Sumner County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Sumner County





Middle Tennessee county established in 1786. Sumner County belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

County Courthouse
Sumner County Courthouse 355 North Belvedere Drive Gallatin, TN 37066 Phone: 615-452-4282

Sumner County Archives 365 North Belvedere Drive Gallatin, TN 37066 Phone: 615-452-0037 The archives is the official depository and research facility for county records. Almost all early county records are housed in the Archives. Hours: 8 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 4:30 pm Mon. - Fri.

Sumner County Clerk Marriage and probate records 355 N. Belvedere Drive, Room 111 Gallatin, TN 37066 Phone: 615-452-4063

Sumner County Register of Deeds Land records 355 North Belvedere Drive, Room 201 P.O. Box 299 Gallatin, TN 37066-0299 Phone: 615-452-3892

Sumner County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 101 Public Square P.O. Box 549 Gallatin, TN 37066 Phone: 615-452-4367

Hours: Monday - Thursday 8 am - 4:30 pm Friday 8 am - 5:15 pm

History
The county is named after "Jethro Sumner (1733–1785), an American colonist who defended North Carolina against the British in 1780."

Parent County
1786--Sumner County was established 18 November 1786 from Davidson County. Early records may be found under Davidson County. County seat: Gallatin

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810
 * County records are complete

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Sumner 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.)
 * "Genealogical Research in Sumner County," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Fall 1988). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * "Sumner County Research," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Winter 1992). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

African Americans

 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1860 Sumner County, Tennessee Census, available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Sumner 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.

1790 - Lost, only statistics survive, but substitutes are available:


 * Eakle, Arlene. Tennessee Research. 2010. Purchase information at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog. [Includes a reconstructed 1790 census, sources: "Contemporary lists–tax lists, militia rolls, land grants and deeds, claims for pre-emption lands, names recorded in diaries and journals. And numerous histories compiled by local historians from records that we have not seen or read ourselves."]
 * Fulcher, Richard Carlton, comp. 1770-1790 Census of the Cumberland Settlements: Davidson, Sumner and Tennessee Counties (In what is now Tennessee). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2f; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990. FHL US/CAN Films 1728882 Item 4 and 1683130 Item 3.

1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.

Church
Methodist Episcopal


 * Mathews, Reverend John D.D. Peeps into Life Autobiography. Methodist Episcopal Church Tennessee Conference, 1904. Free digital copy.

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


 * Cisco, Jay Guy. Historic Sumner County, Tennessee, with Genealogies of the Bledsoe, Gage and Douglass Families and Genealogical Notes of Other Sumner County Families.Nashville, Tenn. Folk-Keelin Printing Company, 1909. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive. 1909 edition: FHL US/CAN Film 24838. 1984 index: FHL US/CAN Book 976.847 H2cj index. 1977 index: FHL US/CAN Book 976.847 H2c index.
 * Masters, Jack and Bill Puryear. Founding of the Cumberland Settlements: The First Atlas 1779-1804: Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots. Gallatin, Tenn.: Warioto Press, 2009. FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d. Supplements: FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 E7d supp. 1 ff. Purchase at Cumberland Pioneer Settlers.
 * Schell, William Buck. Genealogical Records: Schell, Cantrell, Sanders, Douglas, Baker Families, Sumner County, Tennessee - Fort Worth, Texas. Typescript, Clayton Library, Houston, Texas. Microfilmed in 1982. FHL US/CAN Film 1317399 Item 1.
 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Red River Settlers: Records of the Settlers of Northern Montgomery, Robertson, and Sumner Counties, Tennessee. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1980. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.84 D2w. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Bibliography


 * [Garrison] Garrison, Lloyd Russell. The Descendants of John Garrison of Sumner County, Tennessee. Denton, TX: Terrill Wheeler Print. Co., 1961. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Green] Green, Elmore Allen. Edward Green of Sumner County, Tennessee: and Descendants. [Portland, Tenn.: n.p., 1972]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G821g.
 * [House] House, Luther Porter and Henry B. Brackin. Chronological Summary for Jacob and Micajah House Families and Descendants: Edgecombe County, North Carolina to Sumner County, Tennessee (1772-1988). [Atlanta?, Ga.: L.P. House?], 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 5975.
 * [Lauderdale] Lauderdale, Charles J. The Lauderdales of Scotland and America, 1056-1936. Joplin, MO: Gahagan Print. Co., 1937. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1307515 Item 5, digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Tate] Carpenter, Evelyn Yates. Tate and Allied Families of Robertson County, Tennessee: Includes the Nearby Tennessee Counties of Davidson, Sumner, and Wilson. Includes Virginia and North Carolina, the States of Tate Family Origin. Includes Counties in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Throughout the United States Where Many Tate Families Migrated. Clarksville, Tenn.: Jostens, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T187c.
 * [West] Giulvezan, Isabel Stebbins. Notes on Amos West (1766-1819) of Sumner County, Tennessee, and Logan County, Kentucky. 1960. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W52gi; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [West] Ikelman, Joy Hagen. Leonard West (1760-1842) and Descendants: A History of the West Family in Sumner County, Tennessee, Simpson County, Kentucky, and Pueblo County, Colorado: Includes Information on Couwenhoven, Dorris, Frost, Hendricks, Holloway, McMurry, Morgan, Schenck, Wyckoff. Longmont, Colo.: J.H. Ikelman, 1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W52i.

