Carter County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Carter County





East Tennessee county established in 1796. From 1785 to 1789, this land was also claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.

County Courthouse
Carter County Courthouse 801 East Elk Avenue Elizabethton, Tennessee 37643 Phone: 423-542-1801

Carter County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 801 E. Elk Avenue Elizabethton, TN 37643 Phone: 423-542-1814

Carter County Register of Deeds Land records 801 E. Elk Avenue Elizabethon, TN 37643 Phone: 423-542-1830

Carter County Clerk of Circuit Court Court records Carter County Justice Center 924 E. Elk Avenue Elizabethon, TN 37643 423-542-1835

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

History


The county is named after Landon Carter (1710-1778), Speaker of the State of Franklin senate.

The land of Carter County was first organized by the State of Franklin in March 1786 from part of Washington County under the name Wayne (old) County. Wayne seems to have included at least the present area of Carter and Johnson Counties. However, the Franklin statehood effort collapsed by 1789. Wayne (old) County existed only briefly, its legality is questionable, and little trace remains. It was not recognized by the subsequent North Carolina, Southwest Territory, or Tennessee governments.

In 1796 the first county reconstituted by the new State of Tennessee was Franklin's Wayne (old) County, only it was called Carter County. Now the land on which the lost county of Wayne (old) County was located is known as Carter County and Johnson County.

Parent County
1796--Carter County was created 9 April 1796 from Washington County. County seat: Elizabethton

Record Loss
1933-- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * The three earliest federal censuses (1800, 1810, and 1820) do not survive.
 * Many early wills have been lost.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Research Guides

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

Cemeteries
For a list of Carter county cemeteries, click here.

Census
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Carter 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.

1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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 - Lost

1830
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

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

Bibliography


 * [Carter] See Hampton.
 * [Hampton] Bennett, Frances Helm. The Hampton, Helm &amp; Carter Families. Carmel, Ind.: unknown, 1968. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Helm, Helms] See Hampton.
 * [Humphreys] See Sams.
 * [Sevier]Turner, Francis Marion. Life of General John Sevier New York: The Neale Publishing Co., 1910. Free digital copy.
 * [Sams] Turner, Alice Bellvadore. In Memoriam, John Sams and Susan Evaline Sams Colfax, Iowa: unknown, 1902. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1018896 Item 8. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Taylor] Armstrong, Zella. Taylor of Tennessee. Chattanooga, TN: Lookout Pub. Co., 1933. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1036349 Item 9. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
The original Carter County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, the Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed Deed Books A to T (1796-1884), indexes, and Trust Deed Book 1874-1892. Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 847620-847627, 464080 Item 2, 1011383.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Carter County land records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1796-1806
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1806-1815

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

 * Co-operative Town Company of Tennessee. The New Co-Operative Town of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee, 1890. Free digital copy.
 * Turner, Francis Marion. Life of General John Sevier New York: The Neale Publishing Co., 1910. Free digital copy.

Military

 * History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A ... By Samuel W. Scott and Samuel P Angel, has information, including some biographies of Carter County people. Available at FHL; digital version on Google Books

Occupations
Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Carter 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 records of Carter County, Tennessee 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.

East Tennessee Roots

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Carter County, Tennessee records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 D25e.

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Carter County, Tennessee records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase.The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001. Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Prisons
Learn if your Carter 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.

Probate
Loose probate files exist at the Carter County Courthouse covering the years 1796 to 1915. They were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1999: FHL US/CAN Films 2117645-2117646, 2117648.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Carter County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Books 1-3: 1794-1937

Taxation
The Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilmed the original Carter County Tax Books 1860-1880 (gaps) in 1971. A copy of their microfilm is also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Film 1011384.

The following Carter County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1796] Taxpayers, 1796, East Tennessee Historical Society Publications. Knoxville TN: 1958. Vol. - Iss. 30.
 * [1796] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp index. [Includes 1796 tax list.]
 * [1796, 1798] 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 1796 and 1798 tax lists.]
 * [1796, 1798] Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4c. [Includes 1796 and 1798 tax lists.]
 * [1798] 1798 Tax List, Carter County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 9, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes digital images of the original source.]
 * [1799] Tax List, 1799, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: Summer 1972. Vol. 1 Iss. 2.
 * [1834] Tax List, 1834, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: 1979. Vol. 8 Iss. 1-2; 2000. Vol. 29 Iss. 2; 2001. Vol. 30 Iss. 1.
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Carter County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee, Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 R4d.
 * [1874-1877] Nathaniel Edens Hyder Tax Collection Journal Excerpts, 1874-1877, Distr. 1-4, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: 2007. Vol. 36 Iss. 1.

Vital Records
Marriage

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Carter County marriage records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Marriages 1796-1811

Deaths

For deaths of Methodists in Carter 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.]

Web Sites

 * Carter County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Carter County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Carter County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNCARTER-L (Carter County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: FRANKLIN-STATE-L (State of Franklin 1784-1788 List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: UPPEREASTTN-L (Upper East Tennessee List)