Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy

Washington County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Washington County (established 1777) 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.

Description
The County was named for George Washington. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

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

County Courthouse


Washington County Courthouse 100 East Main Street P O Box 219 Jonesborough, TN 37659 Phone: 1-423-753-1621

County Clerk has birth records 1908-1912 and 1925-1938, marriage records from 1787 and probate records from 1779. Register of Deeds has land records.

Washington County Clerk Marriage and probate records Birth records 1908-1912 and 1925-1938 100 East Main St. P.O. Box 219 Jonesborough, TN 37659 Phone: 1-423-753-4716

Washington County Register of Deeds Land records 100 East Main St. Jonesborough, TN 37659 Phone: 1-423-753-1644

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

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History
The county was named after George Washington (1732-1799) who became the First President of the United States in 1789.

In 1776 settlers in what would eventually become Tennessee successfully petitioned North Carolina to recognize the Washington District. The District included all of modern Tennessee except two small settlements (North-of-Holston, Fincastle County, and Pendleton, Washington County) in the far northeast that were considered part of Virginia at the time. From the Washington District North Carolina created Washington County in 1777 as the western county of North Carolina.

In August 1784 delegates from Washington and two other western North Carolina counties which had split off from Washington (all now in Tennessee), declared their Independence from North Carolina because of perceived neglect, and misuse by North Carolina’s legislature. By May 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the new State of Franklin. The Franklin statehood request was denied. By 1789 the hopes for a State of Franklin faded. North Carolina refused to recognize several counties created by Franklin out of Washington County.

North Carolina became a state in 1789 and ceded her westernmost counties to the United States. The ceded counties, including most of Washington County, became the Southwest Territory.

In 1792 North Carolina annexed back some land from Washington County that would later become Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties in North Carolina and attached it to Wilkes County, North Carolina. In 1796 the remainder of Washington County and the rest of the Southwest Territory became the new State of Tennessee.

East Tennessee county established in 1777. Originally part of the pioneer Watauga Settlements, from 1784 to 1788, this land was also claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.

See also Washington (old) County, North Carolina, originally called Washington District, North Carolina, for further information about Washington County, Tennessee.

Parent County
1777--Washington County was created 15 November 1777 from Washington district. County seat: Jonesborough

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
1839 Fire damaged courthouse records.

Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820

Research Guides

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

Getting Started
For early settlers, Fischer's book is a great place to start searches. She created a comprehensive index to pre-1800 Washington County court, land, marriage, probate, and tax records, see:


 * Fischer, Marjorie Hood. Tennesseans before 1800: Washington County. Galveston, Texas: Frontier Press, 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 N22f.

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Washington County biography, court, and probate 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.

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Bibles

 * Watauga Association of Genealogists. Tennessee Bible and Family Records. Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 1996. . Free Lookups Available! Washington County families are the primary focus.

Biographies

 * Biographical Sketches Washington County (transcribed by Louise M. Jackson from Goodspeed's History of Tennessee County Histories Nashville, Tenn., 1886-1887), available online, courtesy: David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator


 * Bennett, Charles M. Washington County, Tennessee Tombstone Inscriptions by Charles M. Bennett and Watauga Association of Genealogist, compiled by Loraine Bennett Rae in 3 volumes. Nashville, TN: TRAECO Printing, 1977.


 * Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Washington County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.

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

1790 Lost Only statistics survive, but substitutes are available see Taxation, and:


 * 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."
 * Jackson, Ronald Vern. Ohio, 1790, Volume Two. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1986. . Includes "Territory Southwest of the River Ohio," i.e. East Tennessee.
 * McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990. Item 4 and  Item 3.

1800  A substitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 Lost 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. ; Google Books.

1810 - 1891


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

1820 Lost

1820 Manufactures

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

Published abstracts:


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


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Washington County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4 :247. For availability and an online description, see Periodicals.

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..
 * Streleski, Nelda. Washington County, Tennessee, 1830 Census. Champaign, Ill.: Decatur Genealogical Society, 1968..

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, Washington County on page 154.

1860


 * Padgett, Hilda Britt. Washington County, Tennessee 1860 Census. n.p.: H.B. Padgett, 2000..

1870


 * Padgett, Hilda Britt. Washington County, Tennessee 1870 Census. n.p.: H.B. Padgett, 1997..

