Dickson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Dickson County





County Courthouse
Dickson County Courthouse 4 Court Square Charlotte, Tennessee 37036 Phone: 615-789-4171

Dickson County Clerk Marriage and Probate records Birth and Death 1908-1912 and 1925-1939 P.O. Box 220 1 Court Square, Room 126 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-5093

Dickson County Register of Deeds Land records, military discharge records #4 Court Square P.O. Box 130 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-5123 Indexing older documents and internet search of records is available at www.ustitlesearch.com

Dickson County Circuit Court Clerk Court Records P.O. Box 70 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-7010

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm

History
The county is named after "U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816)."

Parent County
1803--Dickson County was created 25 October 1803 from Robertson and Montgomery Counties. County seat: Charlotte

From 1788 to 1796 people living in what is now part of Dickson County were in extinct Tennessee County. Their records for that period are now found in Robertson County, Tennessee.

Record Loss
1830--Tornado damaged records


 * Lost census: 1810, 1890

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Neighboring Counties

 * Cheatham
 * Hickman
 * Houston
 * Humphreys
 * Montgomery
 * Williamson

Research Guides

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

Cemeteries
For a list of Dickson county cemeteries, click here.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Dickson 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, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than those available online.

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.

1890 - Lost, but 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 8 1891. [Dickson County is included in Vol. 8.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

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


 * [Adams] Hampton, Estelline Adams. John Adams, Esquire (III): Ancestors and Descendants. Unknown: unknown, 1976. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 982157 Item 7; digital versions available at Ancestry ($); BYU Family History Archives; and Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land

 * Willis, Laura and Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Deeds. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998. 9 volumes. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 R2w FHL is missing volume 4. Digital versions of selected volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 1804-1808; v. 2 - 1808-1812; v. 4 - 1815-1818; and v. 6 - 1820-1823. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

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 Tennessee State Library and Archives 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 Tennessee State Library and Archives; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Newspapers

 * Willis, Laura and indexed by Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Newspaper Abstracts. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998, 2001, 2003. 8 volumes. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 B38w. Digital versions of select volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 7 Jan 1910-22 Apr 1910; v. 2 - 22 Apr 1910-15 Jul 1910; v. 3 - 15 Jul 1910-6 Jan 1911; and v. 4 - 23 Dec 1910-31 Mar 1911. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

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 Dickson 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 Dickson County, Tennessee records 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.

Dickson County Genealogical Society Newsletter

The Dickson County Genealogical Society was organized in June of 1983 and dissolved in December of 1987. The Family History Library has Volume 1, no. 1 (Jan - Mar 1984) - Volume 4, no. 4 (December 1987). FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 D25d

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Dickson 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.

The River Counties

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Dickson County, Tennessee records were published in The River Counties Quarterly, (14 vols.) edited by Jill K. Garrett. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2rc.

Prisons
Learn if your Dickson County ancestors went to prison!


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

Probate
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Dickson County probate records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:
 * 1) Will Book B: 1803-1856


 * Dickson County Will Books Vol. 1-1838-1847. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Dickson County Will Books Vol. 2-1848-1868. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Dickson County Will Books Vol. 3-1866-1895. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Dickson County Will Books Vol. 4-1895-1914. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Dickson County Will Books Vol. 5-1914-1929. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

Taxation
The following Dickson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1812] Tax Lists, 1812, Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History. Nashville TN: Spring 2003. Vol. 16 Iss. 4.
 * [1813] "Dickson County Land Sold for 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Winter 2001):57. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1814] "Some Dickson County Property Subject to Double Taxes in 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer 2002):21. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1815] Petition by Inhabitants Concerning Tax Complaint, 1815, Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin. Centerville TN: 2005. Vol. 12 Iss. 2.
 * [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 Dickson County.]
 * [1839] 1839 Tax List Dickson County, Tennessee, Ansearchin' News, Vol 27, No. 3 (Fall 1980). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Sistler, Byron. Dickson County, Tennessee Marriages, 1850-70 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).

Divorce

Death

For deaths of Methodists in Dickson 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
Dickson County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society

(Web site provides information on society and contact information.)

Web Sites

 * Dickson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Dickson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Dickson County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: DanvilleQueries-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)