Land
Deeds

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


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1797-1798
 * 2) Deed Book 1: 1793-1797
 * 3) Deed Book 2: 1798-1802
 * 4) Deed Book 3: 1800-1805

Land Grants


 * Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d.

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

 * Albright, Edward. Early History of Middle Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Brandon Printing Co., 1909. Free digitzed copy.


 * Jay Guy. Historic Sumner County, Tennessee, with genealogies of the Bledsoe, Gage and Douglass families and genealogical notes of other Sumner County families. Nashville, Tenn. Folk-Keelin printing company, 1909. Free digital copy.

Migration

 * Johnson, Mrs. Ross B. Some Early Settlers in Hickory County, Missouri from Sumner and Wilson Cos., Tenn.: with Some Genealogical Data on the Jordan L. Rhea Family, the Thomas Davis Family, the Robert Davis Family, the John S. Williams Family, the Elisha T. Condley Family. Typescript, microfilmed in 1975. FHL US/CAN Film 928082 Item 13.

Military
Civil War


 * Duke, Basil Wilson. History of Morgan's Cavalry. Cincinnati: Miami Printing and Publishing Co., 1867. Free digital copy. Includes 9th Regiment, Tennessee Calvary (Ward's).
 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Sumner 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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Sumner 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.

Bits and Pieces

For additional information see Sumner County Historical Society website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnsumner/schs.htm

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Sumner 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.

Prisons
Learn if your Sumner 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
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Sumner 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:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1789-1822
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1823-1842
 * 3) Will Book 3: 1842-1870
 * 4) Will Book 4: 1870-1891
 * 5) Will Book 5: 1891-1906

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


 * [1788-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's wills.]
 * [1789-1906] Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
The following Sumner County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1787] Moore, Betty Givens. "Sumner County, Tennessee, [1787] Tax List and [1817] Petition," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):133-135. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1787, 1792, 1811, 1816, 1823] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1787, 1792, 1811, 1816, and 1823 tax lists.]
 * [1789] Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1810] 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810. [Cites Sumner County 1810 Tax List, from Early Tax Lists microfilm reel #5; TSLA, Nashville.]
 * [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 Sumner County.]
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Sumner County.]

Vital Records
Birth

Marriage

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


 * [1787-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1787-1838] Whitley, Edythe Rucker Whitley and Gary Parks. Marriages of Sumner County, Tennessee, 1787 - 1838. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1981. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.847 V2w. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * [1787-1875] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]

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


 * 1) Marriages 1787-1798

Death

For deaths of Methodists in Sumner 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.]

Libraries

 * Edward Ward Carmack - Sumner County Public Library 658 Hartsville Pike Gallatin, TN 37066 Phone: 615-452-1722


 * Elmer Hinton Memorial Public Library 301 Portland Blvd Portland, TN 37148 Phone: 615-325-2279 Fax: 615-325-7061 Email: portlandlibrary@bellsouth.net Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10 am - 8 pm Wednesday and Friday 10 am - 6 pm Saturday 10 am - 2 pm The Bailey Museum is located within the Portland Public Library Email: ehmlgenealogy@bellsouth.net The museum includes the James Bailey Tennessee History Collection, Tandy Civil War Collection, Dr. Samuel Collins Collection, James Harold Haynes Collection, newspapers, cemtery records, obituaries, death records, land records and more. Museum hours: Tuesday 10 am - 3:30 pm Wednesday 10 am - 3:30


 * Curtis-Hendersonville Public Library 116 Dunn St Hendersonville, TN 37077 Phone: 615-824-0656 Hours: Monday and Thursday 10 am - 8 pm Tuesday and Wednesday 10 am - 6 pm Saturday 10 am - 2 pm


 * Westmoreland Public Library 2305 Epperson Springs Road Westmoreland, TN 37186 Phone: 615-644-2026 Hours: Monday 11 am - 6 pm Tuesday 11 am - 7 pm Wednesday 10 am - 6 pm Friday 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 10 am - 3 p m


 * White House Inn Library and Museum 412 Hwy 76 White House, TN 37188,br&gt;Phone: 615-672-0239 Fax: 615-672-9733 Hours: Monday - Wednesday 10 am - 5:30 pm Thursday Noon - 8 pm Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Societies

 * Sumner County Historical Society P O Box 1871 Gallatin, Tennessee 37066 Publication: Bits and Pieces


 * Bledsoe's Lick Historical Association, Inc. Wynnewood Old Highway 25 Box 210 Castalian Springs, Tennessee 37031


 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Sumner County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

Family History Centers
Gallatin Tennessee 1360 E Main St Gallatin, Sumner, Tennessee, United States Telephone: 615-452-2741

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

Web Sites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * Sumner County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Sumner County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Sumner County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Sumner County, Tennessee Genealogists Companion. (RootsWeb) Transcribed documents acquired from micro-film and original records.