Macon County, Tennessee Genealogy

Macon County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Macon County (established 1842) 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.

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

County Courthouse


Macon County Courthouse 104 Courthouse, Public Square Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 1-615-666-2000

Macon County; 106 County Courthouse; Lafayette, TN 37083; Ph. 615.666.2000 Details: (Co Clk has b rec 1908-1912, m rec from 1901 &amp; pro rec from 1900; Clk Cir Ct has div &amp; ct rec; Reg of Deeds has land rec)

Macon County Clerk Marriage and probate records Birth records 1908-1912 104 County Courthouse Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 1-615-666-2333

Macon County Register of Deeds Land records 102 County Courthouse Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 1-615-666-2353

Macon County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 904 Highway 52 Bypass East Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 1-615-666-2354

Because of three courthouse fires, the records stored there prior to 1901 are mostly destroyed. The Macon County Historical Society is working to restore these lost records through several different means. To learn what records are now available, it is worthwhile to contact the Macon County Historical Societyat P.O. Box 231, Lafayette, Tennessee 37083-0231.

Courthouse hours: Mon.-Wed. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Closed Thursday

History


Middle Tennessee county established in 1842. Macon County's land belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

The county is named after U.S. Senator Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837).

Parent County
1842--Macon County was created 18 January 1842 from Smith and Sumner Counties. County seat: Lafayette

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
1860, 1901, and 1932 Most pre-1900 records have been lost in courthouse fires.


 * Lost land records
 * Lost marriage records: 1842 to 1900
 * Lost probate records: 1842 to 1939

Surviving chancery court records act as a substitute to the lost land and probate records.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Macon County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Research in Macon County," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Winter 1993). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Biographies

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

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
 * Macon County Historical Society (Lafayette, Tennessee) Macon County, Tennessee, cemeteries Lafayette, Tennessee : Macon County Historical Society (Tennessee), 1987-1989.

Census
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Macon 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 Macon 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 $

1850


 * Cothron, Judy M., ed. Macon County Tennessee, 1850 &amp; 1860 Census. Lafayette, Tennessee: Macon County Historical Society, 1997.
 * Porch, Deane. Macon County, Tennessee, 1850 Census. Franklin, Tennessee: L.G. Lynch, 19-?.

1860


 * Cothron, Judy M., ed. Macon County Tennessee, 1850 &amp; 1860 Census. Lafayette, Tennessee: Macon County Historical Society, 1997.

1870


 * Cothron, Judy M., ed.Macon County, Tennessee, 1870 &amp; 1880 Census.Lafayette, Tennessee : Macon County Historical Society, 1995.

1880


 * Cothron, Judy M., ed.Macon County, Tennessee, 1870 &amp; 1880 Census.Lafayette, Tennessee : Macon County Historical Society, 1995.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 census, Macon County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1993.

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. . Macon County is included in Vol. 6.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..


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

1900


 * Crumpton, Barbara. 1900 Census, Macon County, Tennessee.Duncan, Oklahoma: Creative Copies, 1988.
 * Pryor, Mary C. Macon County, Tennessee 1900 &amp; 1910 Census. Lafayette, Tennessee: Macon County Historical Society, 2004.

1910


 * Pryor, Mary C. Macon County, Tennessee 1900 &amp; 1910 Census. Lafayette, Tennessee: Macon County Historical Society, 2004.

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed. Macon County, Tennessee Census, 1920 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Macon County, Tennessee Census, 1920 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

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.


 * Macon 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 Macon County are:


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

Baptist


 * 1831 - 1928 - Hillsdale Baptist Church Records. Macon County, 1831-1928. Manuscript. TSLA Reel #215. Item 3. Formerly the East Fork of Goose Creek Church.


 * 1831 - 1900 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. vol. 1 Index to original Hillsdale Baptist Church Records. Macon County, 1831-1928.


 * 1841 - 1883 Hastings, Patricia G. Into His Marvelous Light: the Minutes of the Siloam Missionary Baptist Church, 1841-1883. Nashville, Tennessee: P.G. Hastings, 1988.

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


 * Doss - Descendant of John Doss (1816-1857) of Sumner and Macon counties, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 49304). Genetic signature available online (labeled Ju-3), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

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 Macon, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 38,000 entries.


