Franklin County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Franklin County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1807.

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

County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse 1 South Jefferson Street Winchester, Tennessee 37398 Phone: 931-967-2541

County Clerk Marriage and Probate records Phone: 931-967-2541

Register of Deeds Land records 931-967-2541

Circuit Court Clerk Court records 931-967-2923

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

History


The county was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Parent County
1807--Franklin County was created 3 December 1807 from Warren and Bedford Counties. County seat: Winchester

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1890
 * Lack of marriage records: 1807 to 1837

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Neighboring Counties

 * Coffee
 * Grundy
 * Jackson County, Alabama
 * Lincoln
 * Madison County, Alabama
 * Marion
 * Moore

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Franklin County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Franklin County Research," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Spring 1992). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

African American

 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]


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

African American
The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * African American Research for Tennessee is specific for Tennessee

Cemeteries

 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Franklin County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * Franklin County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * Franklin County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * Franklin County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Franklin county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Campbell County cemeteries


 * A volunteer will do free lookups in the Franklin County Cemetery book.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Franklin 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 Franklin County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1810 - Lost, but 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

1830


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]

1840


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * Phillips, Judy H. Franklin County, Tennessee in the Year 1840 : Featuring the 1840 Census with Abstracts of the 1840 Court Minutes and Deeds. Tullahoma, Tennessee: Phillips &amp; Jackson, 1985.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Franklin County on page 155.]

1850


 * Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Franklin County, Tennessee. S.p., 1970.

1860


 * Swenson, Helen S. Franklin County, Tennessee, 1860 Census with Kead of Household Marriages. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1981.

1870


 * Phillips, Judy H. 1870 Census, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.H. Phillips, 1986.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Franklin County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1994.

1890 Lost, but a subtitute is available:


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

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Franklin County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that 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


 * Family Histories, Franklin County, Tennessee, 1807-1996. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 D3f.
 * Thomas, Don M. Documentation History: of Some "Martins", "Jones", "Dials", "Stewarts", "Smiths", "Ragsdales", "Sanders", "Carlisles", "Morrows", and "Beans" of Johnson, Pope and Sebastian County, Arkansas, ... Franklin County, Tennessee, Marion County, Illinois and Parker County, Texas. 4 vols. [Salt Lake City, Utah]: D.M. Thomas, [1993], 1995; Waldron, Arkansas : Scott County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society (Arkansas). FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M363t ff.

Bibliography


 * [Bennett] Morris, Lovell Jason. Bennett of Franklin County, Tennessee and Related Families. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: L.J. Morris, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B439mL.
 * [Burnett] Weston, Edgar Earl; Burnett, L.H. and Gladys The Burnett Family Pelham, Tennessee : L.H. and G Burnett, c1983 FHL book 929.273 B934w. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives
 * [Gipson] Phillips, Judy Henley. The Gipson Family of Franklin County, Tennessee: Their Ancestors and Descendants. Tullahoma, Tenn.: J.H. Phillips, 1995. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G44p.
 * [Hammontree] Strang, Vivia Hammontree. Fall Lick Creek and Hammontree Roots: Franklin County, Tennessee. Phoenix, Ariz.: V.H. Strang, 2004. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184sv.
 * [Lewis] McBride, Robert Martin. A Footnote to a History of the Lewis Family. Nashville, TN: Unknown, 1954. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [McGavock] Aiken, Leona Taylor. The Descendants of James McGavock Sr. and the McGavock Mansions, Fort Chiswell, Va. &amp; Carnton, Franklin, Tenn. [Kingsport, Tenn.]: L.T. Aiken, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 5141; another copy: FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M172aL.
 * [Shelly] Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Shelly Family of Scott County, Virginia and Franklin County, Tennessee Data. Typescript, 1964. FHL US/CAN Film 875370 Item 9.
 * [Simpson] Miner, Ethel Nerim. Descendants of Rice and Rachael Simpson: of Franklin and Moore Counties, Tennessee. Fountain Hills, Arizona: Four Peaks Enterprise, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si58me.
 * [Wakefield] Wakefield, Gerald L. Nelson Wakefield and Bird Langford : a genealogical study. [S.I.] : G.L. Wakefield, c2008 FHL book 929.273 W137. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

Land

 * Franklin County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1807 and is located at Courthouse, 1 S Jefferson St, Winchester, TN 37398; (931) 967-2541. 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 deeds 1807-1882; land entry books 1824-1891; land records 1790-1924; records of stray livestock; survey books 1868-1879; various records listing names od slaves 1830-1871.

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

 * Fairbanks, George Rainsford.History of the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tennessee. H. and W.B. Drew Co., 1905. Free digital copy.


 * Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore counties.Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Free digital copy.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Franklin County, Tennessee Revolutionary War 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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Franklin 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, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.]
 * Sherrill, Charles A. Revolutionary War Pension Applications from Franklin County, Tennessee. Ohio: n.p., 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 M2r.
 * Tennessee County Court (Franklin County) and Tennessee Circuit Court (Franklin County) Military records and pension applications (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1812-1994 Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 2005. FHL US/CAN Film 1148880 item 2.

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Franklin County pensioners (p. 44)]
 * Select Franklin County, Tennessee War of 1812 applicants Courtesy: TNGenWeb

Indian Wars


 * Franklin County Men in the Indian Wars Courtesy: TNGenWeb

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 Franklin County click on the following cities:


 * Cowan
 * Winchester

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. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Franklin County.]

Periodicals
Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:


 * Ansearchin' News
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Franklin County, Tennessee have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.
 * Franklin County Historical Review
 * The "Review" has been discontinued as of 2005, but back issues are available at their website: www.tngenweb.org/franklin/society.htm The Family History Library has Volume 1 (1970) - volume 30 (2000). FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 B2f. The Review" is indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).
 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Franklin County, Tennessee have been published in The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, the quarterly of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society (23+ Vols.). To view a list of these articles, visit their online Index to Articles (1988-2005). Surname indexes are also available online for Vols. 2-22. The website also offers back issues for sale in paper and on CD. The Family History Library has a complete collection of this quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Prisons
Learn if your Franklin County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within four months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers, because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The Franklin County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Franklin County probate records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1808-1826
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1827-1847

The following Franklin County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1808-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's wills.]
 * [1808-1847] Strictly by Name (see above).

Taxation
The following Franklin County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1812] Moore, Betty Givens. "Index to the Franklin County, Tennessee Tax and Voter List, 1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):157-162. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1812 tax list.]
 * [1812] Free Taxable Inhabitants, Voters, 1812, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: 1988. Vol. 19 Iss. 1.
 * [1812] Phillips, Judy Henley. "1812 Franklin County, Tennessee Tax List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * [1812] Gant, Wanda. "Franklin County, TN - Census - 1812 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * [1816] List of Taxes Due in 1816, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: Jul 1977. Vol. 8 Iss. 2.
 * [1861] Tax Roll, 1861, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Jul 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 3; Oct 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 4; Feb 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 1; Apr 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 2; Jul 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 3; Oct 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 4; Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1.
 * [1865] Tax List, 1865, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1; Jul 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 3; Oct 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 4; Feb 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 1; Apr 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 2; Jul 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 3; Oct 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 4; Feb 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 1; Apr 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 2.
 * [1890] Stovall, Cora, Jeanne Bigger and Lona Koltick. Franklin County, Tennessee 1890 Tax List. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.R. Bigger, 1984.

Birth

 * [1881-1885] Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk.

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in Franklin County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

The following Franklin County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1838-1987] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1838-1886 are available for interlibrary loan.
 * [1838-1964] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.
 * [1879-1939] Includes colored and bride's index. Listed alphabetically by groom's surname.
 * [1881-1885] Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk.

The following Franklin County Courthouse marriage records are abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1838-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1838-1874] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1838-1874] Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Franklin County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1874 Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler, 1985. FHL US/CAN book 976.863 V2si Free lookups available!
 * [1838-1875] Burks, Billie and Hall Marriage records of Franklin County, Tennessee 1838-1875 [Winchester, Tennessee]: Franklin County Historical Society (Tennessee), c1979. FHL US/CAN book 976.863 V2b Free lookups available!
 * [1850-1866] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Franklin County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript.  Items 1-2
 * [1884-1903] Conn, Ronald W. annd Shiley Conn. Franklin County, marriages, 1884-1903. LaVergne, Tennessee: R.W. Conn and S.R. Conn, 1991.
 * [1751-1874] Marriage Records.
 * [1838-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Divorce

 * Some Franklin County Divorces. S.l.: s.n., 198-?
 * Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Available at Ancestry ($).

Death

 * [1881-1885] Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk.

For deaths of Methodists in Franklin County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:


 * 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. FHL US/CAN Books 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851 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.]

Societies and Libraries
Franklin County Historical Society P.O. Box 130 Winchester, TN 37398 Telephone:(931) 962-1476

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Franklin 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

Franklin County Library 105 South Porter Street Winchester, TN 37398 Phone: 931-967-3706 Hours for the Local History and Genealogy area: Monday - Saturday 11 am - 4 pm Contact: Virginia Ellington 931-962-1476 fshistorical@bellsouth.net

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Franklin County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Franklin County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Franklin County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)