Monroe County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Monroe County

East Tennessee county. Established 1819.





County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse 103 College Street Madisonville, TN 37354 Phone: 423-442-5940

Monroe County Clerk Marriage, probate and court records 103 College Street, Suite 1 Madisonville, TN 37354 Phone: 423-442-2220

Monroe County Register of Deeds Land records 103 College Street, Suite 3 Madisonville, TN 37354 Phone: 423-442-2440

Hours: Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.-Fri. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Wed. and Sat. 8:30 am - noon

History


The county is named after President James Monroe (1758-1831).

Parent County
1819--Monroe County was established 13 November 1819 from Cherokee Indian Lands. County seat: Madisonville

Record Loss
1860--Civil War damaged records


 * Lost censuses: 1820, 1890
 * Lack of marriage records: 1819 to 1837
 * Lost probate: 1819 to 1835

Although these are not burned records, applying strategies used for burned counties may aid in compensating for their loss. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Research Guides

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

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness offers to take photographs of headstones found in Monroe County cemeteries.

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

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: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

These records have also been abstracted:


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Monroe County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 5, No. 4 :180. For availability, see Periodicals.

1830


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

1840


 * McConkey, Lynn. 1840 Monroe County, Tennessee, Census. Vonore, Tenn.: Datis, Inc., 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 X2m 1840.

1850


 * Snow, Joy L. 1850 Monroe County, Tennessee Federal Census: With Index. Marshfield, Missouri: J.L. Snow, 200-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 X2s 1850 v. 1-2.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Monroe County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 X2s 1880.

1920


 * Wolfe, Violet Kirkpatrick, Kathleen Miller, Jim Steed, Carolyn Snider, and Vonore Historical Society. 1920 Monroe County, TN Census. 2 vols. Vonore, Tenn.: Vonore Historical Society, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 X29w 1920 v. 1 ff.

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


 * [Bell] Buland, Geraldine Joy Brown. Silas Bell of Wayne County, Kentucky (1787-186-): Blount and Monroe Counties, Tennessee; Murray County, Georgia; Titus County, Texas [and] Sons and Daughters to Dade and Lawrence Counties, Missouri; Pawnee County, Oklahoma; and Fayette County, Texas: Allied Lines [of] Aley, Byerly, Carter, Hall, Harrell, Loy, Mashburn, Wilson. Sepulpa, Oklahoma: Buland, Geraldine Joy Brown, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413f.
 * [Bent] See Carson.
 * [Blankenship] Blankinship, Leslie C. The Blankenship Family History. New Orleans, La.?: J. Q. Blankinship, 1967. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B611bL; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Blankensop] See Blankenship.
 * [Blankingship] See Blankenship.
 * [Boggs] See Boggs.
 * [Carson] McClung, Quantrille D. Carson-Bent-Boggs Genealogy. [Denver]: Denver Public Library, 1962. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C239; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Day] Day, James Edward. Descendants of Christopher Day of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Los Angeles?: J.E. Day, 1958. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D33d; FHL US/CAN Film 978076; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Dodd] Austin, Kim The descendants of George Berry Dodd and Martha Lavinna Teffteller [S.I. : s.n.], 1995 FHL book 929.273 D661. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Henderson] Mitchell, Reba Henderson. The Family of Samuel Henderson (1786-1867) of Monroe County, Tennessee: A Genealogical and Historical Record of Samuel Henderson and His Wife, Nancy Blair, Their Twelve Children and Their Descendants to the Present Generation. Manisonville, Tenn.: R.H. Mitchell, 1980. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 3154.
 * [Hensley] Schreibman, Laura and Laura Hensley. The Hensleys of Ballplay, Monroe County, Tennessee. Hazel Park, Michigan: L. Schreibman, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6391.
 * [Jones] Hall, Evelyn Cook and William C. Hall. The Jefferson Thomas Jones Genealogy: Being a History of Jefferson Thomas Jones, Born 14 Aug. 1828 near Madisonville, Monroe Co., Tenn. and Later Living in Park, Greene Co., Ind. and His Descendants of Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, etc.: Also Allied Families. [Nevada, Iowa]: E.C. Hall, 1985. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 J718h.
 * [Moser] Corder, Lula Lee and Pauline Moser Shook. Moser Family History, Monroe County, Tenn.: Descendants of Leonard Moser, c1716-1782. 2 vols. [Sandpoint, Idaho]: P.M. Shook, 1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M853cs ff.
 * [Moses] Ward, Edith Croft. The Moses Families of Big Creek: The Family Pages of Joshua and Sarah Samples Moses and Related Families, Monroe County, Tennessee. Clinton, Tenn.: E.C. Ward, 1995. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M853w.

Land
TSLA microfilmed the original Monroe County Deed Books A to Z (1820-1892), Trust Deed Books A to D (1868-1894) and Indexes to both (1820-1910). FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Microfilms 956238-956248.

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.] 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 TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Craddock, Charles Egbert, 1850 - 1922. The Story of Old Fort Loudon. New York, London : The Macmillan company,1899. Free digital copy.

Military
Indian Wars


 * Narrative of Capt. Handly, Capture, 1793, American Historical Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan. 1897).

Newspapers
A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is willing to do free obituary lookups in Monroe 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 Monroe County click on the following cities:


 * Madisonville
 * Sweetwater

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. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Monroe 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 records of Monroe 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.

East Tennessee Roots

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Monroe 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 D25e.

The Pellissippian

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Monroe 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 Monroe County ancestors went to prison!


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

Probate
TSLA microfilmed the original Monroe County Will Books 1 to 4 (1833 to 1922). FHL copy: FHL US/CAN Film 956237.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Monroe 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: 1833-1860
 * 2) Will Books 2, 3, 4: 1860-1922

The following Monroe County probate records have been indexed:


 * [1833-1861] 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 probate records.]

Taxation
TSLA microfilmed the original Monroe County Tax Books 1868, 1874, 1899-1900. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 956249-956250.

The following Monroe County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1825] 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 1825 tax list.]
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Monroe County: 1836 Tennessee Civil District and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 200-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 R4d.
 * [1861] McConkey, Lynn. Monroe Co. Tax List 1861. Purchase information at Monroe County, Tennessee, Local Resources.
 * [1874] McConkey, Lynn. 1874 Tax List. Purchase information at Monroe County, Tennessee, Local Resources.
 * [1899, 1912] McConkey, Lynn. Tax Lists - 1899 and 1912, Monroe County, Tennessee. n.p.: L. McConkey, 1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8883 R4m. Purchase information at Monroe County, Tennessee, Local Resources.

Vital Records
Marriage

Marriages were not officially recorded in Monroe County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

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


 * [1838-1870] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1987. FHL US/CAN 976.8 V2s v. 1. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]

Death

For deaths of Methodists in Monroe 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
A local volunteer, through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, offers to do genealogy lookups and make photocopies at Monroe County's public libraries.

The Vonore Historical Society C/O The Vonore Library 611 Church Street Vonore, TN 37885

Madisonville Public Library 4023 Hwy 411 North Unit C Madisonville, TN 37354 Phone: 423-442-4085

Monroe County Historical Society, Inc. Affiliate Chapter of the East Tennessee Historical Society P. O. Box 359 Sweetwater, Tn. 37874

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay Street P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-1629 Phone: 865-215-8824 Email: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Monroe County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Monroe County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Monroe County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Monroe County's Tennessee Local History Network (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNMONROE-L (Monroe 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)