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Washington County, Tennessee. Nashville: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1994. . Free Lookups Available!

1890 Lost Substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. . Washington County is included in Vol. 7.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters


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

Baptist

 * Antioch. Antioch Baptist Church Records, 1950-1981
 * Cherokee. Church minutes and membership lists (1787-1923) available online.

Court
Superior Court


 * Rogers, Pauline and WPA. Washington County, Tennessee, Superior Court Minutes 1791-1804. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1999..

Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Washington County families. To view a list, visit Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 8 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Washington County.

Land
Deeds

The original Washington County Deed Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1969, TSLA microfilmed Deed Books 1 to 53 (1782-1887) and an Index (1783-1900). FHL copies: -.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Washington 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:

Some Washington County land records have been abstracted:


 * c1771-1815 - Pruitt, A.B. North Carolina Land Warrants in Tennessee, Valid and Invalid. Whitakers, N.C.: A.B. Pruitt, 2004..
 * 1775-1817 - Rae, Lorraine. Washington County, Tennessee, Deeds (1775-1817). 2 vols. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1991..
 * 1778-1783 - Meier, Oveda. Entry Taker's Report, 1778-1783, Washington County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1987..
 * 1779-1866 - Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.). General Index to Deeds, 1779-1866, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed in 1940. Items 1-2.
 * 1780-1820 - Meier, Oveda. Washington County, Tennessee, Index to Early Land Owners, 1780-1820. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1989..
 * 1802-1904 - Pruitt, A.B. Washington Co., TN, Land Entries: 1802-1805, 1824-1875, 1879-1904. n.p.: A.B. Pruitt, 2007..
 * 1803-1899 - Toms, Gary R. and William R. Gann. Widows’ Dowers of Washington County, Tennessee, 1803-1899. Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Pub. Co., 2004..

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina

The original Washington County land entries issued by North Carolina are kept at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. On their website, users can bring up a list of land entries issued in Washington County, both before and after its land became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1770-1803.

Instructions:


 * 1) Follow this link to conduct a "Call Number Search" using the MARS Catalog on their site.
 * 2) Using the pull down window, change "Call Numbers starting" to "A MarsID matching."
 * 3) Type 12.14.20 (Windows Vista users may need to include a period after the last digit, for example 12.14.20.) and click Search. This is the specific MarsID for Washington County.
 * 4) Click on the entry that is returned: "Tennessee, Washington County."
 * 5) In the window that pops up, click Show List of Child Records and a list of Washington County land entries will be produced. Browse to find abstracts of the original records.

N.B. You can also search by name through the Basic Search, but it lacks soundex capabilities.

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

 * Cox, Joyce and W. Eugene (eds). History of Washington County, Tennessee. Jonesborough TN: Washington County Historical Assn., 2001.
 * Watauga Association of Genealogists. History of Washington County, Tennessee, 1988. Johnson City TN: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 1988. LC 88-51330.

Maps

 * 1777-1985 - Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * 1779 - Reeves, Charles A. Sullivan &amp; Washington Counties [Tennessee], the County Bounds in 1779. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Lusk identified 82 early land grants on the Watauga River and prepared a map showing their locations, along with abstracts of the grants, in:


 * Lusk, Ann. "Early Settlers on the Watauga River," Bulletin of the Watauga Association of Genealogists, Vol. 35, No. 1 (2006):60-71.

Migration
Lusk identifies many residents of Augusta County, Virginia who migrated to pioneer Washington County, Tennessee in:


 * Lusk, Ann. "Some Early Settlers in Washington County, Tennessee," Bulletin of the Watauga Association of Genealogists, Vol. 34, No. 3 (2005):143-145.

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Washington Countians in the Revolutionary War
 * 1840 Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services Tennessee-Eastern District From Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, c1841 Southern Book Co., 1954
 * Washington County Revolutionary War Veterans, courtesy of TNGenWeb.

