Haywood County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Haywood County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for Tennessee judge and historian John Haywood. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Haywood County Courthouse 1 N Washington Street Brownsville, TN 38012 County Courthouse Phone: 731-772-2362 County Clerk Phone: 731-772-2362 Register of Deeds Phone: 731-772-0332

Haywood County Assessor of Property 11 South Lafayette Avenue Brownsville, TN 38012 County Assessor Phone: 731-772-0432

Haywood County Chancery Court 100 South Dupree Street Brownsville, TN 38012 Chancery Court Phone: 731-772-0122 Circuit Court Phone: 731-772-1112

Haywood County Archives 4110 US 70 Highway PO Box 207 Brownsville, TN 38012 Archives Phone: 731-772-0380

County Clerk has marriage records from 1859 Divorce records 1941-1965 and probate records from 1826 to August 1982 Register of Deeds has land records and DDS214s, including land grants to 1831, German-American War discharges, and DD214 for wars WWI through the present.

County Assessor has city and county maps with parcel #s, including many old maps that date into the 1800s.

Chancery court has jurisdiction of probate records from August 1982 to present, divorce records, court records from 1965 to present, as well as guardianship, adoption, and property dispute records. According to Clerk and Master, Sarah Levy, Tennessee is one of only three states that continue to have separate courts for civil and criminal matters. The others being Mississippi and Delaware. Index (by name/defendant) for 1808-1885. There are some old, boxed records still stored in the Court House vault. Contact the Clerk and Master at the above number for an appointment to access these records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information West Tennessee county. Established 1823.

The county is named after Judge John Haywood (1762-1826), called "the father of Tennessee history."

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Haywood County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are available on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Haywood County.

Census Records
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Haywood 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 Haywood County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

1810-1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry ($)

1840 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, Western District, Haywood County on page 159.

1850


 * Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Haywood County, Tennessee population schedules Huntsville, Arkansas Century Enterprises, c1970


 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 and 1860 Haywood County, Tennessee Census, 1850 available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?, website.

1880


 * Sistler, Barbara 1880 census Haywood County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Byron Sistler and Associates, 2001

1891 Male Voters 


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Court Records
 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.

Directories

 * Brownsville City Directory 1872-1873 from TnGenWeb

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 and 1860 Haywood County, Tennessee Census, 1850 available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?, website.

Genealogies
General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Haywood, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 10,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Hughes - Hughes, V. Jean. Hughes Trav[e]lers from Bertie to Haywood County, Tennessee. 2 vols. Senatobia, Miss.: V.J. Hughes, 1997. ff.
 * Moore - Fritz, Marcine Moore William Moore and his descendants Salt Lake City, Utah Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993 Available at the Family History Library. with a digitized version through
 * Taylor - Tabernacle Historical Committee. The Taylors of Tabernacle. Brownsville, TN: Tabernacle Historical Committee, 1957. 2 volumes. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T212ta; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land and Property Records

 * Haywood County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1820 and is located at the Courthouse, 1 N. Washington St., Brownsville, TN 38012-2561; Telephone: (731) 772-2362. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of deeds 1823-1893 with indexes 1823-1905; and land grants and land entries 1793-1834.
 * TSLA has microfilm Roll #48 Deed Index-1826-1881. This microfilm is also available at the Elma Ross Library in Brownsville.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * Map of 1888 Haywood County, Tennessee

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Haywood County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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, Western District, Haywood County on page 159.
 * 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. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Haywood County pensioners (p. 67)

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 6th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
 * 7th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Duckworth's) - CSA - Companies B, D, L, and M.
 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A, B, D, and L.
 * 12th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Green's) - CSA - Company I.
 * 14th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Neely's) - CSA - Companies D, I, and 3rd K.
 * 15th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Stewart's) - CSA
 * 16th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Logwood's) - CSA - Company F.
 * 20th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Russell's) - CSA - Company F.
 * 27th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
 * 31st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (A. H. Bradford's) - CSA - Company D.

Union Soldiers


 * 14th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - 5th Company
 * Bradford's Battalion, 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - 5th Company

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Haywood County:


 * Lynn, H.M. H.M. Lynn Papers, 1858-1882. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Dept., Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Free digital copy. 9th Tennessee Regiment, Company C.
 * TNGenWeb Project &amp; USGenWeb Project, Civil War Sites &amp; Historical Documents. Includes a link for: Barry Dunagan Civil War Ancestors, CivilWarDocs.com, Russell's 20th Tennessee Cavalry CSA, The Battle of Shiloh, Thomas Jefferson Walker Story, US &amp; CSA Civil War Pension Applications, Colored Pension Applications - CSA Service, Soldier's Application for Pension, Widow's Indigent Pension.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Haywood County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Haywood 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. Haywood County, page 346.

