Wilson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Wilson County





Middle Tennessee county established in 1799. The northern part of the county belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

County Courthouse


Wilson County Courthouse 228 East Main Street Lebanon, TN 37088 Phone: 615-444-2835

Wilson County Clerk Marriage and probate records 228 East Main Street, Room 101 P.O. Box 950 Lebanon, TN 37088 Phone: 615-444-0314

Wilson County Register of Deeds Land records 228 East Main Street P.O. Box 176 Lebanon, TN 37088 Phone: 615-443-2611 Document availability.

Wilson County Clerk and Master Court records 134 S. College Street, Room 200 Lebanon, TN 37087 Phone 615-444-2835

Hours: Monday - Thursday 8 am - 4:30 Friday 8 am - 5 pm

History
The county is named after "David Wilson, a member of the legislatures of North Carolina and the Southwest Territory."

Parent County
1799--Wilson County was established 26 October 1799 from part of Sumner County. Early records may be found under Sumner County. County seat: Lebanon

Record Loss
1881 - Fire damaged records in courthouse

The two earliest federal censuses (1800 and 1810) do not survive.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Wilson 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.)

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Wilson 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 more accurate than those available online.

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

1800 - Lost

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.

1920


 * Young, John, ed. Wilson County, Tennessee Census, 1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Church
Baptist


 * Grime, John Harvey. History of Middle Tennessee Baptists: With Special Reference to Salem, New Salem, Enon and Wiseman Associations. Nashville, Tennessee: Baptist and Reflector, 1902. Includes names changes for places in Middle Tennessee.

Methodist Episcopal


 * Mathews, Reverend John D.D. Peeps into Life Autobiography. Methodist Episcopal Church Tennessee Conference, 1904. Free digital copy.

Court

 * Partlow, Thomas E. Tax Lists of Wilson County, Tennessee, 1803-1807 with Names in Court Records, 1802-1822. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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


 * Masters, Jack and Bill Puryear. Founding of the Cumberland Settlements: The First Atlas 1779-1804: Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots. Gallatin, Tenn.: Warioto Press, 2009. FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d. Supplements: FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 E7d supp. 1 ff. Purchase at Cumberland Pioneer Settlers.

Bibliography


 * [Bonner] Bonner, Kathryn R. The Bonner Family Record: This Record is Primarily of the Bonners of Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia, Those that Went to Wilson, Madison and Shelby Counties, Tennessee, and Those that Went on to Phillips County, Arkansas: Today the Descendants are Spread into Many States. Marianna, Ark.: K.R. Bonner, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 3414.
 * [Donaldson] Waters, Elise Donaldson. Genealogy of Donaldsons of Wilson and Clay County, Tennessee; Colsons, Browns, and Hords of Virginia and Tennessee, and Related Families. Nashville, Tenn.: E.D. Waters, 1981. FHL FAM HIST Large Q Book 929.273 D714w.
 * [Knight] Garrett, Jill Knight. Knight Cousins. [Columbia, TN: Unknown, 1967. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 928090; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Phillips] Phillips, Harry. Phillips Family History: A Brief History of the Phillips Family, Beginning with the Emigration from Wales, and a Detailed Genealogy of the Descendants of John and Benjamin Philips, Pioneer Citizens of Wilson County, Tenn. Lebanon, Tenn.: Lebanon Democrat, Inc., 1935. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P541ph.
 * [Phillips] Phillips, Harry and Don Phillips. History of the Phillips Family: A Brief History of the Phillips Family, Beginning with the Emigration from Wales, and a Detailed Genealogy of the Descendants of John and Benjamin Philips, Pioneer Citizens of Wilson County, Tenn. Washington, D.C.: Heritage Press, 1971. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P541pha.
 * [Tate] Carpenter, Evelyn Yates. Tate and Allied Families of Robertson County, Tennessee: Includes the Nearby Tennessee Counties of Davidson, Sumner, and Wilson. Includes Virginia and North Carolina, the States of Tate Family Origin. Includes Counties in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Throughout the United States Where Many Tate Families Migrated. Clarksville, Tenn.: Jostens, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T187c.

Land
Deeds

The original Wilson County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. In 1965, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Deed Books A to 169 (1789-1965) and Trust Deed Books EE to 215 (1829-1965) and indexes. Copies of these microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 427157-427252, 430339-430410, 2260203.

Land Grants


 * Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d.

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.

Migration

 * Johnson, Mrs. Ross B. Some Early Settlers in Hickory County, Missouri from Sumner and Wilson Cos., Tenn.: With Some Genealogical Data on the Jordan L. Rhea Family, the Thomas Davis Family, the Robert Davis Family, the John S. Williams Family, the Elisha T. Condley Family. Typescript, microfilmed in 1975. FHL US/CAN Film 928082 Item 13.

Military
Civil War


 * Duke, Basil Wilson. History of Morgan's Cavalry. Cincinnati: Miami Printing and Publishing Co., 1867. Free digital copy. Includes 9th Regiment, Tennessee Calvary (Ward's).
 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.

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 Wilson 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

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Wilson 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.

The Chronicle

Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI). Volumes 1 - 29 (1990 - 2007). For additional information see Mount Julie-West Wilson County website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tngenny1/mtjuliet.html

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Wilson 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 Wilson 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 original Wilson County Will Books are held at the County Courthouse. In 1965, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Will Books covering the years 1802 to 1965. Copies of these microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 430841-430853.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Wilson 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) Wills 1802-1814
 * 2) Wills 1824-1827
 * 3) Wills 1814-1819
 * 4) Wills 1819-1824
 * 5) Wills 1830-1832

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


 * [1802-1861] 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.]
 * [1802-1810] Willis, Laura. Wilson County Will Books Vol. 1-Dec 1802-Feb 1810. Mayfield, KY: Willis Historical, 1999. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.854 P2w. Digital version available at World Vital Records.
 * [1802-1832] Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
The following Wilson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1789] Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1803-1807] Partlow, Thomas E. Tax Lists of Wilson County, Tennessee, 1803-1807 with Names in Court Records, 1802-1822. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1804-1805] O'Hara, Virginia G. "List of Taxables, Wilson County, Tennessee, for the Year 1804," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct. 1964):165-170. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1804] 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 1804 tax list.]
 * [1814] "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3(Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Wilson County.]

Vital Records
Birth

Marriage

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


 * [1802-1870] 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 ff. [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 Tennessee State Library and Archives. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1802-1865] 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 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * Freedman's Bureau Marriage Certificates (1861-1869)  is an index to the marriage records kept by the Memphis Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. It includes grooms surname, grooms given name, groom's age,, brides surname, bride's given name and other information.

Death

For deaths of Methodists in Wilson 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.]

Web Sites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * Wilson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Wilson County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Wilson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Wilson County, Tennessee Depot (hosted by RootsWeb)