Hamblen County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
Hamblen County was named for Hezekiah Hamblen (1775-1854), an early settler, landowner, attorney, and member of the Hawkins County Court for many years. Governor Dewitt Clinton Senter, a resident of the county, used his influence to assist in its establishment. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hamblen County Courthouse 511 W 2nd N Street Morristown, TN 37814 County Courthouse Phone: 423-586-9112 County Clerk Phone: 423-586-1993

County Circuit Court Clerk Hamblen County Justice Center 510 Allison St. Morristown, TN 37814 Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 423-586-5640 Chancery Court Clerk Phone: 423-586-9112

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1870. Clerk and Master has divorce records. Clerk Circuit Court has 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:

History Timeline

 * 1786 The land which eventually became Hamblen County was first organized by the State of Franklin in March 1786 from parts of Greene and Sullivan counties under the name of Spencer later Hawkins County, and from part of Greene County under the name Caswell.
 * 1786 The North Carolina legislature created a parallel county of Franklin's Spencer County and called it Hawkins County. It was known by both county names while Franklin's statehood efforts lasted up to 1788. Since then the land on which the lost county of Spencer County was located has been called Hawkins.
 * 1792 Southwest Territory, using land from its Greene and Hawkins counties, erected a new county named Jefferson County.
 * 1796 All these lands also became part of the new State of Tennessee, and Grainger County was split off from Hawkins County.
 * 1870 Tennessee used parts of Hawkins, Grainger, and Jefferson counties to form Hamblen County.

Additional Information

Hamblen County is named after Tennessee pioneer Hezekiah Hamblen.

The land which eventually became Hamblen County was first organized by the State of Franklin in March 1786 from parts of Greene and Sullivan counties under the name of Spencer later Hawkins County, and from part of Greene County under the name Caswell.)., However, the Franklin statehood effort faded by 1789. Spencer and Caswell counties existed only briefly, their legality is questionable, and little trace remains.

The records of lost Spencer County are now found Spencer The records of lost Caswell County are now found Caswell

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Hamblen County.
 * Cheek's Cross Roads, Tennessee, store journal 1802-1807. c2001. By Ann Kicker Blomquist. Baltimore, Maryland Gateway Press. . Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Census Records
1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hamblen 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 ($)

1880


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Hamblen County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1993..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist


 * DeBoard, George Mitchell et al. Personal Records of a Minister: Rev. George Mitchell DeBoard, Grainger County, Tennessee; Includes Many People from Hancock, Hawkins and Hamblen Counties, Tennessee). Dallas, Texas: H.P. Garner, 2001?..

Genealogies

 * Flagg - Descendants of Josiah Flagg of Berkeley County, W. Va.; with Sketches of the Flagg, Keyes, Foss, Shively, Hughes, Slemons and Campbell Ancestries. Boston: Press of T.R. Marvin, 1920.Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
 * King - History of the King Family of Hamblen County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed in 1939..
 * Lee - Lee Family Collection, ca. 1613-1924. Typescript..
 * Miller - Wine, Cecil J. The Michael Miller Family. Radford, VA: Commonwealth Press, 1964. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Land and Property Records
The original Hamblen County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, the TSLA microfilmed Deed Books 1-10 (1870-1891) and Indexes (1870-1952). Copies of their films are available at the FamilySearch Library:.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * Russellville, Brief History of Soldiers, 1776+, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Aug. 2002).

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at Ansearchin' News. Includes Hamblen County pensioners (p. 66).

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Research Database
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 12th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Day's) - CSA - Company D.
 * 59th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Cooke's) (Eakin's 1st Battalion) - CSA - Company I.
 * 60th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Crawford's) (79th Infantry) - CSA - Company H.
 * 61st Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Pitts') (81st Infantry) - CSA - Company G.

Union Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company D.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hamblen County:


 * TNGenWeb, Hamblen County Civil War Page.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Hamblen County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hamblen 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. Hamblen County, page 340.
 * The Civil War &amp; Morristown.

Civil War Battles The following Civil War battle was fought in Hamblen County.
 * November 11-13, 1864 - Bull's Gap.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

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 Hamblen County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Morristown
 * Whitesburg


 * 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?)

Other Records
 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

Private Papers
 * Diary and Scrapbook of Catherine (Kate) Livingston, 1857-1868, Hamblen County, Tennessee. Typescript, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tenn..

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. Perform keyword searches and read online articles of previous issues at Ansearchin' News at Tennessee Genealogical Society.
 * East Tennessee Roots: Published by East Tennessee Roots The table of contents for some issues are available on their website;.
 * A genealogical article with abstracts of Hamblen County, Tennessee records has been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to this publication's articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The FamilySearch Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots.


 * Hamblen Heritage:FamilySearch Library has Volume 1 - 13 (1986 - 1998) Hamblen Heritage is indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)

Probate Records
The original Hamblen County Loose Wills are held at the County Archives. In 2007, the Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed these records, date range: 1870 to 1974:.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1870-1974 Hamblen 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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
The original Hamblen County Tax Books 1877-1889 (gaps) are held at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, the TSLA microfilmed these records. A copy of their film is also available at the FamilySearch Library:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1860 Morristown Property Tax, 1860, Hamblen Heritage. Morristown TN: Spring 2000. Vol. 15 Iss. 2.
 * 1890 1890 Tax Book - Hamblen County, Tennessee. Purchase through Hamblen County Archives.
 * 1896 Delinquent Tax Payers Notice, 1896, Hamblen Heritage. Morristown TN: Summer 2007. Vol. 22 Iss. 3.

Vital Records

 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Birth

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

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 [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
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1871-1895 - Hamblen County Marriage Index 1871-1895 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
 * 1902-1950 - Williams, Marguerite White and Hamblen County Genealogical Society. Death Records of Hamblen County, Tennessee, 1902-1950. Morristown, Tenn.: Hamblen County Genealogical Society, 1995..
 * 1908-1952 - Tennessee Death Certificates 1908-1952 Free lookups available at TN GenWeb.
 * 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
 * 1796-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1800-1965 - Tennessee. Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Available at Ancestry ($)
 * 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Archives
Hamblen County Archives 511 West Second North Street Morristown, TN 37814 Phone: 423-586-1961 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Johnson City/Watauga/Gray Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Kingsport Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Morristown Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * King Family Library - an affiliate library.
 * Knox County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Morristown-Hamblen Public Library 417 West Main Street Morristown, TN 37814 Phone: 423-586-6410 Website Walters State Community College, R. Jack Fishman Library 500 S. Davy Crockett Pkwy. Morristown, TN 37813 Phone: 423-585-6903 Website

Societies
Hamblen County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1213 Morristown, TN 37816-1213 Phone: 205-305-6504 Email: [mailto:earleensides@gmail.com earleensides@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

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