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, Eastern District, Washington County on page 154.
 * Allen, Penelope Johnson. Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution: A Roster of Soldiers Living During the Revolutionary War in the Counties of Washington and Sullivan. n.p.: Tennessee Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1935..
 * King's Mountain Participants (sel.), Holston Pastfinder, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Sep. 2001).
 * Loyalists, 1778-82 (selected), Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Feb. 1991).
 * Pension Office Names, 1836, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 2 (1996).
 * Pension Roll, 1835, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2000).
 * Pensions, 1834, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 2 (1994).
 * 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.
 * Rejected or Suspended Revolutionary War Pensions, June 7, 1832, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2007).
 * Revolutionary &amp; Military Pensioners, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1983).
 * Revolutionary War Stub Indents Books, 1782, North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1975).
 * Washington County Tennessee Men at Kings Mountain, Holston Pastfinder, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Sep. 1999).

War of 1812

 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98; Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1961):122-124. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Washington County pensioners 8(3):95, 8(4):122.
 * War of 1812 - Soldiers from Washington County, Tennessee Courtesy:TNGenWeb

Online Probate Records 


 * War of 1812 Records; Pensions of 1818 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Pensions of 1818 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Indian Wars

 * Service against Chickamaugas, 1790 Claims, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Dec. 1989).
 * Certificates of Capt. J. Hadley, 1788, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1995).

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
 * Civl War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Company M.
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
 * 26th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (3rd East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company B.
 * 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies G and I.
 * 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company F (Walker's Battalion).
 * 37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (7th Infantry) (1st East Tennessee Rifles) - CSA - Company F.
 * 60th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Crawford's) (79th Infantry) - CSA - Companies A, C, D, F and K.
 * 63rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Fain's) (74th Infantry) - CSA

Union Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies D, E and F.
 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company M.
 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies I and M.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Washington 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, Washington County Tennessee Archives. Military Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Washington 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. Washington County, page 381-384.
 * TNGenWeb, Washington County Tennessee Civil War Veterans. Links to the 2nd NC Mounted Infantry, 4th TN Cavalry Company B and Battle of Limestone Station.

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 Washington County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Johnson City
 * Jonesborough
 * Limestone


 * The Kingsport Times (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * Kingsport News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * Kingsport Times News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

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 Washington County.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1779-2008- Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1779-1800 Images of Wills and Estates Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1779-1857 Index to Will Bk 1 Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1782-1787 Deeds Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1783-1786 Deeds Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1784-1792 Deeds Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1787-1795 Minutes of the Court Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1788-1799 Minutes of the Court Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1791-1804 Minutes of the Court Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1800-1809 Minutes of the Court Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1802-1809 Minutes of the Court Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1870-1950 Widows Dowers Guardianship Papers, Inventories Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1876-1940 Guardian Bonds Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1878-1928 Settlements by Guardians Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1884-1944 Administrators Settlements, Guardian Bonds, Inventories Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Apprentice Bonds Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Bills of Sale Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1825-1826 Fines Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Insanity Papers Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Jury View Papers Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Land Entries Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Land Petitions Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Petitions before Congress Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Promissory Notes Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Road Petitions Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Stray Land Indentures Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1788 and 1796 Tavern Petitions and Licenses Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Title Bonds; Titles of Books stored in Basement of Court House Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * Watauga Assocation of 1772 Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Wills

The original Washington County Wills are kept at the County Courthouse. They have been microfilmed twice:


 * 1) Will Books 1 to 4 (1779-1889). Microfilmed in 1969 by TLSA. FHL copies: ;.
 * 2) Wills and Index 1779-1889. Microfilmed in 1999 by the Genealogical Society of Utah: Items 2-3,.


 * Wills index, 1779-1889
 * Wills, 1779-1924 (7 vols.)
 * Bonds, Letters, 1875-1950 (9 vols.)
 * Insolvent estate records, 1852-1867
 * Inventories, 1779-1924 (14 vols.)
 * Settlements, 1790-1935 (19 vols.)

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Washington 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 1: 1779-1858
 * Will Book 2: 1858-1889

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


 * 1777-1872 - Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Washington County, Tennessee, Wills, 1777-1872. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1983. . Free Lookups Available!
 * 1778-1820 - Huffine, Ethel Depew and Ruth Stuart. Washington County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills. Johnson City, Tenn.: Parrish Print., 1961..
 * 1779-1860 - Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.). Washington County Will Books, 1779-1860; Estate Records, 1779-1860. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed in 1940., -.
 * 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 wills. Free Lookups Available!
 * 1779-1889 - Strictly By Name (see above).
 * 1790-1841 - Shell, Vera E. and WPA. Washington County, Tennessee, Settlements of Estates (1790-1841). Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1999..
 * 1790-1841 - Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. Washington County, Tennessee Settlement of Estates: 1790-1841. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1999..
 * 1803-1899 - Toms, Gary R. and William R. Gann. Widows’ Dowers of Washington County, Tennessee, 1803-1899. Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Pub. Co., 2004..

