Giles County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Giles County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1809.

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

County Courthouse
Giles County Courthouse P.O. Box 678 1 Public Square Pulaski, Tennessee 38478-0678 Phone: (931) 363-1509

Old Courthouse Records Clara M. Parker, Director 1 Public Square Phone: 931-363-8434 E-mail: gcarchives@bellsouth.net All county records from 1810 to 1900 are stored in this department. They cover deeds, wills, marriages, and records from the Chancery, County and Circuit Courts.

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm

History


The county was named after Virginia Senator William B. Giles (1762-1830), who later served as the Virginia's Governor.

Parent County
1809--Giles County was created 14 November 1809 from Maury County. County seat: Pulaski

Record Loss
1813, 1857 and 1907 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * Lost census: 1890
 * Lost marriages: 1809 to 1865
 * Lost probate: 1809 to 1860

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Lauderdale County, Alabama
 * Lawrence
 * Limestone County, Alabama
 * Lincoln
 * Marshall
 * Maury

Research Guides

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

General Advice
A good place to start is Byron and Samuel Sistler's Every Name Index to 18 Middle Tennessee County Record Books (Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1992) FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22sb. It is a comprehensive index to eight publications about Giles County, Tennessee records. It also covers records from nearby Bedford and Lincoln counties.

African Americans

 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

Cemeteries

 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Giles County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * Giles County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * Giles County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * Giles County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Giles county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * For a list of known cemeteries in Giles County, click here

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Giles 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 Giles County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

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.
 * Lauderdale County Library (Florence, Alabama). Vertical Files, Census Fecords.Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. Item 2
 * Presley, Leister E. Giles County, Tennessee Population Schedules of the United States Census of 1820.S.p., 19-?
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

1840


 * Smith, Linda H.1840 Giles County, Tennessee, Census. S.I.: Linda H. Smith, 2001.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Giles County on pages 155-156.]

1850


 * Lightfoot, Marise P. and Evelyn B. Shackelford. Maury County Neighbors : Records of Giles, Lewis and Marshall Counties, Tennessee.Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee : s.n., 1967.
 * Porch, Deane. Giles County, Tennessee 1850 Census.S.p.: Deane Porch, 1971.

'1860'


 * Smith, Linda H. 1860 Giles County, Tennessee, Census. S.I.:Linda H. Smith, 200-?

1880


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1880 Census, Giles County, Tennessee.Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 2000.

1890 Lost, but a subtitute is available:


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1978.

1910


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]

1920


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]

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

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


 * Butler, Margaret. Legacy: Early Families of Giles County; an Account of Some of the Pioneer Families of Giles County, Tennessee and Their Contributions to the Political, Professional, Economic and Social Scenes of the Day, Pictures of Some of the Houses in which They Lived. Pulaski, Tenn.: Sain Pub., 1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.861 H2b.
 * Giles County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Giles County, Tennessee. Waynesville, N.C.: County Heritage, 2006. FHL US/CAN Book 976.861 H2hg.

Bibliography


 * [Abernathy] See Rose.
 * [Cockrell, Cockrill] See Rose.
 * [Erwin] Knisely, Mary Jane. Documentary Material on John Armstrong Erwin: A Veteran of the Revolutionary War, Enlisted in Rowan County, N.C., Died in Giles County, Tenn. Orlando, Fla.: M. Knisely, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Er94km.
 * [McLaurine, McLaurin]
 * [Rose] Rose, Virginia. Colonel William Rose of Tennessee. Jonesboro, AR: Sammons Print. Co., 1939. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R72r; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Sims] Sims, Almon James. The Paris (Pariss-Parish) Henry Sims Branch of the Sims Family of Scotland, England, Ireland and America. [Knoxville, Tenn.?: Unknown, 1948. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Street] Street, John Kennedy, 1837 - 1914. John Kennedy Street papers, 1858 - 1899. Contributor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chiefly letters from John Kennedy Street to his wife, Melinda Pace Street (1839 - 1899)describing marches, camp life, picket duty, sickness, hospitals, bushwahackers, religious revivals, and the formation of a Young Men's Christian Association in his brigade.
 * [Taylor] Byars, Neva Fern Young. Some George Taylors of Henry County, Virginia, and Giles County, Tennessee. Albuquerque, N.M.: N.F.Y. Byars, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T214b.
 * [Teasdale, Tisdale] See Rose.
 * [Wilson] Coal, Darlene White. Wilsons of Abbott's Creek, Lexington, NC and Wilsons of Pott's Creek, Rowan County, NC: Wilson Family Notes, Giles County, Tennessee. Orangeville, Calif.: D.W. Cole, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W691cw.
 * [Young] Young, John E. Young Family of Early Giles County, Tennessee. Typescript, microfilmed in 1986. FHL US/CAN Film 1421702 Item 15.

Land

 * Giles County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1810 and is located at the Courthouse, P.O. Box 678, Madison &amp; 1st Street, Pulaski, Tennessee 38478-0678; (931) 363-5137. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies od deed books 1790-1889 with indexes1810-1931; land entry books 1824-1889.

