Hardin County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hardin County Courthouse 465 Main Street Savannah, TN 38372 County Courthouse Phone: 731-925-1000 County Clerk Phone: 731-925-3921 Circuit Court Phone: 731-925-1000 Chancery Court Phone:  731-925-8166

Clerk has marriage records from 1864, divorce, land, probate and court 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 West Tennessee county. Established 1819.

The county is named after "Joseph Hardin legislator of the Southwest Territory and State of Franklin."

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Hardin County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hardin 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 Hardin 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 ($)

1820


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

1833


 * Brown, Albert The 1833 census of males 21 and over, Hardin Co., Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee: History and genealogy, c1994.

1840


 * Curtis, Janet Austin 1840 U.S. census, Hardin County, Tennessee Fort Worth, Texas American Reference Publishing Company, 1972

1840 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, Western District, Hardin County on page 159.

1860


 * Brown, Albert The 1860 census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee A. Brown, c1998

1870


 * Brown, Albert The 1870 census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee A. Brown, c1994

1880


 * Sistler, Barbara 1880 census Hardin County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee B. Sistler and Associates, 2001
 * Brown, Albert The 1880 Census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee A. Brown, c1994

1890 Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Burress, Reita Jones. "1890 Civil War Veterans Census of Hardin County, Tennessee," available online.

1891 Male Voters 


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

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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * African American: Census takers found no free African Americans living in Hardin County, Tennessee in 1820.


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

Genealogies
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Hardin County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * Doss - Descendant of Reuben Jackson Doss (1820-1910), resident of Shelby, Colbert, and Marion counties, Alabama and Hardin County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 76381). Genetic signature available online (labeled Wi-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

Family Histories

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Hardin, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 45,000 entries.


 * Hitt, Andrew P. Hardin Co., Tennessee Biographical Sketches. MSS., microfilmed by TSLA in 1970s..


 * Bratton - Jones, Louise Brint Family History of our Brattons, Masseys and Martins Salt Lake City, Utah? L.B. Jones, 1985. Available at the Family History Library with a digital version at.
 * Brooks - Brooks, Moses Edward. Descendants of James Brooks. Unknown: unknown, 1974. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Cook - See Grimes
 * Grimes - Grimes, Jay Cook. Grimes, Cook and Related Families of Wayne County, Tennessee: A Genealogy. Related Families, Johnson, Morris, Montague, 1800-1960. Auburn, Alabama: J.C. Grimes, 1960. Available at and ; digital versions available at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Johnson - See Grimes
 * Martin - See Bratton
 * Massey - See Bratton
 * McDougal - The McDougal Family in Hardin County, Tennessee. MSS., Paducah, Ky. Microfilmed in 1963..
 * Montague - See Grimes
 * Morris - See Grimes
 * Rose - Rose, Christine. Ancestors and Descendants of Frederick Rose of Sussex County, Virginia, Orange County, North Carolina, and Wayne and Hardin Counties, Tennessee. San Jose, Calif.: C.C. Rose, 1980..

Land and Property Records

 * Hardin County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the Courthouse, 601 Main St., Savannah, TN 38372-2061; Telephone: (731) 925-3921.Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of deeds 1835-1892 with indexes1835-1903; land entries 1820-1820-1853, tax sales to the state 1896-1913; and survey books1824-1934.

Local Histories

 * Brazelton, B.G. A History of Hardin County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. ; digital version at Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Hardin County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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, Western District, Hardin County on page 159.
 * 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. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Hardin County pensioners (p. 66)

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Field's) - CSA - Company G.
 * 1st/27th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
 * 21st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wilson's) - CSA - Companies A, B, and F.
 * 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Company B.
 * 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company B.

Union Soldiers


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies C and D.
 * 6th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies G and H.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company E.
 * 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company E

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hardin County:


 * Quintard, Charles Todd. Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Sewanee, Tennessee: The University Press, 1905. Free digital copy. Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment.
 * Hardin County, Tennessee 1890 Civil War VeteransCensus. All spelling is taken like it was written. Contributed by: Reita Jones Burress, 2004.
 * TNGenWeb, Hardin County Tennessee History &amp; Genealogy, Military. Civil War Rosters and Pensions.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Hardin County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Corinth. Located in Hardin County and McNairy County, Tennessee; Alcorn County and Tishomingo County, Mississippi. Shiloh, located in Hardin County.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hardin 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. Hardin County, page 343-344.

