McNairy County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    McNairy County West Tennessee county. Established 1823.





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

County Courthouse


McNairy County Courthouse 170 Court Ave. Selmer, TN 38375 Phone: 1-731-645-3511

McNairy County Archives 170 Court Ave., Basement level McNairy County Courthouse Selmer, TN 38375 Phone: 1-731-645-7095

Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Closed Wednesdays and weekends

History
The county is named after "John McNairy, judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Tennessee."

Parent County
1823--McNairy County was established 8 October 1823 from Hardin County. County seat: Athens

County Pronunciation


Did we get the accent right? If not, contact Nathan W. Murphy, [mailto:murphynw@familysearch.org murphynw@familysearch.org].

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss
1881--Fire damaged records


 * Lost census: 1890
 * Lost marriages: 1823 to 1860
 * Lost probate: 1823 to 1871

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published McNairy County biography and cemetery 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: McNairy 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
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * 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 McNairy County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


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


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


 * ePodunk list of McNairy County cemeteries

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

1830


 * Brown, Albert 1830 and 1840 census index for McNairy Co., Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee : Albert Brown, c1998 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X22

1840


 * Brown, Albert 1830 and 1840 census index for McNairy Co., Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee : Albert Brown, c1998 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X22

1840 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, Western District, McNairy County on page 159.]

1850


 * Index to the 1850 McNairy County, Tennessee census FHL US/CAN book 976.8 A1 no.23 (Photocopy of original, 2006 - Library has copied leaves to pages)

1860


 * Index to the 1860 federal census of McNairy Co., Tennessee FHL US/CAN book 976.8 A1 no. 24

1870


 * McNairy County Genealogical Society (Selmer, Tennessee) McNairy County, Tennessee, 1870 census Selmer, Tennessee : McNairy County Genealogical Society, 1992 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X2m 1870

1880


 * Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 census McNairy County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler and Associates, 2002 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X29
 * Brown, Albert McNairy Co., TN, 1880 census: McNairy County Tennessee record Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, 1995 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X28

1890


 * Brown, Albert McNairy County, Tennessee, research records : the 1890 tax record of McNairy county Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, c1994 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 R4b (Contents: Index to Confederate Veterans pension application, index of widows who applied for Confederate pensions, index to B.G. Brazeltons, 1885 history of Hardin County, Tennessee and funeral records of McNaire County, Tennesse, 1947-1957.)

1900


 * McNairy County Genealogical Society (Selmer, Tennessee) McNairy County, Tennessee, 1900 census Selmer, Tennessee : McNairy County Genealogical Society, c1992 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X2

1910


 * Brown, Albert McNairy County, Tennessee research record : 1910 census and index Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, c1994 FHL US/CAN book 976.829 X2b 1910

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following McNairy 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

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in McNairy, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 46,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * [Auten] Langston, Kathryn. Auten News. [Newsletter] Lavon, Texas: K. Langston, 1997-2002. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.27305 Au81a.
 * [Ballard] Miller, Lynne D. Texas Ballards. Lincolnton, North Carolina: L.D. Miller, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B212mtx; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Birchett] See Combs.
 * [Brooks] Brooks, Moses Edward. Descendants of James Brooks. Unknown: unknown, 1974. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Cain] Truett, Earl A. William Hardin Cain, His Descendants and the Founders of Northwest Lafayette County, Mississippi. 2 vols. Oxford, Miss.: E.A. Truett, 1978-1980. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C123t ff.
 * [Combs] Cooke, Katherine Joss. The House that Grew. Alexandria, Va.: K.J. Cooke, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C733ck.
 * [Dawson] Ebrom, Janet Dawson and Gregory Alan Dawson. Dawson -- Deaton, Pioneers to Texas. San Antonio, Texas: Dawson Books, 1989. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D327e.
 * [Deaton] Wilson, Larry M. Genealogy of the Family of Deaton. Kansas City, Missouri: L. Wilson, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D349w; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Donnell] Frame, Peggy Campbell. The Albert Franklin Donnell Family. Aztec, N.M.: P.C. Frame, 2005. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D718f; digital version at BYU Family History Archives..
 * [Ellis] Family Records of the Ellis and Leonard Families. MSS., microfilmed in 1965; FHL US/CAN Film 414865.
 * [Harris] Crockett, Barbara Jean Harris. Barbara's Book: A Compilation of Harris History. Fenton, Michigan: B.J.H. Crockett, 1981. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H24cb.
 * [Harris] Gohr, Glenn W. James David Harris: His Kith and His Kin: A Compilation of Harris History. Springfield, Missouri: G.W. Gohr, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H24go.
 * [Hightower] Hales, Samuel Dale. A History of Some English Speaking People Called Hales, Hendricks, Hightower and Hearne Who Lived in the South and in Texas, 1634-1934. Shawnee Mission, Kansas: S.D. Hales, 1975. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H137hs.
 * [Hurst] Branch, Virginia. The Hurst Nation: A Family History. 2 vols. Paragould, Ark.: V. Branch, 1987-1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H943b ff.
 * [Richards] Richards, James P. Richards Family Genealogical Records, 1743-1978. Typescript, FHL US/CAN Film 1320608 Item 31.
 * [Wharton] Wharton, Richard. Richard Wharton papers, 1863 - 1906. Book contributor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diary, letters and other writings including his service in the Confederate Army, letters relating to family matters, a genealogy of the Wharton family, poems and speeches. Free digital copy.

