Macon County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Macon County





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

County Courthouse


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

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

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

Macon County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 904 Highway 52 Bypass East Lafayette, TN 37083 Phone: 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: Monday - Wednesday 8 am - 4:30 pm Friday 8 am - 5 pm Saturday 8 am - 1:30 pm Closed Thursday

History


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

Record Loss
Most records stored at the courthouse before 1900 have been lost.


 * Lost census: 1890
 * Marriages recorded between 1842 and 1900 are lost

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Macon 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.)
 * "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.

Census
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 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, 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. 6 1891. [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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

1920


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

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


 * Macon County Tennessee Historical Society. Macon County, Tennessee: History and Families. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8484 H2m.
 * Macon County Historical and Genealogical Society. Macon Roots: A Record of the Families of Macon County, Tennessee in 1850. n.p.: Ridge Runner, 2008. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8484 D2m.
 * 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. FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d. Supplements: FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 E7d supp. 1 ff. Purchase at Cumberland Pioneer Settlers.

Bibliography


 * [Ballew] Ballew, David L. Ancestors of Leonard Ballew. West Palm Beach, Fla.: D.L. Ballew, 1987? FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B212b.
 * [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. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C843c.
 * [Doss] Murphy, Nathan W. Descendants of Azariah Doss and His Wife Lydia (Ayres) Doss. Hanson, Ky.: David W. Murphy and Associates, 1998. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D741m

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 FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d.

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 Tennessee State Library and Archives 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 Tennessee State Library and Archives; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * Blankenship, Harold G. History of Macon County, Tennessee. n.p.: H.G. Blankenship, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8484 H2b.

Military

 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.

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 Macon 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.

Makin' History: Newsletter of the Macon County, Tennessee, Historical Society

The Family History Library has Volume 1  - present. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8484 B2n Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) For further information see website: http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnmchs (Includes Quarterly Newsletter Index)

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Macon 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Prisons
Learn if your Macon County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Taxation

 * [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, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
Death

For deaths of Methodists in Macon 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
Macon County, Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society Meets at Macon County Court House room 202 Lafayette, TN Phone: 615-688-6247 Email: makinhistory@nctc.com

Web Sites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Macon County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * 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)