Civil War Battle The following Civil War Battles were fought in Hardin County:


 * April 6 - 7, 1862 - The Civil War Battle of Shiloh took place in Hardin County, a few miles southwest of Savannah, on the Tennessee River near an area called Pittsburg Landing. Shiloh Military Park occupies this site today. Shiloh
 * April 29 - June 10, 1862 - Corinth See Map showing battle taking place in Mississippi.
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee.

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 Hardin County click on the following city:


 * Savannah

For deaths of Methodists in Hardin County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following resources:
 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 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

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search..


 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)


 * Hardin County Historical Quarterly. Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index
 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. . To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records
The County Court has responsibility for the probate records of Hardin County.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1836-1942 Hardin County portion of  at FamilySearch - images only; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1779-1861 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.
 * 1866-1902 Brown, Albert. Index to Guardians Settlement Records, Jul 1866 - Jul 1902. Bethel Springs, Tennessee: A. Brown, 1994. (FHL 976.829 P28b.)
 * USGenWeb's Hardin County page has links to some wills and estate records.

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 Hardin County Record of Tax Sales to the State records 1896-1913 were microfilmed by the TSLA. FHL copy:.

The original Hardin County State Tax on Mortgage records 1917-1928 were microfilmed by TSLA. FHL copy:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1821-1823 "Hardin County Sheriff Seeks to Collect Three Years of Unpaid Taxes," (1821-1823) Ansearchin' News, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring 2000):17-18. For access, see Hardin.
 * 1833 "1833 Enumeration, Hardin County, Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Winter 1983):159-163. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 29-30 (1982-1983);digital version at society's website. For further access, see Hardin.
 * 1836-1837 "Hardin County, Tennessee 1836 Civil District Map" and "Hardin County, Tennessee 1836 and 1837 Tax Lists," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Spring 1990):20-26; Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer 1990):81-87. For access, see Hardin.
 * 1836-1837 Brown, Albert. 1836 &amp; 1837 Tax List Hardin Co., Tennessee. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: History &amp; Genealogy, 1994..
 * 1862-1866 Direct Tax Assessment List, 1862-66, Hardin County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jul. 1982); Vol. 1, No. 2 (Oct. 1982); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr. 1983); Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan. 1984); Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1984); Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct. 1984); Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr. 1985); Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul. 1985); Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1985); Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 4 (Oct. 1986).

Birth

 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch

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
 * 1790-1962 - - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 - (Indexes only) at FamilySearch
 * 1838-1888 - at FamilySearch
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1859-1881 - Marriage records of Hardin County, Tennessee, 1859-1881. Digital Books. Book 1 Book 2.
 * 1860-1899 - Hardin County Marriage Index 1860-1899 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1865-1868 - Marriage records, 1865-1868, Hardin County, Tennessee. FHL Film 24684 item 3 +++
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1859-1887 - Hardin County, Tennessee, marriages index, 1859-1887 FHL US/CAN 976.831 V28 Book

Death

 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch
 * 1908-1933 - Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 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
 * 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 Digital Library;

Libraries
Hardin County Library 1365 Pickwick St Savannah, TN 38372 731-925-4314 Facebook Website
 * Genealogical Resources: Census Records, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, Probate Records, Newspapers including The Savannah Courier, Deeds, Court Minutes, Tax Lists, etc.

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee at Martin 731-881-7060 Hours vary by semester Website
 * The Heritage Study Center holds a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Museums
Tennessee River Museum 495 Main Street Savannah, TN 38372 Phone: 731-925-8181 website

Societies
Hardin County Historical Society P.O. Box 1012 Savannah, TN 38372 Website West Tennessee Historical Society P.O. Box 111046 Memphis, TN 38111 901-475-6608 [mailto:efrank@memphis.edu efrank@memphis.edu] Website

Websites

 * – 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.
 * Hardin County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Hardin County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)

Research Guides

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