Overton County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Overton County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1806.

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

County Courthouse
Overton County Courthouse 317 East University Street Livingston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-823-2536

Overton County Clerk Marriage and probate records 317 E. University Street, Room #22 Livingston, TN 38470 Phone: 931-823-2631

Overton County Register of Deeds Land records 317 E. University Street Livingston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-823-4011

Overton County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 317 E. University Street Livinston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-823-2312

Hours: Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.-Fri. 8 am - 4:30 pm Wed. and Sat. 8 am - noon

History
The county is named after "John Overton (1766–1833), one of the cofounders of Memphis, Tennessee."

Parent County
1806--Overton County was established 11 September 1806 from Jackson County. Early records may be found under Jackson County. County seat: Livingston

Record Loss
1865--Fire damaged records


 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1890
 * Lost marriage records: 1806 to 1866
 * Lost probate records: 1806 to 1869

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

Research Guides

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

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.]


 * African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).

Cemeteries
Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Overton County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Overton 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.

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.
 * Houston, Martha Lou. 1820 Census of Overton County Tennessee. Washington, D.C.: M. L. Houston, 1900. Free digitized book.
 * 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


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

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, Overton County on page 157.]
 * "Overton County, Tennessee, Soldiers, Continental Line, Census 1840," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 15, No. 4 :139-. For access, see Periodicals.

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2g v. 1 ff. [Overton County is included in Vol. 1.]

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. 5 1891. [Overton County is included in Vol. 5.]
 * 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.

1920


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

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Overton County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.
 * [Brown] Descendant of Samuel Brown, b. abt 1790 North Carolina, d. abt 1845 Overton County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 109827). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 93), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.

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


 * Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., TN Kin, Family Trees: Family Trees Compiled from 1994-1998. 2 vols. Muncie, Ind.: S. Gray, 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8684 D2g v. 1 ff.
 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Bibliography


 * [Bates] Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
 * [Carlock] Carlock, Marion Pomeroy. History of the Carlock Family and Adventures of Pioneer Americans: Including the Kimbrough, Goodpasture, Hoyl, Fite, Fancher, Lee, Wells, Judy, Tracy, Settles, Gaddis, Rowell, Moore, Cornelison, Harrold, Brown and other Connecting Families. Los Angeles, CA: M. P. Carlock, 1929. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C196c; FHL US/CAN 1033974 Item 4; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Copeland] Orpha Halssell and Charlcie Pauline Carlton Fletcher Ancestors and descendants of Solomon Addison Copeland Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : P.C. Fletcher, 1988 FHL book 929.273 C79 Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Crawford] Edward Crawford's Family: With Special Emphasis on those Descendants Who Lived in or Passed through Macoupin County, Illinois: With Eventual Concentrations in Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee. n.p.: Crawford Family Book Committee, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C856.
 * [Dale] Edgerly, Dorthea Roach and Raymond Henry William Dale (1783-1857)of Lawrence County, Indiana Oceanside, California : D.R. Edgerly FHL book 929.273 D156e.Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Garrett] Parke, Iris Garrett. Garrett Family of Buckingham County, Virginia and Overton County, Tennessee. Typescript, microfilmed in 1980. FHL US/CAN Film 1035813 Item 18.
 * [Gerlach] See Carlock.
 * [Goodpasture] Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
 * [Goodpasture] Goodpasture, Robert Abraham. The Goodpastures of Iowa and Washington: With Related Families. Georgetown, Calif.: R.A. Goodpasture, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G624gra.
 * [Huddleston] Huddleston, George. Huddleston Family Tables. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1933. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H866h 1973; FHL US/CAN Film 928072 Item 8; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Kimbrough] See Carlock.
 * [Goodpasture] See Carlock.
 * [Lovell] Pompey, Sherman Lee. Some Descendants of William Lovell of Overton County,Tennessee. Clovis, Calif.: S.L. Pompey, 1970. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 293.
 * [Parrott] Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P249k.
 * [Phillips] Sroka, John. A Workbook on the Phillips Families of Overton County, Tennessee. South Jordan, Utah: J. Sroka, 2006. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P541sj.
 * [Robbins] Gray, Shawn Descendants of Isaac Robbins Muncie, Indiana : S. Gray, [2003] FHL book 929.273 R535g. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Smith] Smith, Oma Ivadell. Smith-Garrett and Allied Families of Overton, Fentress and Pickett Counties, Tennessee: The Genealogy of Joseph Albert Smith and Nova Catherine Garrett. Jacksonville, Fla.: O. Smith, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sm61e.
 * [Stover] Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P249k.
 * [Vaughn] Vaughn, Charles P. and Bernice Elizabeth Hoke Vaughn. The Vaughn Genealogy: from Wake County, North Carolina, to Jackson and Overton Counties, Tennessee. Ventura, Calif.: B.E. Vaughn, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 V465vc.

