Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Wayne County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1817.

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

County Courthouse


Wayne County Courthouse 200 Court Square Waynesboro, TN 38485 Phone: 931-722-5517

Wayne County Clerk Marriage and probate records 100 Court Circle P.O. Box 367 Waynesboro, TN 38485 Phone: 931-722-5544

Wayne County Register of Deeds Land records 100 Court Circle Waynesboro, TN 38485 Phone: 931-722-5518

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 am - 4:30 pm

History


The county is named after Revolutionary War General "Mad" Anthony Wayne (1745-1796).

Parent County
1817--Wayne County was established 24 November 1817 from Hickman and Humphreys Counties. Early records may be found under Hickman and Humphreys Counties. County seat: Waynesboro

Record Loss
1973--Fire damaged records


 * Lost census: 1890
 * Lost marriage records: 1817 to 1856
 * Lost probate records: 1817 to 1847

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


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

Research Guides

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

African Americans
Census takers found no free African Americans living in Wayne County, Tennessee in 1820.

Bible Records

 * Family Bible Records - Wayne County, Tennessee. Paducah, Ky.: Turner's Publishing Co. Purchase at publisher's website.

Cemeteries

 * Wayne County Historical society (Waynesboro, Tennessee) Wayne County, Tennessee, cemetery and death records Collinwood, Tennessee : Byler Press, 1987. FHL US/CAN book 976.839 V3w Free lookups available!

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Wayne County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. 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.

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975 Vol. 1.
 * Lauderdale County Library. Vertical files, Census records. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. Item 2.

1830


 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 1.

1840


 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 1.

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, Wayne County on page 158.]

1850


 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 2.
 * Porch, Deane. Wayne County, Tennessee 1850 Census. Franklin, Tennessee: Louise G. Lynch, 19--?.

1860


 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 2.
 * Miller, Judy M. Slave Owners 1860 Census, Wayne County, Tennessee. S.l.: Judy M. Miller, 200-?. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

1870


 * Byler, Edgar D. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 3.

1880


 * Brown, Delores R. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census Records. Collinwood, Tennessee: Byler Press, 1975. Vol. 4.
 * Sistler, Barbara and Byron Sistler. 1880 Census Wayne County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1999.

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:

The 1891 registration has been published and indexed twice:


 * Bridges, Alec F. Special, 1891, Tennessee Census, Wayne County: Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward. [Columbia, Tenn.: A.F. Bridges], 1994. FHL US/CAN Book 976.839 X2b.
 * 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 8 1891. [Wayne County is included in Vol. 8.]

There is also the 1890 Census of Civil War Veterans:


 * Moore, Gerald K. 1890 census of Wayne County, Tennessee : (Census Made in February, 1891) S.l.: G.K. Moore, 200-?. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

1910


 * Brown, Doris R. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census 1910. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: X-Press Graphics, 1992.

1920


 * Brown, Doris R. Wayne County, Tennessee, Census 1920. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: X-Press Graphics, 1992.

1930


 * Moore, Gerald K. The 1930 census of Wayne County, Tennessee [S.I.]:G.K. Moore,[200-?] FHL book 976.839 X2. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

Court

 * Berry, Nelle J. (transcribed by) Wayne County, Tennessee, Chancery Court loose records [Iron City, Tennessee] : N.J. Berry, c1994-1997 [Lawrenceburg, Tennessee : Family Tree Press) FHL US/CAN book 976.839 P2b v.1-5 Free lookups available!

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Wayne County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Brown] Descendant of John Franklin Brown, b. abt 1830, d. aft 1920 of Wayne County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kits 79837). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 3), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.

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


 * Wayne County Historical Society. Wayne County, Tennessee History and Families. 2 vols. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1995. FHL US/CAN Book 976.839 H2t v. 1 ff.

