Warren County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Warren County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1807.

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

County Courthouse
Warren County Courthouse 201 Locust Street McMinnville, TN 37110 Phone: 931-473-2623

Warren County Clerk Marriage, probate, court minutes 201 Locust Street, Suite 2P McMinnville, TN 37110 Phone: 931-473-2623

Warren County Register of Deeds Land records 201 Locust Street, Suite 4 McMinnville, TN 37110 Phone: 931-473-2926

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 am - 4:30 pm Friday 8 am - 5 pm

History


The county is named after Dr. Joseph Warren (1741-1775), "American Revolutionary War officer, who sent Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride."

Parent County
1807--Warren County was established 26 November 1807 from White County. Early records may be found under White County. County seat: McMinnville

Record Loss
1852--fire


 * Census loss: 1810, 1890
 * Lost marriage records: 1808 to1851.
 * Lost probate records: 1808 to 1826

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

 * Gant, Wanda Muncey. Warren County, Tennessee Research Information. McMinnville, Tenn.: W.M. Gant, 199-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8653 R4g.
 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Warren County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

African Americans
Census takers found no free African Americans living in Warren County, Tennessee in 1820.

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness offers to take photographs of headstones found in Warren County cemeteries.

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

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1840


 * Bridgewater, Betty Anderson. 1840 Federal census of Warren County, Tennessee. McMinnville, Tennessee : Eliza Lyon Mitchell Chapter of the Questers, 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, Warren County on page 158.]

1850


 * Population schedule of the United States census of 1850, seventh census for Warren County, Tennessee. Typescript, 1958.

1870


 * Hillis, Robert A. 1870 Warren County, Tennessee, Census. Tennessee: R.A.C. Hillis, 1988.

1880


 * Hillis, Robert A. 1880 Warren County, Tennessee, Census. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 1988.

1900


 * Hillis, Robert A. 1900 Warren County, Tennessee, Census. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 1988.

1910


 * Hillis, Robert A. 1910 Warren County, Tennessee, Census. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 1988.

Church

 * Grime, John Harvey. History of Middle Tennessee Baptists: With Special Reference to Salem, New Salem, Enon and Wiseman Associations. Nashville, Tennessee: Baptist and Reflector, 1902. Includes names changes for places in Middle Tennessee.

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


 * [Brown] Descendant of Thomas Brown, b. 1753 Augusta County, Virginia, d. 1849 Warren County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 82180). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 2), 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


 * The Heritage of Warren County, Tennessee. n.p.: Warren County Heritage Book Committee, 2005. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8653 D2h.

Bibliography


 * [Dodson] Lynn, Catherine Gaffin. The Dodson Family of Warren County, Tennessee and Allied Families. [Centerville, Tenn.: Lynn], 1974. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D668Lc.
 * [Hammon] Hammons, Bob D. The Hammons from Warren County, Tennessee thru Texas and Arkansas to Oklahoma: with Allied Families of Bryan, Phillips, Sullivan, Lane and Grigg. Sallisaw, Oklahoma: B.D. Hammons, 1994. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184hb.
 * [Mullican] Kochanski, Lois Whidden. The Mullican Family of Warren County, Tennessee: A History &amp; Genealogy. Bethesda, Md.: L. Kochanski, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M917k.

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.

Local Histories

 * The Goodspeed Histories of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren and White Counties: With Biographical Sketches and Aboriginal Map of Tennessee. McMinnville, TN: B. Lomond Press, 1972. Reprint. Originally published: Nashville, TN: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1887. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 924077 Item 2. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.

Military
Revolutionary War

The following Warren 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, Warren County on page 158.]
 * 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. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes Warren County pensioners (p. 98).]
 * Warren County in the War of 1812 Courtesy:TNGenWeb

Civil War


 * Head, Thomas A. Campaigns and battles of the Sixteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, in the war between the states, with incidental sketches of the part performed by other Tennessee troops in the same war.1861-1865. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. Free digital copy

Newspapers
A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is willing to do free obituary lookups in Warren County 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 Warren County click on the following city:


 * McMinnville

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 Warren 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 Warren 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.


 * Family Findings


 * Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Warren 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.


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Warren 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).


 * Warren County, Tennessee


 * The Family History Library has most volumes to the present. FHL US/CAN 976.8653 D25w. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) volumes 1 - 16 (Spring 1992 - Spring 2007). For additional information see website at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/tn/county/warren/

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

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


 * [1827-1861] 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 probate records.]

