Pickett County, Tennessee Genealogy

Pickett County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Pickett County (established 1879) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

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

County Courthouse


Pickett County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Byrdstown, TN 38549 Phone: 1-931-864-3359

County Health Department has birth records. County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1935. Clerk and Master and Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records. Clerk Circuit Court has court records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Pickett County Clerk Marriage and probate records 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 201 Byrdstown, TN 38549 Phone: 1-931-864-3879

Pickett County Register of Deeds Land records 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 204 Byrdstown, TN 38549 Phone: 1-931-864-3316

Pickett County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 100 Byrdstown, TN 38549 Phone: 1-931-864-3958

Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., and Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed. and Sat. 8 a.m.-noon

History
Middle Tennessee county.

The county is named after "Tennessee state legislator Howell L. Pickett."

Parent County
1879--Pickett County was established 27 February 1879 from Overton and Fentress Counties. Early records may be found under Overton and Fentress Counties. County seat: Byrdstown

County Pronunciation

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

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1934 Fire damaged courthouse records.
 * Lost marriage records: 1879 to 1933
 * Lost probate records: 1879 to 1932

Research Guides

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

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * The FamilySearch Cataloglists some . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Pickett County cemeteries


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

Census
1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Pickett 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 - 1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

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. . Pickett 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..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

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

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Pickett, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 16,000 entries.


 * History and Genealogy of Families in Pickett County, Tennessee. Tenn.: Pickett County Book Committee, 1991..

Bibliography


 * 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; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * 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..
 * Swann - de Place, Velma LeeVerne. One Swann Family of America. Typescript, microfilmed in 1968..

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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 Pickett County pensioners (p. 50).
 * 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

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1891 - 1965 - at FamilySearch — images

Other Resources
 * 1890 Census for Pickett, Fentress, &amp; Clay Counties. Here is a listing of all Union Civil War veterans and their wives. It lists name, rank, company, town they lived in, any ailments, and county.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Pickett County Tennessee Archives. Pensioners.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Pickett 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. Pickett County, page 368.
 * TNGenWeb, Pickett County, Tennessee Military.

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 Pickett County click on the following town:


 * Byrdstown

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
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Pickett 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
 * Overton County Historical Society Newsletter
 * "This newsletter, although called 'Overton County,' covers all the area in Overton, Fentress, and Pickett County, Tennessee." - Vol. 7, no. 4 p. 2 Family History Library has volume 1 - 8.


 * Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).


 * For further information, see Overton County Historical Society website

Probate Records
The Pickett County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records


 * 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Vital Records
See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

Birth

 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1869 - 1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
The original Pickett County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Due to fire, the marriage records of Pickett County are lost until 1934.

State Marriage Records


 * 1780 - 2002 - Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry.com's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.


 * 1790 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org - covers all counties in Tennessee.


 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

The following Pickett County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * 1934 - 1995 - Available at the TSLA.


 * 1934 - 1961 - Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed. Includes index.

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

Death

 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images

For deaths of Methodists in Pickett County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 1847 - 1814 - 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.

Societies and Libraries
Pickett County Public Library 1331 Beason Rd. Byrdstown, TN 38549

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

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Pickett County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Pickett 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)
 * Pickett County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)