Tennessee Church Records

--

Historical Background
Before 1900, the largest religious groups in Tennessee were the Baptist, Christian (Disciples of Christ), Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * 1816-1995 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images, incomplete.
 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index only, incomplete.
 * 1796-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index only, incomplete.
 * 1810-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index only.

Ancestry.com

 * 1784-1825 Tennessee Marriages 1784 to 1825 ($)
 * 1874-1955 Tennessee, Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955, index, incomplete ($)

Baptist

 * 1836-1839; 1844-1862;1867-2008 Tennessee Baptist/Baptist and Reflector Digital Project. Online images. The project is working to create an every-name index.

Lutheran

 * Marriages, Births and Deaths from Virginia and East Tennessee Lutheran Church in America Records Daughters of the American Revolution. General James Breckinridge Chapter (Roanoke, Virginia)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Other Collections

 * The Ancestor Hunt: Free Tennessee Online Church Records
 * Church, cemetery, bible, and family records from Tennessee, prepared by the Historical Records Project and Historical Records Survey

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Tennessee.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Tennessee and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Tennessee [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

-

Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Guide to church vital statistics in Tennessee
 * The Ministerial Directory of the Baptist Churches in the United States of America. Oxford, Ohio: Ministerial Directory Co., 1899.
 * Inventory of the Church Archives of Tennessee: Tennessee Baptist Convention, Nashville Baptist Association. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee Historical Records Survey Project, 1939.
 * Moore, John Trotwood and Austin P. Foster, editors. Tennessee: The Volunteer State, 1769-1923, 4 vols. Nashville: S.J.Clarke Publishing Co., 1923. . This indexed four-volume set includes church information and Tennessee history in addition to three volumes of biographies.
 * "Religion," inTennessee: A Guide to the State.Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Tennessee. American Guide Series. This chapter briefly describes the history of Tennessee’s most common religions.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

State Libraries
Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, TN 37243-1102 Phone:615-741-2764
 * Guide to Church Records at TSLA: Manuscripts & Books describes what they hold on microfilm, as manuscripts, and as published books. County-by-county, church-by-church listing with description and the the years covered.
 * Visiting the Library & Archives
 * History and Genealogy
 * Tennessee Diaries, Memoirs and Church Records in the Manuscript Division, Tennessee State Library and Archives: Listed by County. Nashville, Tenn.: Manuscript Division, 1965.

Baptist
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives The Southern Baptist Convention Building 901 Commerce Street #400 Nashville, TN 37203 Telephone: 1-615-244-0344
 * Website
 * Church Records on Microfilm Includes information on ordering records.
 * 1836-1839; 1844-1862;1867-2008 Tennessee Baptist/Baptist and Reflector Digital Project. Online images. The project is working to create an every-name index.

Disciples of Christ
Disciples of Christ Historical Society 1101 Nineteenth Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212-2196 Telephone: 1-866-834-7563 (toll free)
 * Research and Reference

Lutheran
James R. Crumley, Jr. Archives Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary 4201 North Main Street Columbia, SC 29203 Telephone: 803-461-3234 Contact form
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.


 * History of the Evangelical Lutheran Tennessee Synod. New Market, Virginia, Henkel, 1890.

Methodist
Tennessee is served by three Methodist conferences that oversee the missions and business of the church. The conferences have collected records from churches that have closed. Records of existing congregations are generally still in the churches.

The Holston Conference oversees the eastern third of the state, the Tennessee Conference oversees the middle third, and the Memphis Conference oversees the western third.

Holston Conference Office: P.O. Box 850 Alcoa, TN 37701 Telephone: 1-866-690-4080 Fax: 1-865-690-3162

The Kelly Library of Emory and Henry College houses the archives of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church: Kelly Library Emory and Henry College P.O. Box 948 30480 Ambrister Drive Emory VA 24327 Telephone: 1-540-944-6668

Tennessee Conference 520 Commerce Street, Suite 205 Nashville, TN 37203 Telephone: 1-615-263-0518 (call to make an appointment) The John Abernathy Smith Heritage Center 520 Commerce Street, Suite 205 Nashville, TN, 37203 Phone: 615-601-1581 E-mail:archives@tnumc.org

Memphis Conference United Methodist Archives Luther L. Gobbel Library Lambuth University 705 Lambuth Boulevard Jackson, TN 38301 Telephone: 1-901-425-3270

Lambuth University Library houses an excellent collection of original Methodist newspapers, such as The Nashville Christian Advocate. Death notices and obituaries for prominent Methodists from all over the region appeared in these newspapers. FHL has acquired abstracts and indexes:
 * Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Louisville and Nashville Christian Advocate and the Nashville Christian Advocate. [1852-1856] Jackson, Tenn.: J.K.T. Smith, 1997..
 * 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. ; free digital versions at David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository.

For a general history of early Methodism in Tennessee, see:
 * McFerrin, John B. History of Methodism in Tennessee 1783-1818. Vol. 1 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1869-1871.Vol. 2, Vol. 2.

Presbyterian
Records for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church are sent to:

The Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America The Historical Library and Archives 8207 Traditional Place Cordova, TN 38016 Telephone: 1-901-276-8602 Fax: 1-901-272-3913 E-mail: [mailto:archives@cumberland.org archives@cumberland.org]

These archives collect papers of ministers; and session, trustee, and women’s missionary society records. These records may contain baptisms, marriages, and communions of members. The staff at the archives does not do research; however, you can do research in person for a small fee.

The Presbyterian Church in Tennessee is coordinated by the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. The library of the seminary does not collect records of any congregation, but it does have ministerial directories with information on many ministers. The staff of the library can direct you to congregations in the state where records are. Direct your inquiries to:

Louisville Presbyterian Seminary 1044 Alta Vista Road Louisville, KY 40205 Telephone: 1-502-895-3411; 1-800-264-1839 (toll free) Fax: 1-502-895-1096

For a history of early Tennessee Presbyterians, see:


 * McDonnold, Benjamin Wilburn. History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Second Edition, Nashville, Tennessee: Board of Publication of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1888..

A collection of genealogical abstracts of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee is:


 * Eddlemon, Sherida K. Genealogical Abstracts of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church: 1836 and Beyond. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage, 1995..
 * Boisen, Anton T., A Rural Survey in Tennessee. ''New York: Redfield Borther, Inc., 1912.
 * Alexander, John Edministon A Brief History of the Synod of Tennessee, from 1817 to 1887. MacCalla and Company, 1890.

Roman Catholic
'''Contact the local parish for records information and research requests. Contact the diocese archives for information on the location of records for closed or merged parishes.''' Archdiocese of Louisville P.O. Box 1073 Louisville, KY 40201-1073 Telephone: 1-502-585-3291
 * Archives
 * Find a Parish

Diocese of Knoxville 805 Northshore Drive Southwest Knoxville, TN 37919 Telephone: 865-584-3307 Fax: 865-584-7538 The Diocese of Knoxville serves East Tennessee (Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Fentress, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Pickett, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington counties).
 * Archives
 * Parish Directory

Diocese of Nashville The Catholic Center 2400 Twenty-first Avenue, South Nashville, TN 37212-5387 Telephone: 1-615-383-6393 Fax: 1-615-292-8411 The Diocese of Nashville serves Middle Tennessee (Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson counties).
 * Archives
 * Find a Church

Diocese of Memphis The Catholic Center 5825 Shelby Oaks Drive Memphis, TN 38134-7316 Telephone: 1-901-373-1200 Fax: 1-901-373-1269 The Diocese of Memphis serves West Tennessee (Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, Weakley counties).
 * Archives
 * Parish Finder

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Tennessee Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.