Taxation
The original Washington County Tax Books (1778-1885) are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in 1969. FHL copies: -.

The 1778 tax records for Washington County contain an accounting of the name of every tithable freeman over 21 years of age, the poll tax, amount of the estate, and the sum to pay.

The original Washington County Record of Land Sales 1911-1914 for Delinquent Taxes were microfilmed by TSLA in 1969. FHL copies: Item 2.

The earliest Washington County tax records, through 1850, have been published and indexed:


 * 1778 - Taxpayers, 1778,East Tennessee Historical Society Publications. Knoxville TN: 1962. Issues 34 and 35.
 * 1778, 1814, 1819 - Mary Barnett Curtis, Early East Tennessee Tax Lists (Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964), . Includes 1778, 1814, and 1815 tax lists.
 * 1778, 1787 - Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index . Includes 1778 and 1787 tax lists.
 * 1778-1850 - Rasmussen, Geoffrey D. East Tennessee Tax Records Index. [1778-1850] 3 vols. Westminster, Md.: Heritage Books, 2005..
 * 1778-1801 - McCown, Mary Hardin, Nancy E. Jones Stickley and Inez E. Burns. Washington County, Tennessee Records, Vol. 1: Washington County Lists of Taxables, 1778-1801; Abstract of Washington County Minutes; Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1778-1801; Lists of Officers of Washington County, 1778-1801; Miscellaneous Records in Washington County. Johnson City, Tenn.: Mary Hardin McCown, 1964..
 * 1787-1799 - Tax Lists, 1787-99, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Aug. 2001).
 * 1787-1790 - Taxpayers, 1787-90, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Aug. 1989).
 * 1788 - East TN Taxpayers, 1788, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Apr. 1989).
 * 1790 - DeLoach, Javan Michael. "Washington County 1790 List of Taxables," [4 parts] available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. Source: MSS., Washington County Courthouse.
 * 1798-1852 - List of Taxables, 1798-1852, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1995). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1814-1819 - Historical Records Project. Tax List, 1814-1819, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn.; Item 2.
 * 1814, 1819 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. . Includes 1814 and 1819 tax lists.
 * 1814 - Tax List, 1814, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Summer 1973). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1815 - Tax List, 1815, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1982). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1815-1819 - Washington County, Tennessee, Lists of Taxables, 1815-1819 (photocopies), in Watauga Association of Genealogists Collection, Accession No. 295, Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn.
 * 1816 - Tax List, 1816, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 1 (1983); Vol. 12, No. 2 (1983). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1817 - Tax List, 1817, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 1 (1984); Vol. 13, No. 2 (1984). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1818 - Tax List, 1818, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1984); Vol. 14 Iss. 1 (1985). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1819 - Tax List, 1819, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 2 (1985); Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 1986). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1830 - Williams, Sherman (Mrs.). "Washington County, Tennessee Tax Lists - 1830," Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Summer 1972):63-78. FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w v. 1. For further access, see Periodicals. Source: original manuscripts, Courthouse, Jonesboro, Tenn.
 * 1831-1833 - Washington County, Tennessee, Lists of Taxables, 1831-1833 (photocopies), in Watauga Association of Genealogists Collection, Accession No. 295, Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn.
 * 1840 - Tax List, 1840, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1975). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1850 - Tax List, 1850, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 2 (1975). For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1890 - "Washington County 1890 Tax List Images," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1891 - "Washington County 1891 Tax List Images," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.

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 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
For a detailed discussion about accessing Washington County marriage records, see the following resources:.

State Marriage Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 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 original Washington County Marriage Licenses and Bonds are kept at the County Courthouse. They have been microfilmed twice:


 * Marriage Record Books 0 [sic] to 12 (1787-1962) and Marriage Bonds and Licenses (1886-1929). Microfilmed in 1969 by TSLA; FHL copies:,  -.
 * Marriage Licenses and Bonds, 1787-1950. Microfilmed in 1999 by the Genealogical Society of Utah; corresponding FHL call numbers are not consecutive and some of the films remain in the Granite Mountain Records Vault; link to.