Bibliography


 * [Cook] See Grimes
 * [Creacy] Holt, Stacey E. The Creacy/Creecy Family of Wayne County, Tennessee. Collinwood, Tenn.: S.E. Holt, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 8024.
 * [Grimes] Grimes, Jay Cook. Grimes, Cook and Related Families of Wayne County, Tennessee: A Genealogy. Related Families, Johnson, Morris, Montague, 1800-1960. Auburn, Alabama: J.C. Grimes, 1960. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G883gc and FHL US/CAN Film 1321218 Item 4; digital versions available at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * [Haddock] Koontz, Dewie Lucas. The Haddock Family of Cypress Inn, Wayne Co., Tn.: and Descendants. Arlington, Texas: D. Koontz, 1989. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H117kd.
 * [Hasty] Hasty, Warren H. William Jordan Hasty and descendants Minneapolis, Minnesota:W.H. Hasty,2004. FHL book 929.273 H279w. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Horton] Lancaster, Beverly. Some Shipman and Horton Families of Wayne County, Tennessee and Searcy County, Arkansas. Orchard Lake, Mich.: Beverly M. Lancaster, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H789L.
 * [Johnson] See also Grimes
 * [Johnson] Massat, Theresa Fickling. History and Genealogy of John Johnson of Wayne County, Tennessee, and His Descendants, 1777-1990. n.p.: T.F. Massat, 1990?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 J633m.
 * [Kyle] Raymond, Edith Madeline Replogle and German Burnett Kyle. German Burnett (G.B.) Kyle of Logan County, Arkansas and His Wayne County, Tennessee Ancestors: Duckworth, Kyle, Nesbitt, Staggs, Wilson and Their Descendants and Allied Families. Pullman, Washington: E.M.R. Raymond, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K984r.
 * [Lackey] Nelson, Mary Lee Lackey. The Lackey Lines of Northern Arkansas: Their Descendants and Related Families. Independence, Missouri: M.L.L. Nelson, 1984. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L118n.
 * [Moore] Culver, Lillye Moore and C.W. Moore. The Moore's of Wayne County, Tennessee. n.p.: L.M. Culver, 1969?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M781cL.
 * [Morris] See Grimes
 * [Montague] See Grimes
 * [Rose] Rose, Christine. Ancestors and Descendants of Frederick Rose: of Sussex County, Virginia, Orange County, North Carolina, and Wayne and Hardin Counties, Tennessee. San Jose, Calif.: C.C. Rose, 1980. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R72rch.
 * [Shipman] Lancaster, Beverly. Some Shipman and Horton Families of Wayne County, Tennessee and Searcy County, Arkansas. Orchard Lake, Mich.: Beverly M. Lancaster, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H789L.
 * [Simmons] Jenkins, Jack S. William Simmons of Wayne County, Tennessee and Descendants. San Antonio, Texas: J.S. Jenkins, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si47j.
 * [Sinclair] Sinclair, Thomas Graham. The Samuel Sinclair and Hettie Jane Roach Family of Wayne County, Tennessee. Palm Desert, Calif.: T.G. Sinclair, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si62st.
 * [Whitten] Byler, Edgar D. and Rolla Whitten. The Whitten Family of Wayne County, Tennessee. Microfilmed in 1980. FHL US/CAN Film 1293983 Item 16.

Land

 * Gray, James A. Wayne County, Tennessee abstracts of deed records, 1820-1839 Hot Springs, Arkansas : J.A. Gray, c1985. FHL US/CAN book 976.839 R28g Free lookups available!


 * Gray, James A. Wayne County, Tennessee abstracts of deed records, 1839-1853 Hot Springs, Arkansas : J.A. Gray, c1987. FHL US/CAN book 976.839 R2g Free lookups available!


 * Moore, Gerald K. Landowners, Wayne County, Tennessee [S.I.]:G.K. Moore,[200-?] FHL book 976.839 R2m(1877,1886,1895,1905,1915,1925,1935,1945,1955.). Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

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.] 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 TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Moore, Gerald K. Early Life in Wayne County, Tennessee. 2008. Digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * Wayne County Historical Society (Waynesboro, Tennessee) Wayne County, Tennessee history and families Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1995. FHL US/CAN book 976.839 H2t v.1-2  Free lookups available!

