Lake County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Lake County





West Tennessee county established in 1870.

County Courthouse
Lake County Courthouse 116 South Court Tiptonville, Tennessee 38079 Phone: 731-253-8926

County Clerk has marriage and probate records Phone: 731-253-7582

Register of Deeds has land records Phone: 731-253-7462

Circuit Court Clerk has court records Phone: 731-253-7137

Genealogy mail requests are forwarded to the County Historian

Hours: Monday,Wednesday and Friday 9 am - 4 pm Thursday 8 am - noon

History


The county is named after Reelfoot Lake.

Parent County
1870--Lake County was created 24 June 1870 from Obion County. County seat: Tiptonville

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Research Guides

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

Census
1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Lake 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, these indexes are often more accurate than those available online.

1890 - Lost, but 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 3 1891. [Lake County is included in Vol. 3.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

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

Bibliography

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. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Lake 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:

Family Findings

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Lake County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f. Volume 2, No. 4 (Oct. 1970) was a special issue devoted to Lake County records in honor of its centennial anniversary.

Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:


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

Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search to retrieve them.

West Tennessee Historical Society Papers

Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 16 and 30 FHL US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers are indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Taxation
The original Lake County Tax Books 1878-1879 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1976, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed these records. A copy of their film is also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Film 1007798 Item 2.

Vital Records
Death

For deaths of Methodists in Lake County (or what became Lake 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.]

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Lake County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Lake County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Lake County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNLAKE-L (Lake County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-NEWMADRID-QUAKE-L (1811 New Madrid Earthquake Genealogy List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WESTTN-L (West Tennessee List)