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

 * Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore counties.Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Free digital copy.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Giles county, Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War Includes short biographical information on soldiers.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Giles County on pages 155-156.]
 * 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. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Giles County pensioners (p. 45)]
 * Giles County, Tennessee War of 1812 Pensioners Includes short biographical information on soldiers. Courtesy:TNGenWeb

Civil War


 * 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.

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 Giles County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Lynnville
 * Pulaski

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 Giles 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 Giles 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.

Family Findings

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Giles County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f. Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 1978) includes an abstract of the 1812 Giles County tax list.

Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:


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

Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search.

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Giles 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 Giles 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.

Private Papers

 * Adams, Louis L. Diary of Louis L. Adams of Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee. Original records, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed by TSLA in 1974. FHL US/CAN Film 968963 Item 13.

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within four months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers, because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The Giles County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

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


 * [1814-1861] 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.]

Taxation
The following Giles County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1812] Hughes, Thomas P. and Jewel B. Standefer. "Giles County, Tennessee Tax List, 1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Summer 1974):78-80. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Tax List, 1812, Giles County Historical Society Bulletin. Pulaski TN: Oct 1977. Vol. 4 Iss. 4.
 * [1812, 1819] 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 1812 and 1819 tax lists.]
 * [1812] Giles County, Tennessee Tax List, 1812, Family Findings, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 1978). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Tax List, 1812, Wagoner Genealogist. Wagoner OK: Sep 1987. Vol. 7 Iss. 3.
 * [1813] "Giles County Land Sold for Unpaid 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Spring 1997):34. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [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 Giles County.]
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. 1836 Giles County, Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2004. FHL US/CAN Book 976.861 R4d.
 * [1836] County Tax Listings by Civil Districts, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History. Signal Mountain TN: 2004. Vol. 8 Iss. 1-2.
 * [1836] Tatum, Ausborne C. and Harry M. Cleveland Jr. "Giles County, Tennessee - 1836 Map of Civil Districts" and "Giles County, Tennessee - 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Fall 1992):102-108; Vol. 39, No. 4 (Winter 1992):175-180; Vol. 40, No. 1 (Spring 1993):23-26, 42. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] Tax List, 1836, Giles County Historical Society Bulletin. Pulaski TN: Apr 1997. Vol. 24; Jul 1997. Vol. 24; Oct 1997. Vol. 24; Jan 1998. Vol. 25; Apr 1998. Vol. 25 ; Jul 1998. Vol. 25.
 * [1848] Tax List, 16th Dist., 1848, Giles County Historical Society Bulletin. Pulaski TN: Apr 1999. Vol. 26.
 * [1890] County Tax List, District 2, 1890, Giles County Historical Society Bulletin. Pulaski TN: Jan 1996. Vol. 23.
 * [1896] Tax List, 1896, Giles County Historical Society Bulletin. Pulaski TN: Oct 1995. Vol. 22.

Marriage
The original Giles County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. The courthouse burned in 1864 and all marriage records before 1865 are lost. 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..

Additional indexes using alternative marriage sources are listed below.

The following Giles County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1865-1998] Available at the TSLA. These include indexed bonds, and bound marriage volumes.
 * [1865-1954] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.

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


 * [1818-1862] Smith, Jean W. Marriages of Giles County, Tennessee, 1818 through 1862. Microreproduction of original published: Elkmont, Ala. : [s.n], 1952. Item 11
 * [1818-1870] 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 [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 TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1818-1864] 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 [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1837-1860] Hill, Jewel Adams Early Giles County, Tennessee marriages, c1837-1860, from various sources. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2008.FHL book 976.861 V25. Digitized version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [1865-1885] Cosby, Jean B. Giles County, Tennessee, Marriage Books, 1871-1885. Pulaski, Tennessee: HBA Rapid Print, 19--? 3 vols.
 * [1865-1870] Marriage Records, 1865-1870, Giles County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript.  Item 4
 * Giles Co., Tennessee Marriages, 1800's. Typescript on film. Item 2
 * Grimsley, Mildred A. and Genevieve Jensen. Early Tennesse Marriages : Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Shelby and Sumner Counties.Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1994. Item 6
 * Lightfoot, Marise P. and Evelyn B. Shackelford. Maury County neighbors : records of Giles, Lewis and Marshall Counties, Tennessee. Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee : [s.n.], 1967.
 * Parker, Clara M. Early Marriages of Giles County, Tennessee. Pulaski, Tennessee: HBA Rapid Print, 199? 
 * Weddington, Andy Simmons. Previously unpublished early marriage records of Giles County, Tennessee. Round Rock, Texas : Williamson County Genealogical Society (Texas), 1994.
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Giles, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.
 * [1810-1869] Marriage Records.
 * [1810-1849] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Giles 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

 * Giles County Public Library 122 South Second Street Pulaski, TN 38478 Telephone: (931) 363-2720 Fax: (931) 424-7032 Email: glibrary@bellsouth.net


 * Robert B. Jones Memorial Library and Museum 135 Main Street Lynnville, TN 38472 Phone: 931-527-3466

Societies
Giles County Historical Society P.O. Box 693 Pulaski, TN 38478 Telephone 931-363-2720 (ask for Genealogy Room)

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Giles 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

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Giles County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Giles County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Giles County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)