Wilson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Wilson County





Middle Tennessee county established in 1799. The northern part of the county belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

County Courthouse


Wilson County Courthouse P.O. Box 950 228 East Main Street Lebanon, TN 37088 Phone: (615) 444-2835

Hours: Monday - Thursday 8 am - 4:30 Friday 8 am - 5 pm

History
The county is named after "David Wilson, a member of the legislatures of North Carolina and the Southwest Territory."

Parent County
1799--Wilson County was established 26 October 1799 from part of Sumner County. Early records may be found under Sumner County. County seat: Lebanon

Record Loss
1881 - Fire damaged records in courthouse

Neighboring Counties

 * Cannon
 * Davidson
 * DeKalb
 * Rutherford
 * Smith
 * Sumner
 * Trousdale

Libraries
This section is to identify libraries in Wilson County, Tennessee, with genealogical collection.

Research Guides

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

Census
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.

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


 * 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


 * [Knight] Garrett, Jill Knight. Knight Cousins. [Columbia, TN: Unknown, 1967. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 928090; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
Deeds

The original Wilson County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. In 1965, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Deed Books A to 169 (1789-1965) and Trust Deed Books EE to 215 (1829-1965) and indexes. Copies of these microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 427157-427252, 430339-430410, 2260203.

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.

Military

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

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 Wilson County].

Periodicals
Ansearchin' News

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Wilson 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.

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Wilson 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

 * 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.

Probate
The original Wilson County Will Books are held at the County Courthouse. In 1965, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Will Books covering the years 1802 to 1965. Copies of these microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 430841-430853.


 * Willis, Laura. Wilson County Will Books Vol. 1-Dec 1802-Feb 1810. Mayfield, KY: Willis Historical, 1999. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.854 P2w. Digital version available at World Vital Records.

Taxation

 * [1804] 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 1804 tax list.]
 * [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 Wilson County.]

Vital Records
Birth

Marriage


 * Freedman's Bureau Marriage Certificates (1861-1869)  is an index to the marriage records kept by the Memphis Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. It includes grooms surname, grooms given name, groom's age,, brides surname, bride's given name and other information.
 * Mitchell, Mary Fancher. White County, Tennessee Oldest Marriage Book, 1809-1859. [S.l.]: Doliante, J. Sharon Johnson, c1977. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.866 V25m. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($).

Death

Web Sites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Wilson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Wilson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)