Hickman County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Hickman 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 Edwin Hickman, an explorer and surveyor who was killed in an Indian attack at Defeated Creek in 1791. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hickman County Courthouse Public Square Centerville, TN 37033 County Courthouse Phone: 931-729-2621 County Clerk Phone: 931-729-2522 Circuit Court Phone: 931-729-2211 Register of Deeds  Phone: 931-729-4882

Hickman County Archivist 8 Public Square Centerville, TN 37033 County Archivist Phone: 931-729-6478

The Hickman County Archives are bound volumes that have been microfilmed, with the exception of deeds and deeds of trust, and are available for review with the original volumes on-site for verification of unclear images. County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1867 Circuit Court Clerk has divorce and probate records Register of Deeds has land records from 1807

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 Middle Tennessee county. Established 1807.

The county is named after "Edwin Hickman, a longhunter killed by Native Americans near the present-day Centerville."

Biographies

 * Douthat, James L. Hickman County, Tennessee Biographies. 1887; reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free Surname Index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.

Business, Commerce, and 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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Hickman County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hickman 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 Hickman County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

1810 Lost 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..

1810-1891


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

1820


 * Ballard, Linda and Shelley Bishop. 1820 Census of Hickman County, Tennessee.Lyles, Tennessee Linn-Shell Pub., 1987.
 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Census takers found no free African Americans living in Hickman County, Tennessee in 1820.

1830


 * Coleman, Brenda W.United States Census Hickman County, Tennessee, 1830.Atoka, Tennessee B.W. Coleman, 1996.

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, Middle District, Hickman County on page 156.

1850


 * Garrett, Jill K. and Catherine K. Gilliam. 1850 Census of Hickman County, Tennessee.S.p.: 1967.

1860


 * United Daughters of the Confederacy. Thomas Stewart Easley Chapter, no. 1814. Hickman County, Tennessee, United States Census, 1860.Centerville, Tennessee Printing Unlimited, n.d.

1870


 * Bridges, Alec F.1870 Federal Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Gallatin, Tennessee A.F. Bridges, 2000.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Hickman County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1999.

1890 Lost Substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. . Hickman County is included in Vol. 8.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters


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

1900


 * Bridges, Alec F.1900 Federal Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Gallatin, Tennessee A.F. Bridges, 2001. v. 1-2.

1910


 * Tatum, Rubye and Bruce Tatum. 1910 Census, Hickman County, Tennessee.Lyles, Tennessee Tatum, 1984.

Court Records

 * Leeper, Kate and Paul Court records of Hickman County, Tennessee 1833-1856s.n., 1968 Free lookups available.
 * Dotson, Olgia Hickman County, Tennessee court records, 1814-1829 Centerville, Tennessee Hickman County Historical Society (TN), 2000. Court

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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * Census takers found no 'Free Colored' heads of household in 1820 census of Hickman Co.

Genealogies

 * As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Hickman, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 45,000 entries.


 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Historical Sketches of Hickman County, Tennessee. Unknown: Unknown, 19??. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8434 H2; FHL US/CAN Film 1036548; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Bibliography


 * Bates - Bates, James E. James Bates &amp; Elizabeth Tubb, Parents of the 7 Bates Brothers of Hickman County, Tennessee?. Greenbelt, Md.: J.E. Bates, 1988..
 * Beasley - Lockhart, William Thomas. The Beasley Family of Benton, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart Counties of Tennessee. Florissant, Missouri: W. Lockhart, 1985..
 * Fowlkes - Olney, Adelle Whitby. Fowlkes of Virginia &amp; Hickman County, Tennessee. San Bernardino, Calif.: A.W. Olney, 1974..
 * Moffitt - Young, Laurie M. Family Notes on Keith, Lott, Sketoe, Donahoo and Arnold of Muhlenberg: Lear and Sheffield of Christian, Todd and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; Smith and Beck, Spencer County, Indiana; Moffitt, Randolph County, North Carolina, Perry, Hickman and Humphries Co., Tn. Boise, Idaho: L.M. Young, 1990..
 * Peery - Peery, Charles Lee. Genealogy of James Peery: Virginia Pioneer, Revolutionary War Veteran, Tennessee Frontiersman, Hickman County Resident, Ancestors and Descendants. Cullman, Ala.: Gregath, 1997..
 * Wilson - Bevell, John Calvin. Adam Reed Wilson of Hickman County Tennessee and Panola County Mississippi: A Record of His Ancestry, His Children and His Descendants. Monrovia, Calif.: J.C. Bevell, 1991..