Taxation
The following Warren County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1804] Gant, Wanda. "Alphabetically Arranged Wilson Co., TN 1804 Tax List by Company: Arranged in Order to Compare to Warren County Names," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. [Source: TSLA list.]
 * [1805, 1812, 1817] 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 1805, 1812, and 1817 tax lists.]
 * [1812] Warren Co. Tax List, 1812. Early Tax Lists reel #5, TSLA, Nashville.
 * [1812] 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. [Cites Warren Co. Tax List, 1812 as a source.]
 * [1812] West, Betsy. "Warren County, Tennessee Tax List, 1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 19, No. 3 (July-Sep. 1972):107-112. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Combs-Coombs &amp;c. "1812 Warren Co, Tennessee Tax Lists (A Start toward an Annotated List) Index and Search Engine," available online, courtesy: Combs-Coombs &amp;c. Research Group and Warren Co., TNGenWeb.
 * [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 Warren County.]
 * [1836] Tax List, 1836, Van Buren County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jun. 1988).
 * [1836] Gant, Wanda Muncey. "Warren County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Spring 1989):9-14; Vol. 36, No. 2 (Summer 1989):77-80. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] Gant, Wanda Muncey. "1836 Warren County Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * [1836, 1838] Gant, Wanda Muncey. Warren County, Tennessee Research Information. McMinnville, Tennessee : W.M. Gant, 199-?.
 * [1838] Gant, Wanda Muncey. "1838 Warren County Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * [1854] Gant, Wanda Muncey. "Warren County, Tennessee 1854 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * [1859] Assessment of Personal Property, 1859, Dist. 14, Warren County Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 1998).
 * [1860] Personal Property, 1860, Warren County Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 1994).
 * [1860] Assessment of Personal Property, 1860, Dist. 14, Warren County Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 1998).
 * [1895] Tax Book, 1895, District 13, Warren County Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 1998).
 * [1917] Delinquent Taxpayers Notice, June 1917, Warren County Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 2000).

Marriage
The original Warren County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriage records were lost becasue of a courthouse fire in 1852. 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 Warren County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1852-1986] Available at the TSLA. 1852-1877 can be interlibrary loaned.
 * [1852-1961] Available at the Family History Library. Each volume is indexed.

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


 * [1850-1900] Clark, Fred L. An Alphabetical Listing of the Marriage Records of Warren County, Tennessee, 1852-1900. Quebeck, Tennessee: F.L. Clark, 199?.
 * [1850-1900] Mesa Family History Center. Marriage Records, Warren Co., Tennessee, 1850-1900: surname index. Mesa, Arizona : Mesa Regional Family History Center, 1996.
 * [1852-1900] Marriage Records of Warren County, Tennessee, 1852-1900. McMinnville, Tennessee : Womack Print., 1965.
 * [1852-1864] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Wawrren County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1940.  Typescript.  Item 3
 * [1852-1865] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. vol. 2 [This county's marriages have been indexed in this publication for the specified years.]
 * [1852-1865] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Warren County, Tennessee, Marriages, 1852-1865.
 * [1852-1871] Daughters of the American Revolution, Liet. James Sheppard Chapter. Index to marriage records, Warren County, Tennessee : June 22, 1852-February 28, 1871, book "A" &amp; book "1.", McMinnville, Tennessee: s.n., 1974.
 * [1852-1899] Marriage Records, Warren County, Tennessee. [1852-1899] McMinnville, Tenn.: Womack Print. Co., 1965. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1900-1975] Hillis, Robert A. Marriage Records, Warren County, Tennessee. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 1988. 2 vols.
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Dickson, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in Warren 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.]

Libraries
A local volunteer, through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, offers to do genealogy lookups and make photocopies at Warren County's public library.


 * Magness Community House &amp; Library  Library in McMinnville 118 W Main St McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 Telephone: 931-473-2428 Reference Email - [mailto:maglibrarian@blomand.net maglibrarian@blomand.net] General Email - [mailto:magnesslib@blomand.net magnesslib@blomand.net] Hours: Monday - Tuesday: 8 am - 8 pm; Wednesday- Friday: 8 am - 5 pm; Saturday: 8 am - 3 pm; Sunday: Closed The library's catalog is online. The Tennessee Room houses the local history and genealogy department The Southern Heritage Room contains a collection of books, periodicals and videotapes about the history, culture and economy of the Southern United States.

Societies

 * Warren County Genealogical Association P.O. Box 411 McMinnville, Tennessee 37111 Quarterly publicartion: The Bulletin: The Publication of Warren County Genealogical Association. A table of contents from 1992 to 2007 is accessible from the society's website. Contact: Sandra Myers Bellflower sfmbellflower@yahoo.com The Warren County Genealogical Association was organized in 1992.


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

Family History Centers
McMinnville Tennessee 183 Underwood Road McMinnville, Warren, Tennessee, United States Telephone: 931-473-1053

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List)
 * Warren County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Warren County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Warren County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)