Rhea County, Tennessee Genealogy

Rhea County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Rhea County (established 1807) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Quick Dates
Rhea County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Rhea County Courthouse 1475 Market Street Dayton, TN 37321 Phone: 423.775.7808 County Clerk has marriage records from 1808. Register of Deeds has land records.

  Rhea County Clerk Marriage and probate records 375 Church St., Suite 101 Dayton,TN 37321 Phone: 1-423-775-7808

Rhea County Register of Deeds Land records 375 Church St., Suite 106 Dayton, TN 37321 Phone: 1-423-775-7841

Hours: Mon. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

History
East Tennessee county.

The county is named after U.S. Congressman John Rhea (1753-1832) from Tennessee.

Parent County
1807--Rhea County was established 30 November 1807 from part of Roane County. Early records may be found under Roane County. County seat: Dayton

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (female)

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
1869 and 1927  Fires damaged courthouse records.


 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1820
 * Lost probate records: 1808 to 1825

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Rhea County biography, birth, cemetery, census, court, death, history, land, marriage (white and black), military, newspaper, school, tax, and voters records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Rhea 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
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Wilson County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * Wilson Co. TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * Wilson County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * TheFamilySearch Catalog lists some . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Wilson County cemeteries
 * Watts Bar Reservoir Cemeteries. Free Lookups Available!


 * Waterhouse Cemetery, Dayton Billiongraves. Includes Google map.

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Rhea 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 Rhea County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810 - Lost, but a substitute is available:


 * Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001..

1820 - Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, which cites the original document numbers, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. ; digital version at Lineages. Covers this county.

These records have also been abstracted:


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Rhea County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 1 :37. For availability, see Periodicals.

1830


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1830 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis Reed. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1830 for Rhea County, Tennessee. Rockwood, TN: Unknown, 1965. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($) and - free. Free Lookups Available!
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..

1840


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1840 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis Reed. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1830 [and 1840] for Rhea County, Tennessee. Rockwood, TN: Unknown, 1965. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($) and - free. 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, Rhea County on page 154.

1850


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1850 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis and Pollyanna Creekmore. 1850 Rhea County, Tn. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1983. . Free Lookups Available!

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..
 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Rhea County is included in Vol. 1.

1810 - 1891


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

1860


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1870


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1870 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..

1880


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Rhea County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991..

1880 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..

1891 Male Voters


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

1900


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1920


 * Tallent, Seth, Henrietta Tallent and Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society. Rhea County, Tennessee, 1920 Census. Spring City, Tenn.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995..

Church
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.


 * Rhea 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 Rhea County are:


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


 * Rhea County Churches and Schools. Free Lookups Available!

Baptist


 * 1807 - 1937 - Salem Baptist Church Records. Dayton, 1807-1937. Manuscript. TSLA Reel #465.
 * 1807 - 1900 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. vol. 2 Index to original Salem Baptist Church Records. Dayton, 1807-1937.

Methodist


 * Historical Records Project. Quarterly Conference of the Washington Circuit of the Holston Conference Methodist Church South, Rhea County, Tennessee. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940. Manuscript. Item 3

Episcopal


 * Green, William. Life and Papers of A.L.Pl Green, D.D.. Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Methodist Pulblishing House, 1877. Free digital copy.

Court

 * County Court Minutes 1834-1840. Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court Minutes 1840-1844. Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: January 1853 - October 1866. Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: October 1866 - December 1871. Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: December 1871 - April 1876. Free Lookups Available!
 * Rhea County, Tennessee County Court Minute Book April 1876 - August 1881. Free Lookups Available!

Education

 * Bryan College Yearbooks - misc. volumes between the 1940s-present. Freely available via the Internet Archive.

Family Histories
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 Rhea, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 25,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Edmonds - Yadon, Laurence J. The Newton J. Edmonds Family of Rhea County, Tennessee and Greene, Laclede and Webster Counties, Missouri. Tulsa, Oklahoma: L.J. Yadon II, 1980..
 * Shultz - Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. . The Shultz family is discussed in Vol. 2.
 * Smith - Mayes, C. Vale. A Genealogy and History of Smith Family of Rhea Co. Tn. and Barry Co. Mo. with Their Related Families, 1772 - 1982. n.p.: C.V. Mayes, 198?..
 * Walker - Bowman, G. Ralph. Some Descendants of Captain George Walker, 1745-1833: of Fauquier, Virginia; Burke County, North Carolina; Knox, Rhea &amp; Bledsoe Counties, Tenn. n.p.: G.R. Bowman, 1978, 2004. . Digital version available at.
 * Wasson - Murray, J.L. Ancestry of James S. Murray of Campbell County, Tennessee and the Wasson Family of Rhea County, Tennessee. MSS., microfilmed in 1983..
 * 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..

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 6 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Rhea County.

Land
In 1969, TSLA microfilmed original Rhea County Deed Books A to M (1808-1879). FHL copies:.

The following Rhea County land records have been abstracted:


 * Gray, David H. and Bettye J. Broyles. Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Books. 2 vols: Deed Books A to E (1809-1831), Deed Book F (1831-1838). Dayton, Tenn.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1987.  ff. 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. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * A Compendium of Rhea &amp; Meigs, Tn 1801-1850. Free Lookups Available!
 * The History of Rhea County. Free Lookups Available!

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

The 1840 Census of Pensioners has been abstracted multiple times:


 * 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, Rhea County on page 154.
 * Revolutionary &amp; Military Pensioners, 1840, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Fall 1978).

Additional resources include:


 * 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Rhea County pensioners (p. 50).

