Fentress County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Fentress County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1823.

County Courthouse
Fentress County Courthouse 101 Main Street South Jamestown, Tennessee 38556 Phone: 931-879-8615

County Clerk has marriage records Phone: 931-879-8014 Register of Deeds has land records Phone: 931-879-7818 Circuit Court Clerk has court records Phone: 931-879-7919

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm Saturday 8 am - noon

History
The county is named after "Tennessee state legislator James Fentress."

Parent County
1823--Fentress County was created 28 November 1823 from Overton and Morgan Counties. County seat: Jamestown

Record Loss
1905 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * Lost census: 1890

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


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Neighboring Counties

 * Cumberland
 * Morgan
 * Overton
 * Pickett
 * Putnam
 * Scott

Research Guides

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

Cemeteries
Fentress County cemeteries

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Fentress 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, these indexes are often more accurate than those available online.

1830
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

Census
1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Cumberland 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, these indexes are often more accurate than those available online.

1890 - Lost, but 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 5 1891. [Fentress County is included in Vol. 5.]
 * 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.

Court
Court records began in 1842

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

Bibliography


 * [Holt] Payne, Ruth Holt. A History of the Holt Family in Washington County, Arkansas. Lincoln, AR: Lincoln Leader, 1960. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1031513; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Huddleston] Huddleston, George. Huddleston Family Tables. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1933. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H866h 1973; FHL US/CAN Film 928072; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Taylor] Taylor, Lillian Goff. Around the Fan Chart, or, European Background and Ancestry of Three Brothers: Robert Goff Taylor, Born 1918, Harold Newell Taylor, Born 1923, Bruce Carson Taylor, Born 1939, Sons of Lawrence Robert Taylor, 1893-1959. Houston, TX: Universal Print. Co., 1968. Available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
Land records began in 1820.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Fentress County land records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:
 * 1) Deed Book A: 1820-1838
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1837-1843

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 Tennessee State Library and Archives 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 Tennessee State Library and Archives; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Hogue, Albert Ross. History of Fentress County, Tennessee: The Old Home of Mark Twain's Ancestors. Nashville, Tenn.: Press of Williams Printing Co., 1916. Digital version at Google Books. 1975 reprint: FHL US/CAN Book 976.869 H2ha.

Occupations

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

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 Fentress 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.

Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter

The Fentress County Historical Society was established in 1968. For further information regarding the newsletter and Society, see their website: www.fentresscountyhistorical society.org.

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Fentress 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Overton County, Tennessee Kin

"This newsletter, although called “Overton County,” covers all the area in Overton, Fentress, and Pickett County, TN along with Monterey in Putnam County, and Clinton, Wayne and Cumberland County in Kentucky”—Vol. 7, no. 4, p. 2. The Family History Library has vol. 1, issues 1-4; vol. 2, issues 1-4; vol. 3, issues 1-4; vol. 4, issues 1-4; vol. 5, issues 1-4; vol. 6, issue 1; vol. 7 issue 4, vol. 8, issue 2. FHL US/CAN 976.8684 B2n. Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

The Pellissippian

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Fentress County, Tennessee records were published in the The Pellissippian (25 vols., 1980-2004), the quarterly of the Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society. The society has posted tables of contents for all 25 volumes on their website. They also have back issues available for purchase. The Family History Library has acquired the first 20 volumes FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 D25p.

Prisons
Learn if your Fentress County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Probate
Probate records began in 1905

Taxation
The following Fentress County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1833] Barham, Eleanor R. and Elizabeth R. Nichols. "1833 Enumeration, Fentress County, Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Spring 1980):9-12. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. (600 names)
 * [1865] Tax List, 1865, Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter. Jamestown TN: Fall 1992. Vol. 4 Iss. 3.
 * [1872] Tax Books, 1872, Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter. Jamestown TN: Summer 1989. Vol. 1 Iss. 2; Fall 1989. Vol. 1 Iss. 3; Winter 1989. Vol. 1 Iss. 4; Spring 1990. Vol. 2 Iss. 1; Summer 1990. Vol. 2 Iss. 2; Fall 1990. Vol. 2 Iss. 3; Winter 1990. Vol. 2 Iss. 4; Spring 1991. Vol. 3 Iss. 1.
 * [1875] Dog Tax, 1875, Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter. Jamestown TN: Spring 1992. Vol. 4 Iss. 1.
 * [1892] Tax Book, 1892, Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter. Jamestown TN: Spring 1989. Vol. 1 Iss. 1.
 * [1892] Delinquent Tax List, 1892, Fentress County Historical Society Newsletter. Jamestown TN: Fall 1992. Vol. 4 Iss. 3.

Vital Records
Birth

Birth records began in 1914

Marriage

Marriage records began in 1905

Death

Death records began in 1914

For deaths of Methodists in Fentress 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.]

Societies and Libraries
Fentress County Historical Society PO Box 1431 Jamestown, TN 38556 Upper Cumberland Genealogical Society  Putnam Library 48 East Broad Street Cookeville, TN 38501

Family History Centers
Jamestown Tennessee Hwy 127 N Jamestown, Fentress, Tennessee, United States Telephone: 931-879-8708 Hours: By appointment only

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Fentress County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Fentress County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Fentress County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List)