($); purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

Taxation
The original Claiborne County Tax Books covering the years 1850 to 1900 (gaps) were microfilmed by the TSLA. FHL copy:.

The following Claiborne County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1803 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. Includes 1803 tax list.
 * 1803 - Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. . Includes 1803 petition.
 * 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 Claiborne County.
 * 1817 - "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. Includes Claiborne County.
 * 1836 - Douthat, James L. Claiborne County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee Civil District and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * 1839 - Lemasters, Paul W. and Claiborne County Historical Society. Claiborne County, Tennessee, 1839 Tax List. n.p.: Claiborne County Historical Society, 199-?..
 * 1857 - District No. 10, 1857, Pathways. Maynardville TN: Sep 2002. Vol. 21 Iss. 3.

Transportation

 * Stage Book Belonging to Harman Roberts, Sr., Claiborne Co., Tennessee, 1846-1848. MSS.;.

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

Birth

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


 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in Claiborne County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice. 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 Claiborne County Courthouse marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 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


 * 1838 - 1868 - 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. Free Lookups Available!


 * 1838 - 1895 - Claiborne County Marriage Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


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

Death

 * Wiefering, Edna and Cleveland Public Library. Claiborne County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1914 through 1925. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library, 1993..

For deaths of Methodists in Claiborne County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:


 * 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 - 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Claiborne County Tennessee Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

County Historical Society''' P.O. Box 32 Tazewell, TN 37879 Phone: 1-423-526-5737

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

Barbara Reynolds Carr Memorial Library 1304 Old Knoxville Road Tazewell, TN 37879 Phone: 1-423-626-5414

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Cumberland Gap Tennessee Family History Center (Arthur)

2063 Highway 63 Arthur, Claiborne, TN

Phone: 1-423-869-2481 Hours: By appt These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Claiborne County Tennessee Genealogy Websites

 * Claiborne County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Tennessee Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Tennessee Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Claiborne County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Claiborne County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Claiborne County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum
 * Claiborne County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Claiborne County TN Genealogy
 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Mailing List: TNCLAIBO (Claiborne County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: NE-TN (North East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-OZ (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: UPPEREASTTNL (Upper East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)