Polk County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
Polk County was named for then-governor and future president James K. Polk. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Polk County Courthouse 6239 Highway 411 Benton, TN 37307 County Courthouse Phone: 423-338-4522 County Clerk Phone: 423-338-4526 County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-338-3100 County Clerk of Court Phone: 423-338-4524

Register of Deeds has land records. County Clerk has marriage and probate 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
Additional Information East Tennessee county.

The county is named after President James Knox Polk (1795-1849).

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 Polk County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Polk 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.

See Polk County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810-1891


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

1840


 * Snell, William R. and Bradley County Historical Society. 1840 Federal Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Cleveland, Tenn.: Mimeographed by Lee College Print Shop for Bradley County Historical Society, 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Polk County on page 154.

1850


 * Adams, Terri, Waunetta Ledford and Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1850 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 199?. . Free Lookups Available!

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Polk County is included in Vol. 1.

1860


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1860 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical Society, 1998. . Free Lookups Available!

1870


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1870 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1998. . Free Lookups Available!

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2s 1880. Free Lookups Available!

1891 Male Voters


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

1900


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1900 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000..

1910


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1910 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000..

1920


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1920 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000?. . Free Lookups Available!

1930


 * Presswood, Marian Bailey and Jo Ann Finnell. Polk County 1930 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2003..

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration.For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.


 * Polk County Church Records


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * If the records you need are not through the Family History Library, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived.Two sites that give information about churches in Polk County are:


 * - List of Polk County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)
 * - List of Polk County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

Baptist


 * 1879-1943 Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943.TSLA Reel #348
 * 1879-1900 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. vol.1 Index to original Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943.

Court Records

 * W.P.A. Polk County, Tennessee Court Minutes 1840-1843. Free Lookups Available!

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 TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Genealogies
General
 * As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Polk, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 20,000 entries.


 * The Heritage of Polk County, Tennessee, 1839-1997. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society (Tennessee), 1997..


 * Baily - Baily Family Bible Records, ca. 1838-1958. MSS.,.
 * Barnes - See Longley.
 * Cantrell - See Longley.
 * Curd
 * Hildebrand - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962..
 * Hood - Hood, Dellmann Osborne. The Tunis Hood Family. Portland, OR: Metropolitan Press, 1960. Available at ; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Land - Land, Barbara and Gary Land. The Land's &amp; the Staige's. 2 vols. Ukiah, Calif.: B. &amp; G. Land, 1994. ff.
 * Langley - See Longley.
 * Longley - Matthews, Addah Longley. Genealogy, Curd-Longley, Cantrell-Barnes. North Newton, KS: Mennonite Press, 1966. Available at [https:www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/280859-genealogy-curd-longley-cantrell-barnes?offset=1 FamilySearch]; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Quintrell - Quintrell: Family Bible Records, 1830-1941. MSS.,.
 * Ward - Bell, Annie W.B. Military and Genealogical Records of the Famous Indian Woman Nancy Ward. Typescript, 1961..
 * Ward - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962..
 * Ward - Holland, Hubert G. Nancy Ward A/K/A Cherokee Rose and Beloved Woman. Typescript,.
 * Whitson - McDuffee, Ted Ransom. Duff to McDuffee on One Leaf: The Family History James H. Duff-McDuffee and Nancy Ann Whitson with Ancestors and Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Pub., 1999..
 * Young - Stein, Carl F. Some Descendents of James Pickens Young 1815: of Polk, Rhea, Hamilton, Blount, &amp; Knox Counties, Tenn., Cherokee, &amp; Gaston Counties, North Carolina. Family Group Sheets..

Land and Property Records
Early Polk County Deed Books are lost. In 1970, TSLA microfilmed surviving Deed Books 1 to 10 (1897 to 1911), Trust Deed Books 1 to 4 (1894-1911) and a General Index (1897-1938). FS Library copies:.

Local Histories

 * History of Polk County 1839-1999. TNGenWeb

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Pension Applications Pertaining to Polk 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Polk County on page 154.
 * 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. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Polk County pensioners (p. 50).

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 — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers 


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company A.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C and D.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) - CSA - Companies C and D.
 * 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company A.
 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company F.
 * 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company A.
 * 59th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Cooke's) (Eakin's 1st Battalion) - CSA - Company K.
 * 62nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Rowan's) (80th Infantry) - CSA - Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Polk County:


 * Wiefering, Edna et al. Tennessee Union Soldiers: of Bradley, McMinn and Polk Counties Serving in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th TN Cavalry 5th TN Infantry and 5th TN Mounted Infantry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1996..
 * Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
 * Genealogy Trails History Group, Polk County Tennessee Military Page.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Polk County Tennessee Archives.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications Polk 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. Polk County, page 368-369.
 * Civil War Research From the Robert B. Barker Papers. The collection contains information on both Union and Confederate soldiers who have a Polk County connection.
 * Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Civil War in Polk County.

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 Polk County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Benton
 * Copperhill
 * Ducktown


 * 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?)

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

 * Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly and Newsletter: website..

Probate Records

 * Index to Polk County Wills 1894-1970, available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1873-1965 Polk 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.

Tax Records
The original Polk County Tax Books 1893-1902 were microfilmed by TSLA in 1970. Copies of their films are also available at the Family History Library:.

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 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 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 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 $
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1894-1907 - Marriage Records, Polk County, Tennessee, 1894 through 1907: Volumes 1, 2, 3. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, along with marriage dates.
 * 1894-1907 - Polk County Marriages: Vol. 4 Sept. 1894 - Sept. 1907, v. 1 - 4. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, officiators, and bondsmen, dates of marriage,  with vol. and pg numbers and "extra" information.
 * 1894-1970 - Polk County, Tennessee Marriages 1894 through 1970. .  Free Lookups Available!  Abstracts names of brides, grooms, officiators,  with marriage dates for early marriages;  more detail with recent marriages, includes vol. and pg. numbers.

Death
1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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

Family History Centers

 * Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center
 * Loudon Tennessee Family History Center
 * Maryville Tennessee Family History Center
 * Blount County Library - an affiliate library.
 * Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Benton Public Library 126 Polk Street Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 423-338-4536 Facebook Website

Societies
Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society P.O. Box 636 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 423-338-4506 Email: [mailto:presswood@comcast.net presswood@comcast.net] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Polk County, Tennessee: "A Hidden Treasure" (American Local History Network &amp; Tennessee Local History Network) Resources that will help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
 * Polk County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Polk County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Polk County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – 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: Polk County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)