Tennessee, Putnam County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from the circuit and chancery courts of Putnam County. The records include disputed property and estates, wills, divorces and records of other civil proceedings.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The names of primary individuals
 * The place of residence
 * The approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth to locate census,church, and land records
 * Use the occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records
 * Use the records to identify heirs and relatives and to learn about adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents
 * Use the document (such as the will) or the recording dates to approximate a death date
 * Use the information in probate records to substitute for civil birth and death records since the probates exist for an earlier time period
 * Probate and divorce records may have clues about land transactions and guardianships of minor children
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the deceased or the testator
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after 1900
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning or end of individual volumes. Local historical and genealogical societies may also have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Tennessee.
 * Tennessee Guided Research
 * Tennessee Record Finder
 * Tennessee Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Mary Jean DeLozier. Putnam County, Tennessee, 1850-1970. [Cookeville, Tennessee : Putnam County, 1979] FS Library 976.867 H2d]
 * Putnam County, Circuit Court records, 1842-1901
 * Putnam County, Chancery Court records, 1867-1955
 * Putnam County, Circuit Court minutes, 1842-1856, 1899-1901
 * Putnam County, Circuit Court minutes, 1842-1856
 * Putnam County, Bible, family and tombstone records
 * Putnam County, Deeds, 1854-1903; index to deeds, 1854-1911
 * Putnam County, Surveys, 1825-1839
 * Putnam County, Probate records, 1874-1918
 * Putnam County, Tax books, 1854-1855
 * Putnam County, Marriage records, 1878-1951

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.