 * Macon County Tennessee Historical Society. Macon County, Tennessee: History and Families. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 2001..
 * Macon County Historical and Genealogical Society. Macon Roots: A Record of the Families of Macon County, Tennessee in 1850. n.p.: Ridge Runner, 2008..
 * Masters, Jack and Bill Puryear. Founding of the Cumberland Settlements: The First Atlas 1779-1804: Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots. Gallatin, Tenn.: Warioto Press, 2009. . Supplements: ff. Purchase at Cumberland Pioneer Settlers.

Bibliography


 * Ballew - Ballew, David L. Ancestors of Leonard Ballew. West Palm Beach, Fla.: D.L. Ballew, 1987?.
 * Cragon - Cragon, Henry D., Harvey Allen Cragon, Miller Murray Cragon, and James Alexander Cragon. Tennessee Cragons and Their Kinfolk. [Birmingham, Alabama?: H.D. Cragon], 1974..
 * Doss - Murphy, Nathan W. Descendants of Azariah Doss and His Wife Lydia (Ayres) Doss. Hanson, Ky.: David W. Murphy and Associates, 1998.

Land

 * Land Grants. Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library.

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

 * Blankenship, Harold G. History of Macon County, Tennessee. n.p.: H.G. Blankenship, 1986..
 * Roddy, Vernon On the early story of Red Boiling Springs, Tennesse : with selected supporting materials Hartsville, Tennessee : V.Roddy, 1991 (Murfreesboro, Tennessee : Ambassador Print)

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

War of 1812

 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Macon County pensioners (p. 21).

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 Macon County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in or came from Macon County:

Confederate Soldiers


 * 20th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
 * 24th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
 * 30th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
 * 44th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
 * 55th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (McKoin's) - CSA- Henry B. Day, unlettered company

Union Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company E.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies A and D.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Macon County:


 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Macon County Tennessee Archives. Military Pensions.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Macon 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. Macon County, page 361-362.

Newspapers

 * Gregory, Charles Cal's Column-Macon County Times. Transcription Cal's Column.


 * 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 Macon County click on the following cities:


 * Lafayette
 * Red Boiling Springs

Periodicals

 * Makin' History: Newsletter of the Macon County, Tennessee, Historical Society
 * The Family History Library has Volume 1  - present.   Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) For further information see  their website. (Includes Quarterly Newsletter Index)


 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Giles 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.

Probate Records
The Macon County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for probate records.

Online Records


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


 * Wills, 1946-1977 (Vol. 1)

The following Macon County probate records have been abstracted, indexed, or both:


 * Macon County (Tennessee) County Clerk and Tennessee State Library and Archives (Nashville, Tennessee) Macon County, Tennessee wills, ca. 1946-1977 Nashville, Tennessee : Filmed by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1988.

Taxation
The following Macon County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1789 - Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, seePeriodicals. Includes area that later became Macon County.
 * 1868 - Taxpayers, 3rd District, 1868, Macon County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Summer 1992).

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

Birth

 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * For free lookups of 1908-1939 Macon County Births click here.

Marriage
The original Macon County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Because of a courthouse fire, no marriage records before 1900 are available. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1794 - 1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

The following Macon County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * 1901 - 1994 - Available at the TSLA.


 * 1901 - 1954 - Available at the Family History Library.

The following Macon County marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1901 - 1994 Macon County, Tennessee Bonds and Marriages. Lebanon, Tennessee: Brawner Books, 2001-1002. 2 volumes

State Marriage Records


 * 1780-2002 - Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry.com's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.


 * 1790 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org - covers all counties in Tennessee.


 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


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

Macon County is not included in Sistler's Early Middle Tennessee Marriages.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Macon 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 Macon County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 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.

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

Macon County, Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society Meets at Macon County Court House room 202 Lafayette, TN Phone: 1-615-688-6247 E-mail: makinhistory@nctc.com

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

Macon County Public Library 311 Church St. Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 1-615-666-4340 Fax: 1-615-666-8932 E-mail: Julia.Marshall@state.tn.us Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 9 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Thurs. 12 noon-8 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-1:45 p.m.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Macon County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Macon County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List)
 * Macon County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)