Chester County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Chester 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 Colonel Robert I. Chester, a quartermaster in the War of 1812, an early postmaster in Jackson, and a federal marshal. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Chester County Courthouse P.O. Box 292 133 East Main St. Henderson, TN 38340 County Website Phone: 731-989-2233 Clerk of Circuit Court Phone: 731-989-2454 Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 731-989-2454 Register of Deeds Phone: 731-989-4991 County Clerk Phone: 731-989-2233 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records Register of Deeds has land records.

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:

Census Records
1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Chester County federal population schedules 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.

1880  - See parent counties


 * 1810-1891 Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry ($)

1890 Lost


 * 1890 - 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. . Johnson 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 ($)

Genealogies
General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Chester, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 4,500 entries.


 * Chester County, Tennessee, 1882-1995, History and Families. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1995. . Publisher's description.

Bibliography


 * Baird - See McConnell.
 * Barber - See McConnell.
 * Martin - See McConnell.
 * McCall - See McConnell.
 * McConnell - McConnell, Newton Whitfield. Genealogical History of the Families of McConnells, Martins, Barbers, Wilsons, Bairds, McCalls and Morris. Unknown: Unknown, 1913. Available at ; digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Morris - See McConnell.
 * Wilson - See McConnell.

Land and Property Records
Chester County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1891 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 205, Henderson, TN 38340-0205; Telephone: (901) 989-2233. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

The Family History Library has Chester County deeds 1891-1899.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records
War of 1812 There were no War of 1812 pensioners or widows of pensioners living in Chester County on 2 January 1883.

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
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Research Database
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I.
 * 21st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wilson's) - CSA - Companies C, D, F, and 2nd H.
 * 51st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies F and H.
 * 55th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Brown's) - CSA - Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Chester County:


 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Chester County. Index 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. Chester County, page 325.
 * Genealogy Trails, The Blue &amp; Gray of Chester County Tennessee. Chester County was not formed until after the Civil War was over.The men who fought in the war were from surrounding counties. These are the men and/or their wives who filed for pensions.

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 Chester County click on the following city:


 * Henderson
 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 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.

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;


 * Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search..


 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Family History Library has Volumes 1-16 and 30 . The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers are indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI). To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

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

Online Records


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1891-1938 - Chester County portion of at FamilySearch - images only; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.- How to Use this Collection

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
The original Chester County Tax Books 1890-1894 are kept at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, the TSLA microfilmed these records. FHL copy:.

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 Record
 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch Index may not be complete for all counties.- How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.- How to Use this Collection
 * 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 ($)
 * 1891-1895 - Chester County Marriage Index 1891-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

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


 * 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
Online Records Online Titles
 * 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
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Books Online; - Inventory stating where divorce records are housed.

Libraries
Chester County Library 1012 E Main St Henderson, TN 38340 731-989-4673 E-mail: [mailto:chester_library@bellsouth.net chester_library@bellsouth.net] Website
 * The Chester County Library contains a Genealogy Room.

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee at Martin 731-881-7060 Website
 * The Heritage Study Center holds a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to counties in Tennessee:

Societies
Chester County Historical Society P.O. Box 721 Henderson, TN 38340 Facebook West Tennessee Historical Society P.O. Box 111046 Memphis, TN 38111 Phone: 901-475-6608 E-mail: [mailto:efrank@memphis.edu efrank@memphis.edu] Website

Websites

 * Chester County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Chester County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Tennessee's Yesterday
 * Chester County Tennessee, Genealogy, History and Information (RootsWeb)
 * – 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: Chester County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)