Polk County, Tennessee Genealogy

Polk County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Polk County (established 1839) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Description
The County was named for then-governor (and future president) James K. Polk. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Quick Dates
Polk County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse


Polk County Courthouse 6239 Highway 411 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 1-423-338-4522

Register of Deeds has land records. County Clerk has marriage and probate records.

Polk County Clerk Marriage and probate records P.O. Box 158 6239 Hwy 411, #102 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 1-423-338-4526

Polk County Register of Deeds Land records P.O. Box 293 6239 Hwy 411 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 1-423-338-3100

Polk County Clerk of Court Court records P.O. Box 256 6239 Highway 411 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 1-423-338-4524

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

History


East Tennessee county.

The county is named after President James Knox Polk (1795-1849).

Parent County
1839--Polk County was established 28 November 1839 from McMinn and Bradley Counties. Early records may be found under McMinn and Bradley Counties. County seat: Benton

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (male)

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1895 and 1935 Fires damaged courthouse records.


 * Lost deeds: 1839 to 1893
 * Lost marriage records: 1839 to 1893
 * Lost probate records: 1839 to 1872

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Polk County biography, court, land, and military records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

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

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
 * The FamilySearch Catalog lists some . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.
 * Information on Polk County cemeteries, originally published in the Polk County Historical and Genealogical Quarterly, is available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * Inscriptions of Polk County, Tennessee Cemeteries. Free Lookups Available!

Census
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Polk 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 Polk 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.com — index $

1840


 * Snell, William R. and Bradley County Historical Society. 1840 Federal Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Cleveland, Tenn.: Mimeographed by Lee College Print Shop for Bradley County Historical Society, 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

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 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, Eastern District, Polk County on page 154.

1850


 * Adams, Terri, Waunetta Ledford and Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1850 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 199?. . Free Lookups Available!

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Polk County is included in Vol. 1.

1860


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1860 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical Society, 1998. . Free Lookups Available!

1870


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1870 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1998. . Free Lookups Available!

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2s 1880. Free Lookups Available!

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

1900


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1900 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000..

1910


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1910 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000..

1920


 * Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society. Polk County 1920 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000?. . Free Lookups Available!

1930


 * Presswood, Marian Bailey and Jo Ann Finnell. Polk County 1930 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2003..

Church
Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration. For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.


 * Polk County Church Records


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * If the records you need are not through the Family History Library, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived. Two sites that give information about churches in Polk County are:


 * - List of Polk County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)
 * - List of Polk County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

Baptist


 * 1879 - 1943 Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943. TSLA Reel #348
 * 1879 - 1900 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. vol.1   Index to original Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943.

Court

 * W.P.A. Polk County, Tennessee Court Minutes 1840-1843. Free Lookups Available!

Family Histories
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

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Polk, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 20,000 entries.


 * The Heritage of Polk County, Tennessee, 1839-1997. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society (Tennessee), 1997..

Bibliography


 * Baily - Baily Family Bible Records, ca. 1838-1958. MSS.,.
 * Barnes - See Longley.
 * Cantrell - See Longley.
 * Curd
 * Hildebrand - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962..
 * Hood - Hood, Dellmann Osborne. The Tunis Hood Family. Portland, OR: Metropolitan Press, 1960. Available at ; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Land - Land, Barbara and Gary Land. The Land's &amp; the Staige's. 2 vols. Ukiah, Calif.: B. &amp; G. Land, 1994. ff.
 * Langley - See Longley.
 * Longley - Matthews, Addah Longley. Genealogy, Curd-Longley, Cantrell-Barnes. North Newton, KS: Mennonite Press, 1966. Available at Ex Libris; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Quintrell - Quintrell: Family Bible Records, 1830-1941. MSS.,.
 * Ward - Bell, Annie W.B. Military and Genealogical Records of the Famous Indian Woman Nancy Ward. Typescript, 1961..
 * Ward - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962..
 * Ward - Holland, Hubert G. Nancy Ward A/K/A Cherokee Rose and Beloved Woman. Typescript,.
 * Whitson - McDuffee, Ted Ransom. Duff to McDuffee on One Leaf: The Family History James H. Duff-McDuffee and Nancy Ann Whitson with Ancestors and Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Pub., 1999..
 * Young - Stein, Carl F. Some Descendents of James Pickens Young 1815: of Polk, Rhea, Hamilton, Blount, &amp; Knox Counties, Tenn., Cherokee, &amp; Gaston Counties, North Carolina. Family Group Sheets..

