Robertson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Robertson County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1799. Part of the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

County Courthouse
Robertson County Courthouse 408 North Main Street Springfield, Tennessee 37172 Phone: 615-384-5895

Robertson County Clerk Marriage records 511 South Brown Street Springfield, TN 37172 Phone: 615-384-5895

Robertson County Register of Deeds Land records 525 South Brown Street Springfield, TN 37172 Phone: 615-384-3772

Robertson County Clerk and Master Probate and court records 408 North Main Street, Room 100 Springfield, TN 37172 Phone: 615-382-3128

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

History
The county is named after "James Robertson (1742–1814), Tennessee state legislator and founder of the Watauga Settlements."

Parent County
1796--Robertson County was established 9 April 1796 from part of Tennessee County, North Carolina. County seat: Springfield

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890
 * Lacking marriage records between 1796 and 1838

Although these are not burned records, applying strategies used for burned counties may aid in compensating for their loss. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Robertson County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Robertson County Genealogical Records Survey," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Fall 1988). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

African Americans

 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness offers to take photographs of headstones found in Robertson County cemeteries.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Robertson County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. 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.

1800 - Lost

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


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Lauderdale County Library (Florence, Alabama). Vertical Files, Census Fecords.Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. Item 2
 * Presley, Mrs. Leister E. Robertson County, Tennessee Population Schedules of the United States Census of 1820.S.p., 19-?
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Robertson County on page 157.]

1850


 * Porch, Deane. Robertson County, Tennessee 1850 Census. [S.l.: Deane Porch, 1968.

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2g v. 1 ff. [Robertson County is included in Vol. 2.]

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1880 Census Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1999.

1920


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

Court
Chancery Court

Genealogical information found in the loose papers of the Chancery court 1844-1872 is abstracted in Robertson County, Tennessee abstracts of Chancery Courts loose papers, 1844-1872 by Jean M. Durrett. This abstract reveals many family relationships of Robertson county residents in pre-census years. It is also avaliable at the Family History Library.

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.
 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Red River Settlers: Records of the Settlers of Northern Montgomery, Robertson, and Sumner Counties, Tennessee. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.84 D2w. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Bibliography


 * [Adcock] Frazier, Gloria Shipp. Adcock: Descendants of Henry and Sarah Adcock of Robertson County, Tennessee. Wyandotte, Oklahoma: Gregath, 2006. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ad19fg.
 * [Bell] Phipps, Mrs. J.R. Bell, Mayes, Phipps &amp; Williams of Robertson Co. Tenn., with Bessinger &amp; Dychess of S.C. &amp; Germany. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413pj.
 * [Covington] White, Eurie Covington. Covington Cousins: A Genealogy of the Covingtons and some of the Related Families. Dallas, TX: Nolden Print. Co., 1956. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 186507; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Crutcher] Merritt, Robert K. Larkin Crutcher of Robertson County Tennessee. Typescript, 1957. FHL US/CAN Fiche 6018409.
 * [Crutcher] McCutcheon, Larry. Our Drake and Crutcher Families of Marshall County, Tennessee. Hohenwald, Tenn.: L. McCutcheon, 2007. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D789mL.
 * [Darden, Dorden, Dardens, Durden, Dearden] Darden, Newton Jasper. Darden Family History: With Notes on Ancestry of Allied Families: Washington, Lanier, Burch, Strozier, Dodson, Pyles, McNair, Barnett : a memorial of Dearden-Durden-Dardens of the United States of America, Particularly in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Washington, D.C.?: Unknown, 1957. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 461302 Item 6; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Fox] Fox, Ezelle. The Story of William Fox. Dumas, TX: E. Fox, 1954. Available at FHL US/CAN Fiche 6018326; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Gullett] Futrell, Roger Henry Lofland. George Gullett of Carroll County, Tennessee: and Son James Hickman Gullett of Robertson County, Tennessee. Frankfort, Ky.: R.H. Futrell, 2006. Digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Halcomb] Giulvezan, Isabel Stebbins. Notes on Hiram H. Halcomb, 1789-1869 of Caswell County, North Carolina, Robertson County, Tennessee, Logan and Simpson Counties, Kentucky, and His 16 Children. Typescript, 1961. FHL US/CAN Fiche 6018572.
 * [Mayes] Phipps, Mrs. J.R. Bell, Mayes, Phipps &amp; Williams of Robertson Co. Tenn., with Bessinger &amp; Dychess of S.C. &amp; Germany. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413pj.
 * [Murphy] Murphy, Marion Emerson. Early Murphys-Murpheys in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Robertson and Carroll Counties, Tennessee: Their Ancestry and Progeny. San Diego, Calif.: M.E. Murphy, 1974. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M953m.
 * [Phipps] Phipps, Mrs. J.R. Bell, Mayes, Phipps &amp; Williams of Robertson Co. Tenn., with Bessinger &amp; Dychess of S.C. &amp; Germany. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413pj.
 * [Redfern, Redfearn] Redfearn, Daniel Huntley. History of the Redfearn Family. Miami, FL: D. H. Redfearn, 1942. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R247 1942; FHL US/CAN Film 1035977 1321277 Item 4; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Spiller] Gottschalk, Kathrine Cox. The Spiller Family of Prince William County, Virginia; Robertson County, Tennessee; Williamson County, Illinois. Typescript. Microfilmed in 1972. FHL US/CAN Film 896608 Item 2.
 * [Tate] Carpenter, Evelyn Yates. Tate and Allied Families of Robertson County, Tennessee: Includes the Nearby Tennessee Counties of Davidson, Sumner, and Wilson. Includes Virginia and North Carolina, the States of Tate Family Origin. Includes Counties in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Throughout the United States Where Many Tate Families Migrated. Clarksville, Tenn.: Jostens, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T187c.
 * [Williams] Phipps, Mrs. J.R. Bell, Mayes, Phipps &amp; Williams of Robertson Co. Tenn., with Bessinger &amp; Dychess of S.C. &amp; Germany. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413pj.

