Lawrence County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Lawrence County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for Captain James Lawrence (1781-1813), who while commanding the USS Chesapeake in an 1813 battle with the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon, issued his famous command: "Don't give up the ship! Blow her up." His men did anyway and Lawrence died of wounds. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Lawrence County Courthouse 240 West Gaines St. Lawrenceburg, TN 38464 County Courthouse Phone: 931-762-7700 County Health Department County Clerk  Phone: 931-766-4176 Clerk Circuit Court Phone: 931-762-4398 Clerk and Master Phone: 931-766-4182 Register of Deeds Phone: 931-766-4180 Marriage records from 1818 and probate records from 1829; Birth records, divorce records, land records.

County Pronunciation
 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (male)

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information

Middle Tennessee county. Established 1817. The county is named after U.S. naval officer James Lawrence (1781-1813).

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Lawrence County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are availableon the My Genealogy Hound website.

Business, Commerce, and 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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Lawrence County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 ($)

1820 Census takers found no free African Americans living in Lawrence County, Tennessee in 1820.
 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Carter, Marymaud K. and Joan C. Hudgins. 1850 Census, Lawrence County, Tennessee (Including some Other Early Records).S.l.: s.n., 197-?
 * Lauderdale County Library. Vertical files, census records.Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. Item 2.
 * Presley, Mrs. Leister E. Census, Lawrence, Perry, Shelby Counties, Tennessee, 1820.Searcy, Arkansas Presley, 198-?.
 * Rice, Shirley H., ed. Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records: 1820, 1840 and 1840 and Miscellaneous Early County Records, of Private Acts, Field Calls for the First Civil Districts, Marriages, Taxable Property and Polls, Old Newspapers, Business Directory, and Officials.

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. Aonline 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. ; digital version at Lineages. Covers this county.

1830


 * Rice, Shirley H., ed. Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records 1820, 1840 and 1840 and Miscellaneous Early County Records, of Private Acts, Field Calls for the First Civil Districts, Marriages, Taxable Property and Polls, Old Newspapers, Business Directory, and Officials.

1840


 * Carpenter, Viola H. and Marymaud K. Carter. Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1860, 1840 Census: Private Acts, Miscellaneous.Columbia, Tennessee P-Vine Press, 1977.
 * Rice, Shirley H., ed. Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records 1820, 1840 and 1840 and Miscellaneous Early County Records, of Private Acts, Field Calls for the First Civil Districts, Marriages, Taxable Property and Polls, Old Newspapers, Business Directory, and Officials.

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Lawrence County on page 156.]

1850


 * Carter, Marymaud K. and Joan C. Hudgins. 1850 Census, Lawrence County, Tennessee (Including some Other Early Records).S.l.: s.n., 197-?

1860


 * Carpenter, Viola H. and Marymaud K. Carter. Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1860, 1840 Census: Private Acts, Miscellaneous.Columbia, Tennessee P-Vine Press, 1977.

1870


 * Rice, Shirley H., ed.Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records, 1870.Lawrenceburg, Tennessee Family Tree Press, 1992.

1880


 * Carpenter, Viola H. and Marymaud K. Carter. Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1880 Census.Columbia, Tennessee: P-Vine Press, 1983.
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1880 census Lawrence County, Tennessee.Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler and Assoc., 1999.

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. . Lawrence County is included in Vol. 8.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters

1900
 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)


 * Franks, Mary Nell H. and Shirley H. Rice Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records, 1900. Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Family Tree Press, 1994.

1910


 * Franks, Mary Nell H. and Shirley H. Rice Lawrence County, Tennessee, census Records, 1910. Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Family Tree Press, 1995. Districts 1-11. Supplement with district 12.

1920


 * Franks, Mary Nell H. and Shirley H. Rice Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records, 1920. Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Family Tree Press, 1994.

Court 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. 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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American Census takers found no free African Americans living in Lawrence County, Tennessee in 1820.

Genealogies
General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Lawrence, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 35,000 entries.


 * Lawrence County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee. Waynesville, N.C.: County Heritage, 2008..