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


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1806-1809
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1801-1809
 * 3) Deed Book C: 1811-1813


 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

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 Overton 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. 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, Overton County on page 157.]
 * 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. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Overton County pensioners (p. 49).]
 * Transcription typed and formatted by Harold Keisling. Third? Regiment Tennessee Militia, Capt. Wiley Huddelston's Company Raised from men who were from Overton, Pickett and Fentress County, Tennessee. Courtesy: TNGenWeb

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 Overton County click on the following town:


 * Livingston

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 Overton 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


 * Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Overton 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.


 * Overton County Historical Society Newsletter


 * Family History Library has volume 1 - 8 FHL US/CAN 976.8684 B2n. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) For further information see Overton County Historical Society website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnoverto/OCHS/index.htm


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Overton County, Tennessee have been published in The Upper Cumberland Researcher, the journal of the Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. To view a list of the first 17 years of these articles, visit their online Seventeen Year Index to The Upper Cumberland Researcher (Vols. 1-17, 1975-1992). The Index contains a "Counties" section beginning on page 19. The Family History Library has most issues through the present FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1975-1993) and FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1994-present).

Prisons
Learn if your Overton 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 Overton County Court has responsibility for the probate records.


 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Taxation
The following Overton County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1814] "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Overton County.]
 * [1836] Tatum, Ausborn C. "Overton County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Spring 1983):15-20; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1983):80-82. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. 1836 Overton County, Tennessee Civil Districts &amp; Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8684 R4d.
 * [1836] Tax List and Civil Districts, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, Nos. 1-2 (2001).
 * [1836] Tax List, 1836, Overton County, Tennesse Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 2004).
 * [1836] County Tax Records, 1836 (sel.), Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Winter 2004).
 * [1860s] "Civil War Union Tax Assessments," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Dec. 1977):14-; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Feb. 1978):4-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1862] Tax List, 1862, Overton County, Tennessee Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct. 2003).
 * [1867] Released from Paying Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Winter 1999).
 * [1867] African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).
 * [1874-1875] Sales of Land for Unpaid Taxes, 1874-1875, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 2003).
 * Men in Army Released from Poll Tax, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 2001).

Birth

 * TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988.

Marriage
The original Overton County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Dur to fire, marriages were lost in Overton County until 1867. 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 Overton County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1867-1994] Available at the TSLA.
 * [1867-1953] Available at the Family History Library. Each volume is indexed.

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


 * [1867-1927] Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., Tn., Marriage Index, 1867-1927. Muncie, Indiana : S. Gray, 1996.
 * TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988.
 * 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, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Overton, 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 many counties.

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

Death

 * [1914-1925] Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., Tn. Death Certificates. S.I.:s.n., 2002. 2 vols.
 * TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988.
 * Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955

For deaths of Methodists in Overton 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
Overton County Historical Society P.O. Box 753 Livingston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-403-0909

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

Millard Oakley Public Library 107 East Main Street Livingston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-823-1888

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Overton County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Overton County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Overton 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)