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.] 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 TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Military
Revolutionary War

The following Robertson County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Select Revolutionary War pension applications

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Robertson County on page 157.]
 * 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.]

Spanish American War


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

Newspapers
Local volunteers through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness are willing to do free obituary lookups in Robertson County 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 Robertson County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Adams
 * Greenbrier
 * Springfield
 * White House

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 Robertson 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 Robertson 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 Eastern Robertson County Historical Quarterly

Published by the Cross Plains Heritage Commission whose mission is "to preserve the history and heritage of Cross Plains, Orlinda, and the eastern part of Robertson County." Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI). For additional information see their website: http://www.cphctn.org/quarterly.html

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Robertson 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.

Robertson County Chimes

"The Robertson County Chimes is a newsletter published quarterly by the Robertson County Historical Society" (per website). The most current issue is online. For additional information see website: http://www.rchsonline.com/publications.htm Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)

Prisons
Learn if your Robertson County ancestors went to prison!


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

Probate
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Robertson 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 Book 1: 1796-1803
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1812-1818
 * 3) Will Book 3: 1819-1821
 * 4) Will Book 4: 1821-1825

The following Robertson County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1796-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]

Taxation
The following Robertson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [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.
 * [1812] Hughes, T.P. and Jewel B. Standefer. "Robertson County, Tennessee - 1812 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):181-184. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] 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 1812 tax list.]
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Robinson (Robertson) County.]
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Robertson County, Tennessee, 1836 Civil Districts and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1999. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8464 R4d.
 * [1836] Civil Districts and Tax Lists, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Aug. 1999); Vol. 3, No. 3 (1999); Vol. 4, No. 1 (2000).
 * [1921] Cross Plains Special Scool Tax Levy, 1921, Eastern Robertson County Historical Quarterly, Issue 30 (Winter 2002).

Vital Records
Marriage

Marriages were not officially recorded in Robertson County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice.

The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

The original Robertson County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Some marriage licenses between 1831 and 1839 exist and are filmed.

The following Robertson County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1839-1989] Available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
 * [1831-1950] Available at the Family History Library. Arranged alphabetically by male surname. Marriage licenses.
 * [1839-1965] Available at the Family History Library. Includes indexes.

The following Robertson County marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * {1829-1860} Marriage Records, 1829-1860, Robertson County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1940.  Typescript.  Item 3
 * [1839-1861] Whitley, Edithy R. Marriages of Robertson County, Tennessee, 1839-1861. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1981.
 * [1839-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1839-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1839-1880] Robertson County, Tennessee Marriage Index 1839-1880, available online, courtesy: Robertson County Archives.
 * [1859-1873] Lowe, J. Mark. Robertson County, Tennessee marriage book 2, 1859-1873. Westminster, Maryland : Willow Bend Books, 2002. Includes records of earliest marriages between former slaves. It is not a comprehensive listing of all marriages in Robertson County.
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Robertson, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.
 * [1730-1861] Marriage Records.
 * [1829-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Death


 * Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at Record Search Pilot at FamilySearch. Name index with extracted death certificate information. Search by surname then browse through the results. You may need to supply variant spellings of the names.

For deaths of Methodists in Robertson 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
Cross Plains Heritage Commission "The Cross Plains Heritage Commission is the local historical society for Cross Plains, Tennessee. Our organization was formed in 1986 as part of the Tennessee Homecoming '86 Celebration. Our mission is to preserve the history and heritage of Cross Plains, Orlinda, and the eastern part Robertson County." (per website) P.O. Box 7 Cross Plains, Tennessee 37049 Museum and archives for Cross Plains and the surrounding area is located at: 7821 Highway 25 East (Main Street) Cross Plains, Tennessee 37049 Hours: Tuesday and Thurday 9 am - 2 pm Advisable to contact before visiting

Robertson County Archives 504 S. Willow Street Springfield, TN 37172 Telephone: 615-382-6928 Email: archives@kytnresearch.com

Robertson County Historical Society 124 6th Avenue West P.O. Box 1022 Springfield, TN 37172 Phone: 615-382-7173 Email: archives@kytnresearch.com On Facebook "For genealogical questions or information please contact the Robertson County Archives."

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

Gorham-MacBane Public Library 405 White Street Springfield, TN 37172 Phone: 615-384-5123 Email: gorhamweb@bellsouth.net Hours: Sunday 2:30 pm - 5 pm Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat., 9 am - 5 pm Tuesday and Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Web Sites

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