Clay County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Clay 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 American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

Clay County Tennessee Courthouse
Clay County Courthouse 100 Courthouse Square Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 931.243.3145 County Clerk has marriage records from 1870. Clerk has probate records from 1870. County Assorr has land records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1870.

Clay County Courthouse 139 East Lake Ave. Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 1-931-243-3145

Clay County Clerk Marriage records P.O. Box 218 139 East Lake Ave., Suite E Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 1-931-243-2249

Clay County Clerk and Master Probate records P.O. Box 332 Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 1-931-243-3145

Clay County Assessor Land records P.O. Box 430 Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 1-931-243-3298

Clay County Clerk of Circuit Court Court records P.O. Box 156 Celina, TN 38551 Phone: 1-931-243-2557

Hours: Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.- Fri.8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Closed Wed.) Sat.8 a.m.-noon

Clay County Tennessee History


The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852).

Middle Tennessee county established in 1870. The western part of Clay County's land belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

Parent County
1870--Clay County was created 24 June 1870 from Jackson and Overton counties. County seat: Celina

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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

 * Cumberland County, Kentucky
 * Jackson
 * Macon
 * Monroe County, Kentucky
 * Overton
 * Pickett

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Clay 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

Cemeteries

 * Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Clay County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.

Census
1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Clay 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.

1810 - 1891


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

1890 Lost 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. . Clay County is included in Vol. 6.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..
 * 1890 Clay County veterans found on the 1890 Federal Census. Hosted by Rootsweb.

Male Voters 1891


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

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed. Clay County, Tennessee Census, 1920 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Clay County, Tennessee Census, 1920 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

Court

 * Clay County, Tennessee Court Records

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


 * Brown - Descendant of Daniel Brown, b. abt 1852 Kentucky or Alabama, m. Lusana Eudy 1877 Clay County, Tennessee, d. abt 1910 Kentucky. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 77320). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 46), 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

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


 * Clay County, Tennessee History and Families. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Publishing Co. Publisher's description.
 * Masters, Jack and Bill Puryear. Founding of the Cumberland Settlements: The First Atlas 1779-1804: Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots. Gallatin, Tenn.: Warioto Press, 2009. . Supplements: ff. Purchase at Cumberland Pioneer Settlers.

Bibliography


 * Donaldson - Waters, Elise Donaldson. Genealogy of Donaldsons of Wilson and Clay County, Tennessee; Colsons, Browns, and Hords of Virginia and Tennessee, and Related Families. Nashville, Tenn.: E.D. Waters, 1981..
 * Fowler - Waters, Elise Donaldson. Genealogy of Sylvanus Fowler of Newburgh, New York, Jackson and Clay County, Tennessee: and Related Families. Nashville, Tenn.: E.D. Waters, 1979..
 * Lincoln - Warren, Louis Austin. Hananiah Lincoln in Revolution and Pioneer History. Bloomington, IN: University Press, 1929. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online.

Land

 * Clay County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1871 and is located at Courthouse, POB 430 Celina, Tennessee 38551; 931-243-3298, Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds1871-1904. Land Grants
 * Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library.

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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 Clay County pensioners (pp. 40-41)

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

Regiments. Civil War service men from Clay 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 Clay County.

Confederate Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Clay County:


 * USGenWeb Archives, Clay County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Clay 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. Clay County, page 326.
 * 1890 Census for Pickett, Fentress, &amp; Clay Counties. Here is a listing of all Union Civil War veterans and their wives. It lists name, rank, company, town they lived in, any ailments, and county.

Since Clay County was not formed until December 1870, you will need to check the military records of its parent counties, Jackson County and Overton County for military records of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

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 Clay County click on the following city:


 * Celina

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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Clay County.

Periodicals

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

Probate Records
The Clay County Court has responsibility for probate records.

Online Records


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


 * Wills, 1871-1913 (Vols. A-B)
 * Bonds, 1871-1903 (3 vols.)
 * Insolvent estate records, 1875-1931
 * Settlements, 1873-1915 (2 vols.)

Taxation

 * 1789 - Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For access, see Periodicals.  Includes area that later became Clay County.

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 $


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages
The original Clay County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. The following Clay County marriage records are microfilmed:
 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1871 - 1993 - Available at TSLA.
 * 1871 - 1957 - Available at the Family History Library. Indexes are at the front of each volume.

The following Cannon County Courthouse marriage records have been indexed:


 * 1871 - 1895 - Clay County Marriage Index 1871-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1871 - 1873 - Marriage Records, 1871-1873, Clay County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939. Typescript. Item 2
 * Shrum, Shelta R. Early Clay County, Tennessee, Marriages. Lafayette, Tennessee: Ridge Runner, 2001.
 * 1790 - 1950 - - covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1780 - 2002 - Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.
 * Clay County is not included in Marriage Records. or in Marriage Records: Early–1850.


 * 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 $

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Clay County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, see:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Clay County (or what later became Clay County) between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:


 * 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.


 * 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

Clay County Tennessee Genealogy Libraries

 * Clay County Public Library  116 Guffey St., Celina, TN 38551-4088 Phone: 1-931-243-3442 E-Mail: [mailto:claycountylibrary@hotmail.com claycountylibrary@hotmail.com] Hours: Mon.–Tues. 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Wed. 3 p.m.–8 p.m., Thurs.–Fri. 8:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Sun. Closed The Clay county Library has a genealogical collection including local and family history.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Societies and Archives

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

Clay County Tennessee Genealogy Societies

 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Clay County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy &amp; History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005


 * Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. PO Box 575 Cookeville, TN 38503-0575 The Association includes 14 counties in upper middle Tennessee. It sponsors the Tennessee Room at the Putnam County Library in Cookeville, Tennessee which contains many records of genealogical value.

Clay County Tennessee Genealogy Websites

 * Clay County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Clay County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Clay County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)