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 Haywood County click on the following city:


 * Brownsville TSLA currently has filmed issues from eight different newspapers that were published in Brownsville at various times with the earliest being 1838.
 * There is a new newspaper in Brownsville. The Brownsville Press began publication in October 2015.  The Managing Editor, Tommie Rowell, stated that it is her understanding the paper is being microfilmed by the TSLA.

For deaths of Methodists in Haywood County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:
 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 1847-1851 - 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. 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.

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search..


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


 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. . To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records
The County Court and the Chancery Court have responsibility for the probate records of Haywood County. The following microfilms are available at the TSLA and also at the Elma Ross Library:
 * Roll #46 Wills-1826-1841
 * Roll #47 Wills-1841-44; 1852 - 1918
 * Roll #24 Inventories - Guardian, Administrators' & Executors' Settlements-1852-1866

Online Records and Indexes
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1826-1839 Will Book 1: 1826-1839 by Strictly By Name - Index only
 * 1826-1926 - Haywood County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
 * 1839-1841Will Book 2: 1839-1841 by Strictly By Name - Index only

Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1826-1861 - 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 probate records. TNGenWeb
 * 1845-1852 - Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson. A Genealogical Quandary, Will Book D, 1845-1852, Haywood County, Tennessee. [N.p.: n.p.], 2003. Will book D no longer exists. The compiler located the related wills. A surname index is included. (FHL book 976.8223 P2s.)
 * 1826-1841 - Strictly By Name (see above).

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.


 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records
The original Haywood County Tax Books 1834-1888 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1976, TSLA microfilmed these records. FHL copies:. A 2016 interview with the County Trustee, Sonny Howse, revealed that Tax Books prior to 1959 are no longer kept at the Courthouse but are stored at the County Archives.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1836 - Haywood Co., Tenn., Tax List 1836, District #1, Family Findings, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1971). For access, see Periodical section.
 * 1836 - "Haywood County, Tennessee-1836 Civil Districts," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Winter 1990):164. For access, see Periodical section.
 * 1836 - Douthat, James L. 1836 Haywood County, Tennessee Civil Districts &amp; Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2003. ; online: surname index and purchase details.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1881-1912 - Haywood County Birth Index 1881-1912 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online Indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 - (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1888 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee, Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1859-1866 - Marriage records, 1859-1866, Haywood County, Tennessee FHL US/CAN Film 24690 (items 5-6)+++
 * 1859-1896 - Haywood County Marriage Index 1859-1896 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1859-1878 - Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. ff. Indexes names of brides, grooms, marriage dates for weddings in this county for specified years.
 * 1859-1878 - Haywood County, Tennessee, marriage records 1859-1878, books 1-8 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8332 V2f

Death

 * 1823-1852 - Hays, Tony. West Tennessee Death Records [ca. 1823-1852]. 2 vols. n.p.: Kitchen Table Press, 1987. . Haywood County is included in Vol. 2
 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1933 - Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1912 - Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1933 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1966 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1949-2014 - Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce
Online Records Online Titles
 * 1796 - 1850 - Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1980-2014 - Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library;

Libraries
Elma Ross Public Library 1011 E Main St Brownsville, TN 38012 Phone: 731-772-9534 E-mail: [mailto:elmarosslibrary@bellsouth.net elmarosslibrary@bellsouth.net] Website
 * Genealogical Resources are available in the Reese J. Moses-Scallions Genealogy Room.

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee at Martin Phone: 731-881-7060 Hours vary by semester Website
 * The Heritage Study Center holds a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 7th Avenue North Nashville, TN 37243 615-741-2764 [mailto:reference.tsla@tn.gov reference.tsla@tn.gov] Website
 * Selected published county histories, published local records, local records on microfilm, newspapers on microfilm, Selected manuscripts material, census records, and additional resources for Haywood County. Interlibrary Loan available on some items.

Societies
West Tennessee Historical Society P.O. Box 111046 Memphis, TN 38111 Phone: 901-475-6608 E-mail: [mailto:efrank@memphis.edu efrank@memphis.edu] Website

Websites

 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
 * Haywood County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Haywood County, Tennessee- Linkpendium. Family History &amp; Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records &amp; More, (accessed 29 Jan 2012).
 * Haywood County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)

Research Guides

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