Land

 * McNairy County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1823 and is located at the Courthouse, Selmer, Tennessee 38375-2194; Telephone: (731) 645-5446. 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 1823-1903 with indexes 1835-1901; land grants 1823-1961.

Local Histories

 * Wright, Marcus Joseph. Reminiscences of the Early Settlement and Early Settlers of McNairy County, Tennessee. Washington, D.C.: Commercial Pub. Co., 1882. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 599232. Digital version at Google Books.

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.] 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 TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1) 1835 Pension Roll
 * 2) 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. 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, Western District, McNairy County on page 159.]
 * 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. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes McNairy County pensioners (pp. 20-21).]

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 McNairy County click on the following towns:


 * Adamsville
 * Falcon
 * Purdy
 * Selmer

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 McNairy 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 McNairy County, Tennessee records 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.
 * Back Trackers
 * Publication of the McNairy County Genealogical Society, Selmer, Tenn. The Family History Library has Vols. 1-4 (1991-1994): FHL US/CAN Book 976.829 B2b.
 * Family Findings
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of McNairy 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.
 * 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.
 * McNairy County History and Genealogy Newsletter
 * The Family History Library has volume 12 no. 3 and 4 FHL US/CAN 976.829 D25n The Newsletter is indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)
 * 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

Prisons
Learn if your McNairy 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 a few 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 County Court has responsibility for the probate records of McNairy County. Many records are held by the McNairy County Archives.

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


 * [1865-1896] Brown, Albert. McNairy Co., Administrators Record Index, 1865-1896. Bethel Springs, Tennessee: A. Brown, 1994. (FHL book 976.829 P22b.)
 * [1858-1967] Brown, Albert. McNairy County, Tennessee Record, Will Index, 1858-1967: From Court Minute Books and Will Books. Bethel Springs, Tennessee: A. Brown, 1993. (FHL book 976.829 P28ba.)
 * [1872-1936] Kennedy, Nancy Wardlow. Will Book Abstracts of McNairy County, Tennessee. Selmer, Tennessee: N.W. Kennedy, [199-?]. Indexed. (FHL book 976.829 P28k.)

Taxation
The original McNairy County Tax Books 1867-1882 were microfilmed by TSLA. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 983095-983096.

The following McNairy County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1890] Brown, Albert. McNairy County, Tennessee, Research Records: The 1890 Tax Record of McNairy County. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: A. Brown, 1994. FHL US/CAN Book 976.829 R4b.

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in McNairy County during the first few years of its existence. In 1838, 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..

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


 * [1758-1958] Brown, Albert. Husbands, Wives, Marriages, 1758-1958. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: Albert Brown, c1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.829 V2b. [Reconstructed marriage records, prepared by genealogists.]
 * [1861-1865] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1989. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 1 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1861-1869] Historical Records Survey (Tennessee) Marriage records, 1861-1869, McNairy County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1943. FHL US/CAN Film 24750 items 4-6
 * [1861-1961] McNairy County, Tennessee County Court Clerk Marriage records (McNairy County), 1861-1961 Nashville, Tennessee : Tennessee State Library and Archives, [19-]-1988. FHL US/CAN Film 983068-76 and 1928775-78.
 * [1896-1950] Tennessee County Court (McNairy County) Marriage licenses (McNairy County, Tennessee), 1896-1950 Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1999. FHL US/CAN Film 2155958 and 2156162 item 1
 * [1911-1926] McNairy County Genealogical Society (Selmer, Tennessee) Marriages of McNairy County, Tennessee, 1911-1926 Selmer, Tennessee : McNairy County Genealogical Society, c1992. FHL US/CAN Book 976.829 V2m
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page titled Discover Your Ancestors; indicate a surname, marriage "event" and a county name (i.e. McNairy, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($). Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.

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


 * 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
For deaths of Methodists in McNairy 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)
 * McNairy County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * McNairy County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * McNairy County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW-TN-L (Southwest Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNMCNAIR-L (McNairy County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WESTTN-L (West Tennessee List)