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

Regiments. Civil War service men from Rhea 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 Rhea County:

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Companies A and D.
 * 16th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Neal's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company D.
 * 26th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (3rd East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company E.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company B.

Union Soldiers


 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company B.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Rhea County:


 * 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.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Rhea County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Rhea 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), (accessed 1 Feb 2012). Online at Internet Archive. Rhea County, page 369-370.

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 Rhea County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Dayton
 * Rhea Springs
 * Spring City

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. . Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Rhea County.

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
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Rhea County, Tennessee 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
 * East Tennessee Roots
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Rhea County, Tennessee records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots.
 * Rhea Notes
 * The Family History Library has volumes 1 - 9 (1987 - 1995) . Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI). For further information see Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society Facebook Page.

Prisons
The original Rhea County Wills, Settlements &amp; Inventories are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1969, GSU microfilmed these records for the years 1825 to 1967:.

Online Records


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




 * Wills, 1825-1967 (7 vols.)
 * Bonds, 1956-1968
 * Bonds, Letters, 1890-1969 (8 vols.)
 * Claims against estates, 1922-1969 (2 vols.)
 * Administrations, Wills, 1841-1852
 * Inventories, Wills, 1825-1840
 * Settlements, Wills, 1850-1860
 * Settlements, 1858-1938 (4 vols.)

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Rhea County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * Will Book A: 1825-1840
 * Will Book 1: 1852-1881

The following Rhea County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1808 - 1851 - Bell, Annie W.B. Rhea County, Tennessee, Wills, 1808-1851. Typescript, pre-1935..
 * 1810 - 1881 - Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County, Tennessee Wills, Inventories, Estate Settlements and Guardian Reports 1810-1881. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1989. . Free Lookups Available!
 * 1825 - 1860 - Historical Records Project (W.P.A.). Will Books, 1825-1860, Rhea County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1940. . Includes inventories and administrations for certain years.
 * 1825 - 1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . Includes an index to this county's probate records.Free Lookups Available!
 * 1825 - 1840, 1852 - 1881 - Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
In 1969, the TSLA microfilmed the original Rhea County Tax Lists 1832-1834. FHL copy:.

The following Rhea County tax records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1808 - 1809 - Tax List, 1808-9, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 3 (May 1987).
 * 1808, 1819 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. Includes 1808 and 1819 tax lists.
 * 1808, 1819 - Mary Barnett Curtis, Early East Tennessee Tax Lists (Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964), . Includes 1808 and 1819 tax lists.
 * 1808 - 1850 - Broyles, Bettie J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. 1980. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * 1808 - 1809 - Tax List, 1808-9, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 3 (May 1987).
 * 1808 - "1808 Tax Lists of Rhea County," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * 1809 - Tax List, 1809, Rhea Notes, Vol. 9, Nos. 3-4 (May 1995).
 * 1810 - Tax List, 1810, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jul. 1987).
 * 1810 - Tax List, 1810, Rhea Notes, Vol. 9, Nos. 5-6 (Sep. 1995).
 * 1811 - Tax List, 1811, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 5 (Sep. 1987); Vol. 1, No. 6 (Nov. 1987).
 * 1814 - Tax List, 1814, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Mar. 1988).
 * 1814 - "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3(Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. Includes Rhea County.
 * 1815 - Tax List, 1815, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 3 (May 1988).
 * 1816 - 1817 - Tax List, 1816, 1817, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul. 1988).
 * 1818 - Tax List, 1818, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 5 (Sep. 1988).
 * 1819 - 1829 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County Tax Lists, 1819 through 1829. Chattanooga, Tenn.: B.J. Broyles, 199-?..
 * 1823 - Thornton, Mabel H. "Rhea County, Tennessee, Tax List - 1823," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1964):9-20. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * 1832 - 1834 - Wells, Carol. Rhea County, Tennessee: Tax Lists, 1832-1834 and County Court Minutes, Colume D: 1829-1834. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1996..
 * 1832 - 1834 - Wells, Carol. Tennessee. CD-ROM. . Includes 1832-1834 tax lists.
 * 1833 - Vincent, Don. Missouri Heartlands, Family Records. 2 vols. 1991-1993. . Includes Rhea County 1833 tax list.
 * 1836 - "Rhea County, Tennessee 1836 Plat Map and Civil District Descriptions," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * 1837 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County: Taxable Property and Polls for 1837. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1992. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * 1850 - 1900 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. ; online: free surname index and purchase details. Free Lookups Available!
 * 1866 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee 1866 Tax List. Spring City, Tennessee: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.

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 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Births 1908-1912. Free Lookups Available!


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1924 - 1939 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Births 1924-1939. Free Lookups Available!

Marriage

 * 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 $

The following Rhea County marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1808 - 1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1987. . Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years. Free Lookups Available!


 * 1812 - 1920 - Rhea County Marriage Index 1812-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org- free.


 * 1850 - 1900 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Rhea County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see the following resources:


 * 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

 * 1925 - 1939 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Deaths 1925-1939. Free Lookups Available!

For deaths of Methodists in Rhea County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try seaarching the following records:


 * 1847 - 1914 - 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.


 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Rhea County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society P.O. Box 31 Dayton, TN 37321 E-mail:info@rheahistory.com

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay St. P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, TN 37901-1629 Phone: 1-865-215-8824 E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Clyde W. Roddy Library 371 First Ave. Dayton, Tennessee 37321 Phone: 1-423-775-8406 E-mail: info@clyderoddy.org

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Mailing List: TNRHEA-L (Rhea County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: SE-TN-L (Southeast Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Rhea County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Rhea County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Rhea County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rhea County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)