Bibliography


 * Allen - Rowles, W.P. and Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson. The Life and Character of Capt. Wm. B. Allen: of Lawrence County, Tenn., Who Fell at the Storming of Monterey, on the 21st of September, 1846. With an Appendix, Containing a Number of His Essays and Speeches. Columbia, Tenn.: J. J. M'Daniel, "Democratic Herald" Book Office, 1853. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Choates - Williams, Irene Choate and Betty Lee Swann. The Choates of Lawrence County, Tennessee. n.p.: I.C. Williams, 1971..
 * Clayton - Franks, Mary Nell Hollis and Shirley Ann Hollis. William "Flat River" Clayton and Benjamin Crews: Families of Person County, NC to Lawrence County, TN. Multi-volume. Leoma, Tenn.: Family Tree Press, 2003. ff.
 * Crews - Franks, Mary Nell Hollis and Shirley Ann Hollis. William "Flat River" Clayton and Benjamin Crews: Families of Person County, NC to Lawrence County, TN. Multi-volume. Leoma, Tenn.: Family Tree Press, 2003. ff.
 * Leeper - Gambill, Nell McNish The kith and kin of Captain James Leeper and Susan Drake, his wife [S.I. s.n., c1946] Free lookups available!
 * McDonald - McDonald, William L. The McDonalds, Early Settlers and Descendents, 1834-1994. [Florence, Ala.: W.L. McDonald], 1994 Printing. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Alternative title: History of Clan McDonald in Lauderdale County, Alabama and Lawrence County, Tennessee.
 * Pennington - Pennington, Michael Thomas Descendants of David Newton Pennington and Matilda Clingan Littleton, Colorado M.T. Pennington, c1997 . Digital version available at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Reading - Redding, Mrs. Jackie and William L. McDonald. William H. Reading of Lawrence County, Tennessee; Soldier of the American Revolution: Progenitor of the Redding Families of Lauderdale County, Alabama and Lawrence County, Tennessee. Typescript, University of North Alabama, Florence, Ala. Microfilmed in 1979..
 * Scheidt - Carter, Kathryn S. Ancestors and Descendants of John Scheidt and Anna Maria Elizabeth Frenzel. Tecumseh, Okla.: K.S. Carter, 1991.
 * Springer - Coffey, Laura Lou White and Mobley, Lidalee Springer Springers in the south Lawrenceburg, Tennessee L.W. Coffey, c1977. Free lookups available!

Land and Property Records

 * Lawrence County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1818 and is located at the county Courthouse, 240 W. Gaines, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee 38464; Telephone: (931) 762-7700. 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 a general index to deeds 1819-1871; deeds 1819-1891 with index 1819-1908; land surveys 1820-1929; entry takers books 1820-1849; road books 1853-1863; stock mark books 1882-1913.

Local Histories

 * The Goodspeed histories of Lawrence, Giles and Wayne Counties Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887. Free lookups available
 * Pruitt, Wade Bugger Saga A Civil War story of guerrilla and bushwhacker warfare in Lauderdale County, Alabama Includes information on Lawrence and Wayne counties, Tennessee. s.n. 1977. Free lookups available!

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * Map of 1888 Lawrence County, Tennessee

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Lawrence County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Pensioners of Revolutionary War or War of 1812 from Lawrence County
 * Niedergeses, Kathy Revolutionary War Soldiers A list of Revolutionary War soldiers who applied for a pension while living in Lawrence county, and was compiled based on tradition, information from descendants, court records, cemeteries and more. Includes names and sources of information.

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Middle District, Lawrence County on page 156.
 * 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. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1960):90-93. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Lawrence County pensioners (p. 93).

Mexican War
 * Rowles, W.P. and Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson. The Life and Character of Capt. Wm. B. Allen: of Lawrence County, Tenn., Who Fell at the Storming of Monterey, on the 21st of September, 1846. With an Appendix, Containing a Number of His Essays and Speeches. Columbia, Tenn.: J. J. M'Daniel, "Democratic Herald" Book Office, 1853. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Davis, Donna Niedergeses Lawrence County, Tennessee Mexican War 1846-1848 Soldiers Discharge Papers As found in Deed Book 1 including personal information about the soldier. Courtesy TNGenWeb

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Clack's) - CSA - Company D.
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Biffle's) - CSA - Company D.
 * 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Nixon's) - CSA
 * 23rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Martin's) - CSA - Company B.
 * 32nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
 * 48th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Nixon's) - CSA - Company K
 * 54th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies C, E, G, and I.