These records have been abstracted several times. Each editor was selective in the amount of detail he or she published. As guides to lead you back to the original sources, Huffine and Hougland surpass the others as they cite pages numbers from the original volumes. The following is a list of these publications:


 * 1778-1820- Huffine, Ethel Depew and Ruth Stuart. Washington County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills [1778-1820]. Johnson City, Tenn.: Parrish Print., 1961. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates of license and marriage, as well as citations to volume and page numbers. Source: original courthouse records.


 * 1780-1870 - 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 or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years. Free Lookups Available!


 * 1780-1870 - Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Washington County, Tennessee Marriages, 1780-1870. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1985. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, as well as dates of license and marriage.


 * 1787-1922 - Washington County Marriage Index 1787-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.


 * 1787-1859 - Historical Records Survey. Marriage Records of Washington County, Tennessee, 1787-1859. Nashville, Tenn.: TSLA, 19--. Item 2.


 * 1787-1840 - Grammer, Norma Rutledge and Marion Day Mullins. Marriage Record of Washington County, Tennessee, 1787-1840. 1949; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1973. ; earlier edition: Item 8. Free Lookups Available! Abstracts names of brides, grooms, bondsmen and dates of license and/or marriage.


 * 1787-1814, 1892 - Hougland, Margaret et al. "Washington County, Tennessee Marriage Records, 1787-1814, 1892," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates associated with the marriages, as well as many citations to volumes and page numbers; additional details recorded for 1892 entries.


 * 1838-1846 - Historical Records Project. Marriage Records, 1838-1846, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville. Microfilmed in 1940. Item 1.


 * 1871-1899 - Hougland, Margaret W. et al. Washington County, Tennessee Marriage Records, 1871-1899. Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2004. . Abstracts portions of Marriage Books 2 and 5; complete abstracts of Books 3 and 4. Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates of license and marriage, as well as citations to volume and page numbers. Introduction identifies religions of many officiating ministers.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Washington County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, including some separate divorce dockets, see the following sources:


 * 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

 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1891-1907 - Burns, William A. Abstracts of Death and Obituaries Notices Garnered from Herald-Tribune, Washington County. Phoenix, AZ: W.A. Burns, 1967-1973.


 * 1908-1916 - Nikazy, Eddie M. Washington County, Tennessee, Death Record Abstracts, 1908-1916. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1994..
 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914-1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1925-1936 - Hougland, Margaret W. et al. Washington County, Tennessee Death Records 1925-1936. Johnson City, TN: Watauga Assocation of Genealogists NE TN, 2009.

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


 * 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. ; 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.

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

Watauga Association of Genealogists P.O. Box 117 Johnson City, TN 37605-0117

The Jonesborough Genealogical Society c/o Washington County-Jonesborough Library 200 Sabin Dr. Jonesborough, TN 37659-1306

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

Washington County Public Library 200 Sabin Dr. Jonesborough, TN 37659-1306 Phone 1-423-753-1800 Fax: 1-423-753-1802 Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tues., Wed. and Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Home of the Jonesborough Genealogical Society

Johnson City Public Library 100 West Millard St. Johnson City, TN 37604 Phone: 1-423-434-4450 E-mail: phoneroom@jspl.net Genealogical Research: The Special Collections in the "Tennessee Room" contains many books and periodicals relating to local, regional and state history and also holds census and county records.

Charles C. Sherrod Library, East Tennessee State University P.O. Box 70665 Johnson City, TN 37614 Phone: Information desk 1-423-439-4307 Hours vary depending on the time of year because of school sessions. See website for hours. The Sherrod Library has genealogical information concerning the East Tennessee Region.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Watauga Tennessee Family History Center

211 Mayflower Rd. Johnson City, TN Phone: 423-926-6152

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

Washington County Tennessee Genealogy Websites
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 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Washington County, TN Archives &amp; Records Management
 * Mailing List: TNWASHIN-L (Washington 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: FRANKLIN-STATE-L (State of Franklin 1784-1788 List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: UPPEREASTTN-L (Upper East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Washington County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Washington County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Washington County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Washington County TN Genealogy  (LDS Genealogy)