Cannon County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
Cannon County is named after Tennessee Governor Newton Cannon (1781-1841). The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cannon County Courthouse 200 West Main St. Woodbury, TN 37190 Cannon County Website Phone: 615-563-8142 County Clerk Phone: 615-563-4278 County Clerk & Master's Office Phone: 615-563-5936 County Register of Deeds Phone: 615-563-2041 County Clerk has marriage records from 1838. Register of Deeds has land 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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Coffee
 * DeKalb
 * Rutherford
 * Warren
 * Wilson

Biographies
All of the family biographies from the History of Cannon County, Tennessee (1887) by Goodspeed Publishing Co., are available online at My Genealogy Hound.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. 2004. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Includes Cannon County.

Cemeteries

 * 1888-1906 W.P.A. Cannon County Bible, Family, and Tombstone Records. TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson through GSC Associates Historical Records Products. (The pages may load slowly.) For a small fee, the company sells three Cannon County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

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

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

1810 Lost, except for those records coming from portions of parent county Rutherford. A substitute exists for lost portions:


 * 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..

1810-1891


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

1891 Voter


 * Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry $

1840


 * Transcription of the 1840 Federal Census for Cannon County Tennessee Located at TNGenWeb.
 * Spradley, Pat. "Cannon County, TN-1840 Federal Census," available online through USGenWeb Archives. Source: NARA Roll #519, Microcopy #704, Tennessee Vol. 2 (1-191).

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 Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Tennessee, Middle District, Cannon County on page 155.

1850


 * Porch, Deane. Cannon County Tennessee, 1850 Census. Franklin, Tennessee: C. Lynch, 1974.
 * S-K Publications. "Cannon County, TN-1850 Census Index," available online through USGenWeb Archives.

1860


 * Index and transcription of 1860 Federal Census for Cannon County Tennessee, available online through USGenWeb Census Project.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barabara Sistler. 1880 Census, Cannon County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler and Assoc., 1974.

1890- Lost but a substitute is available:


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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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. Free digital copy.
 * W.P.A. Minutes to Woodbury Baptist Church, 1888-1906. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1943. FS Library US/CAN Film 24608 Item 2.
 * 1888-1906 - W.P.A. Cannon County Bible, Family, and Tombstone Records. TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson through GSC Associates Historical Records Products. (The pages may load slowly.) For a small fee, the company sells three Cannon County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Court Records

 * 1836-1897 - W.P.A. Cannon County Deed Index, Volume 1. Typescript, TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index.
 * 1836-1895 - W.P.A. Cannon, and County Record of Wills Book A. TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index.

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. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Genealogies
General


 * Cannon County Historical Society. Cannon County, Tennessee: 1836 History and Families 1995. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1995. ;.

Bibliography


 * Alexander - Andrews, Vera B. Alexanders of Cannon Co., TN: A Family History and Genealogy, Covering 1848-1989, Plus Some Earlier. Elkhart, Ind.: V.B. Andrews, 1989..
 * Dickson - Smith, Austin Wheeler. The Dickson-McEwen and Allied Families Genealogy. Cookeville, TN: Unknown, 1945. . Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Duggin - Butler, E. Dean. History of the Duggin and Related Families of Cannon County, Tennessee. Memphis, Tenn.: E.D. Butler, 1979..
 * George - See Gray.
 * Gray - Webb, Thomsa G. The Webb Families of Dekalb County, Tennessee, and 23 Related Families: Including Bethel, Cantrell, Colvert, Fuson, Gribble, Hicks, Jaco, Judkins, Magness, Mangum, Moser, Parker, Potter, Redmon, Snow, Turner, and Weedon Families, Along with the Farmer and Foushee Families of Virginia; the Gray, George, and Sageley Families of Cannon County, Tennessee, the Nathaniel Miller Family of Rutherford County, Tennessee, and Others. Smithville, Tenn.: Bradley Printing Co., 2002..
 * McEwen - See Dickson.
 * Sageley - See Gray.

Land and Property Records

 * Cannon County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1836 and is located at Courthouse, Public Square, Woodbury, Tennessee 37190; (615) 563-4278. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of deed books 1836-1892 with indexes 1836-1916; land entries 1836-1897; Surveyors' books 1836-1860; and oil and gas leases 1869-1881.

Local Histories

 * The Goodspeed Histories of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren and White Counties: With Biographical Sketches and Aboriginal Map of Tennessee. McMinnville, TN: B. Lomond Press, 1972. Reprint. Originally published: Nashville, TN: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1887. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * Map of 1888 Cannon County, Tennessee (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Cannon 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 Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Tennessee, Middle District, Cannon County on page 155.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War at TNGenWeb.