Union Soldiers


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company I.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Lawrence County:


 * USGenWeb Archives, Lawrence County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Lawrence 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. Lawrence County, page 357.
 * TNGenWeb, Lawrence County Genealogy and Lawrence County Military Records. Union Civil War Soldiers Buried In Lawrence County, Tennessee Union and Confederate Records on TNGenWeb, Lawrence County's first recruits of the Civil War, and Union Civil War Soldiers Buried in Lawrence Co., Tennessee Cemeteries

Spanish American War
 * Hale, Will T.The First Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. Nashville, 1899. Free digital copy.

Newspapers
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 Lawrence County click on the following cities and towns:


 * Crestview
 * Lawrenceburg
 * Loretto
 * Summertown


 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 1847 - 1851 - 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. (Largely Methodist?)

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;


 * Yesterday and Today in Lawrence County: The Family History Library has Volume 11, no. 2 (1988).


 * Lawrence County Heritage: Index is found on the PERiodical Source Index

Probate Records
The Lawrence County Court has responsibility for the probate records. Many records are held by the Lawrence County Archives.

Online Records and Indexes
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1829-1942 - Lawrence County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
 * 1829-1847 Will Book B: 1829-1847 Strictly By Name - Index only

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1829-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler and Associates, Inc., 1990. . Includes an index to this county's probate records.
 * 1829-1847 - Strictly By Name (see above).

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.


 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records
Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * Carter, Marymaud Killen, Joan Coffey Hudgins and Shirley Hollis Rice. Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records: 1820, 1840 and 1840 and Miscellaneous Early County Records, of Private Acts, Field Calls for the First Civil Districts, Marriages, Taxable Property and Polls, Old Newspapers, Business Directory, and Officials..
 * 1826 Tax List, 1826, Lawrence County Heritage, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Summer 2000).
 * 1836 Map of Tax Districts, 1836, Lawrence County Heritage, Vol. 1 (Fall 1997).
 * 1842 Tax Delinquencies, 1842, Searcy County Ancestor Information Exchange, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Oct. 1998).
 * 1868 Tax List, 1868, Lawrence County Heritage, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Winter 2000); Vol. 4, No. 3 (Spring 2001); Vol. 4, No. 4 (Summer 2001).
 * 1890 First Civil District Tax List, 1890, Lawrence County Heritage, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Summer 2007).

Birth

 * 1828-1939 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($). May not be complete for all counties.
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 - (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1818-1895 - Lawrence County Marriage Index 1818-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1838-1866 - Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Lawrence County, Tennessee.  Typescript. FHL Film 24740 Item 3 and Item 6 (click on camera to open)
 * 1838-1923 - Lawrence County, Tennessee Marriages, 1838-1923. FHL film 976258 First 22 pages, marriages prior to 1838. (click on camera to open)
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1783-1870 - Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870.
 * 1818-1854 - Marriages of Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1854. FHL Book 976.842 V2w
 * 1818-1870 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.
 * 1818-1923 - Lawrence County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1818-1923. FHL|976.842 V2c|book Includes index of bride's surname.
 * 1838-1996 - Lawrence County Marrages at the Tennessee State Library and Archives TSLA.
 * 1926-1999 - Marriage index Lawrence County, Tennessee. FHL|976.842 V22c|book 2 vols.

Death

 * 1874-1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1914-1966 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Books Online;

Archives
Lawrence County Archives 2588 Highway 43 S Leoma, TN 38468 Phone: 931-852-4091 E-mail: lcarchives@lorettotel.net Lawrence County Archives
 * The Lawrence County Archives was formed in 1988 under the supervision of the Lawrence County Public Records Commission. The records are now permanently located in the First Farmer's and Merchant's building in Leoma, TN.

Libraries
Lawrence County Library 519 East Gaines St. Lawrenceburg, TN 38464 Phone: 931-762-4627 Website

Loretto Branch 102 S. Main Street Loretto, TN 38469 Phone: 931-853-7323 website

Societies
Lawrence County, Tennessee Genealogical Society 2258 Highway 43 South Leoma, TN 38468 Phone: 931-852-4091 Website

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

Websites

 * Lawrence County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Lawrence County TN Genealogy   (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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