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Revolutionary War Pension Abstracts and Bounty Land Warrant Applications Wayne County, Tennessee Residents

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, Wayne County on page 158.]
 * 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.]

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98; Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1961):122-124. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Wayne County pensioners (p. 122).]
 * War of 1812 Pension Application Abstracts, Wayne County, Tennessee Residents Courtesy:TNGenWeb

Civil War


 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Korean War


 * Wayne County Historical Society (Waynesboro, Tenn.). Korean War Veterans: Wayne County, Tennessee. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 2004. FHL US/CAN Book 976.839 M2k.

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 Wayne County click on the following cities:


 * Clifton
 * Collinwood
 * Waynesboro

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 Wayne County.]
 * Moore, Gerald K. Business Licenses, 1879-1890, Wayne County, Tennessee [S.I.]:G.K. Moore,[200-?] FHL book 976.839 U3. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Wayne County, Tennessee records 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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Wayne 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 River Counties

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Wayne County, Tennessee records were published in The River Counties Quarterly, (14 vols.) edited by Jill K. Garrett. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2rc.

The Wayne County Historian

The Family History Library has all volumes to the present. FHL US/CAN 976.839 B2w Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) For further information see website: http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/wchs.htm Digital version of The Wayne County Historian, Volumes 19 and 20 available at BYU Family History Archives.

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


 * For free lookups of Wayne County, Tennesse wills and administrations 1848-1920 click here.

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


 * [1848-1861] 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 probate records.]

Taxation
The following Wayne County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1836] Tax List, 1836, Wayne County Historian, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Jun. 1992); Vol. 5, No. 3 (Sep. 1992); Vol. 5, No. 4 (Dec. 1992); Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar. 1993).
 * [1836] Murphy, Jerry W. "1836 Wayne County Tennessee Tax List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Includes 1836 Civil District Map, and 1836 Commissioner's Report.]
 * [1838] Tax List, 1838, Wayne County Historian, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Sep. 1993).
 * [1838] Murphy, Jerry W. "1838 Wayne County Tennessee Tax List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1866] Byler, Edgar D. "Registered Voters in the 10th &amp; 11th Civil Districts - 1866, Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1866] Byler, Edgar D. "1866 Commissioners' Report to Redistrict Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1877] Moore, Gerald K. "1877 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1886] Moore, Gerald K. "1886 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1890] Moore, Gerald K. "1890 Tax List Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1890] Moore, Gerald K. 1890 Taxpayers in Wayne County, Tennessee. S.l. : G.K. Moore, 200-?. Free online digital copy.
 * [1891] Higdon, Barbara. "1891 Voter's List Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1895] Moore, Gerald K. "1895 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1905] Moore, Gerald K. "1905 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1915] Moore, Gerald K. "1915 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1925] Moore, Gerald K. "1925 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1935] Moore, Gerald K. "1935 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1945] Moore, Gerald K. "1945 Land Owners Wayne County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.

The following article, based on Wayne County's tax records, was published in 2007:


 * Tax and Assessment Statistics, 1877-1955, Wayne County Historian, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Sep. 2007).

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


 * [1857-1871] 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 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1857-1929] Plott, Irma Matthews Marriage records of Wayne County, Tennessee, 1857-1929 [S.I. : s.n., 1983?] FHL US/CAN book 976.839 V2p Free lookups available!

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Wayne 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

 * Wayne County Public Library Highway 64 East, PO Box 630 Waynesboro, Tennessee 38485 931-722-5537 Telephone: 931-722-5537 Wayne County Public Libraries The Wayne County Public Library is affiliated with the library system that serves Wayne County, TN.

Societies

 * Wayne County Historical Society P.O. Box 866 Waynesboro, Tennessee 38485-0866 Website: http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/wchs.htm Quarterly periodical: The Wayne County Historian The society was founded in 1970. It has programs designed around topics that relate to the history, genealogy, folklore and archaeology of the county


 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Wayne County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and 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

LDS Family History Centers
There are no LDS family history centers in Wayne County, Tennessee. To find the nearest family history center, click here.

Web Sites

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