Land and Property Records

 * Hickman County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1808 and is located at the Courthouse, 8 Public Square, Centerville, Tennessee 37033; Telephone: (931) 729-2621. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deed books 1808-1892 with indexes 1983-1900; surveyor's books 1827-1901.

Local Histories

 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Historical Sketches of Hickman County, Tennessee. Unknown: Unknown, 19??. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8434 H2; FHL US/CAN Film 1036548; digital version at TN Gov site.
 * Spence, Jerome D. and David L. Spence's history of Hickman County, Tennessee P-Vine Press, 1981.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Hickman 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, Middle District, Hickman County on page 156.
 * 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 Hickman County pensioners (p. 68)

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

Confederate Soldiers


 * 2nd Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Biffle's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Clack's) - CSA - Company K.
 * 6th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wheeler's)- CSA - Company I.
 * 9th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Gantt's) - CSA - Companies C, D, and G.
 * 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (DeMoss') - CSA - Companies C and G.
 * 11th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
 * 20th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
 * 24th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies H and I.
 * 42nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and B.
 * 48th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Nixon's)- CSA - Company A.
 * 48th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Voorhies') - CSA - Companies D, G, and I.
 * Cox's Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry- CSA - Company C.

Union Soldiers


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company E.
 * 12th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company G.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hickman County:


 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.
 * TNGenWeb, Hickman County Tennessee. A variety of Civil War Links available.
 * Genealogy Trails, Co. H, 11th Tennessee. Interesting Sketch of One of Old Hickman's Companies in the War.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hickman 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. Hickman County, page 347-348.
 * America's Civil War in War Tennessee's Hickman County. This article was written by Alan D. Gaff and originally appeared in the December 2004 issue of Civil War Times magazine.
 * Hickman County Tennessee 1890 Civil War Veterans Census. All spelling is recorded as it was written. Contributed by: Reita Jones Burress, 2004.

Newspapers
An RAOGK volunteer is willing to do obituary lookups in Hickman County newspapers covering the years 1878 to the present. 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 Hickman County click on the following town:


 * Centerville

For deaths of Methodists in Hickman 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. (Largely Methodist?)

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..


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


 * Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Herald: Hickman County Historical Society

Probate Records
The Hickman County Court has responsibility for the probate records. Many records are held by the Hickman County Archives.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1866-1938 - Hickman County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1866-1982 - Dotson, Olgia. Hickman County Wills, 1866-1982. Nunnelly, Tennessee: O. Dotson, (1982). Indexed. (FHL book 976.8434 P2do.)

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
Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1815 Petition by Inhabitants Concerning Tax Complaint, 1815, Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 2 (2005).
 * 1817 "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 v. 43 (1996). For further access, see Hickman. [Includes Hickman County.]
 * 1836 Hughes, T.P. "Hickman County, Tennessee, 1836 Tax Record," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Summer 1980):63-69. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 27 (1980);digital version at society's website. For further access, see Hickman.
 * 1836 1836 Tax List of Hickman, Tennessee. Lyles, Tenn.: Linn-Shell Pub. Co., 1987.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online Indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 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
 * 1868-1895 - Hickman County Marriage Index 1868-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * Daughters of the American Revolution, Duck River Chapter. Old Marriage Records of Hickman County, Tennessee. Digital Book Vol. 1 FHL|976.8434 V2d|book 2 vols.
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

 * 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 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 Books Online;

Libraries
J.B. Walker Memorial Library 120 West Swan St. Centerville, TN 37033 Phone 931-729-5130 Fax: 1-931-729-4151 Website

Societies
Hickman County Historical Society 7 Court House, 201 E Public Square Centerville, TN 37033-1639 Phone: 931-729-3279 Website

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 website
 * The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Hickman County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

Websites

 * Hickman County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * Hickman County Tennessee Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails History Group–Volunteers Dedicated to Free Genealogy)
 * Hickman County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – 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

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