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1960):13-16. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Cannon County pensioners (pp. 15-16).

Civil War


 * 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
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Research Database
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McNairy's) - CSA - Company E
 * 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies E and G.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's) - CSA - Companies E and G.
 * 18th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and H.
 * 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Barteau's) - Company C.
 * 23rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Martin's) - CSA - Company H.
 * 35th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (5th Infantry) (1st Mountain Rifle Regiment) - CSA-2nd Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Cannon County:


 * Hancock, Richard R. Hancock's Diary: or, A History of the Second Tennessee Calvary. Nashville, Tennessee: Brandon Printing Co., 1887. Free digital copy. Regiment organized in Auburn, Cannon county. Their movement with the Second Tennessee Calvary.
 * USGennet, Cannon County and the American Civil War. Rosters of Combatants &amp; Regimental Histories from Cannon County and Civil War Confederate Pension Applications - Cannon County, Tennessee. (This is a PDF file that includes Pensioner's Name, Soldier's Name, Unit, Pension # and Pension Type.)
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Cannon 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. Cannon County, page 322.

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 Cannon County click on the following towns:


 * Auburntown
 * Woodbury

Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

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;


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Cannon County, Tennessee have been published in The Upper Cumberland Researcher, the journal of the Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. To view a list of the first 17 years of these articles, visit their online Seventeen Year Index to The Upper Cumberland Researcher (Vols. 1-17, 1975-1992). The Index contains a "Counties" section beginning on page 19. The FamilySearch Library has most issues through the present (1975-1993) and  (1994-present).

Probate Records
The Cannon County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1836-1916 Cannon County portion of at FamilySearch - images only; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.- How to Use this Collection
 * 1836-1926 Images of Wills 1836-1895; 1895-1926 at Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1836-1895 - W.P.A. Cannon, and County Record of Wills Book A. TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s.Free online index, created by Steve Carson through GSC Associates Historical Records Products. (The pages may load slowly.) For a small fee, the company sells three Cannon County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records
 * 1836-1895 - Carlson, Gladys. Abstract of Cannon County, Tennessee Will Book. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, [2001?]. Indexed. Contains Vol. A. (FS Library book 976.8535 P28c.)
 * 1836-1861 - 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.

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1847 "Cannon County, Tennessee Tax Sale, 1847," Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Aug. 1990): 181-. For access, see Cannon.
 * 1854 Spradley, Pat. "Cannon County, TN - Census - Insolvent Tax List, 1854," available online through USGenWeb Archives. Source: Cannon County Clerk Minute Book C:400 (Jan Term 1855), TSLA Roll #21.
 * 1869 "Cannon County Land Sold for Unpaid Taxes in 1869," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Spring 1997):8. For FS Library and online access, as well as indexes, see Cannon.

Birth
Online Records
 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection


 * 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry $
 * 1881-1885 - Cannon County Birth Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1908-1912 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online Indexes and Records
 * 1780-2002 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection


 * 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1790-1962 - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.- How to Use this Collection


 * 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection


 * 1838-1888 at FamilySearchHow to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1850; 1850-1866; 1865-1867; 1871-1892; 1888-1890 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Marriages ($)
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry $
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1783-1870 - 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols.
 * 1838-1873 - Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. ff.
 * 1838-1895 - Cannon County Marriage Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1850 - 1866 - W.P.A. Cannon County Marriage Records, Volume 6. Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Free online index

Death
Online Records
 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry $
 * 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
 * 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

FamilySearch Centers

 * McMinnville Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Murfreesboro Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.
 * Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Adams Memorial Library 212 College St. Woodbury, TN 37190 Phone: 615-563-5861 Email: [mailto:cannonlib@dtccom.net cannonlib@dtccom.net] Website Cannon County Library Auburntown Branch 73 East Main Street Auburntown, TN 37016 Phone: 615-464-2622 Email: [mailto:aublibrary@dtccom.net aublibrary@dtccom.net] Website

Societies
Auburntown Historical Society P.O. Box 114 Auburntown, TN 37016-0114 Website Cannon County Historical Society Email: [mailto:rbushcannonhistorian@gmail.com rbushcannonhistorian@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Cannon County TN Genealogy
 * Cannon County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Cannon County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Cannon County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free genealogy resources for the region
 * – 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.

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