Land
Early Polk County Deed Books are lost. In 1970, TSLA microfilmed surviving Deed Books 1 to 10 (1897 to 1911), Trust Deed Books 1 to 4 (1894-1911) and a General Index (1897-1938). FHL copies:.

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.

Local Histories

 * History of Polk County 1839-1999. Free Lookups Available!

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Revolutionary War
The following Polk County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Pension Applications Pertaining to Polk County, Tennessee Residents

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, Eastern District, Polk County on page 154.
 * 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. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Polk County pensioners (p. 50).

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Civil War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Polk County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Polk County:

Confederate Soldiers 


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company A.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C and D.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) - CSA - Companies C and D.
 * 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company A.
 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company F.
 * 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company A.
 * 59th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Cooke's) (Eakin's 1st Battalion) - CSA - Company K.
 * 62nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Rowan's) (80th Infantry) - CSA - Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Polk County:


 * Wiefering, Edna et al. Tennessee Union Soldiers: of Bradley, McMinn and Polk Counties Serving in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th TN Cavalry 5th TN Infantry and 5th TN Mounted Infantry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1996..
 * Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
 * Genealogy Trails History Group, Polk County Tennessee Military Page.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Polk County Tennessee Archives.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Polk 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. Polk County, page 368-369.
 * Civil War Research From the Robert B. Barker Papers. The collection contains information on both Union and Confederate soldiers who have a Polk County connection.
 * Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Civil War in Polk County.

Newspapers
A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is willing to do free obituary lookups in Polk County 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 Polk County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Benton
 * Copperhill
 * Ducktown

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. . Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Polk County.

Periodicals

 * Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly and Newsletter
 * This quarterly has been in publication since 1995. For more information, visit the society's website. Most issues are available at the Family History Library: . Index found in PERIodical Source Index (PERSI) Digital version of volume 12 available at - free.

Probate Records

 * Index to Polk County Wills 1894-1970, available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project.

Online Records


 * 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * Wills, 1873-1940s (3 vols.)
 * Bonds, Letters, 1890-1965 (6 vols.)
 * Insolvent estate records, 1895-1932
 * Letters, 1903-1964
 * Settlements, 1894-1936 (3 vols.)

Taxation
The original Polk County Tax Books 1893-1902 were microfilmed by TSLA in 1970. Copies of their films are also available at the Family History Library:.

Vital Records
See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

Birth

 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1869 - 1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
The original Polk County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1970, TSLA microfilmed Marriage Books 1 to 18 (1894-1970). FHL copies:.

State Marriage Records 


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1780 - 2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1780 - 2002 - at FamilySearch.org— index


 * 1790 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * 1796 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

Polk County's marriage records have been abstracted multiple times. As a guide to lead you back to the original sources, Blankenship's book surpasses the others for the early years, as she cites original volume and page numbers. The following is a list of these publications:


 * 1894 - 1907 - Jones, Viola H. Marriage Records, Polk County, Tennessee, 1894 through 1907: Recorded in Volumes 1, 2, 3. Louisville, Tenn.: V.H. Jones, 1987. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, along with marriage dates.


 * 1894 - 1907 - Blankenship, Nelly M. Polk County Marriages: Vol. 4 Sept. 1894 - Sept. 1907, v. 1 - 4. Murfreesboro, Tenn.: F.M. Blankenship, 1992. . Abstracts names of brides, grooms, officiators, and bondsmen, dates of marriage, along with volume and page numbers and "extra" information.


 * 1894 - 1970 - Poteet-Pitts, Jennie Vee. Polk County, Tennessee Marriages 1894 through 1970. Louisville, Tenn.: V.H. Jones, 1995. . Free Lookups Available! Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, along with marriage dates for early marriages; greater detail for more recent marriages, including volume and page numbers.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Polk County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see the following resources:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death

 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914 - 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images

For deaths of Methodists in Polk County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 1847 - 1914 - 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Polk County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society P. O. Box 636 Benton, TN 37307

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay St. P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-1629 Phone: 1-865-215-8824 E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Benton Public Library Hwy 411 Benton, TN 37307 Phone: 1-423-338-4536

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * (FamilySearch) = The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Mailing List: TNPOLK-L (Polk County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: SE-TN-L (Southeast Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Polk County, Tennessee: "A Hidden Treasure" (American Local History Network &amp; Tennessee Local History Network) Resources that will help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
 * Polk County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Polk County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Polk County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Polk County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)