Tennessee Public Records

Many records created by city, county, and state governments do not fit into the record types used in this outline. Records of mayors, commissioners, overseers of the poor, and schools are examples of government sources that may give information about ancestors not contained in other records. Some collections that contain a variety of records, such as land, history, tax, court, or other records, may be classified as “public records.” These records can be found on the state, county, and sometimes town or township level. Tennessee has many state and county public records. Two examples are:

Sherrill, Charles A. Tennessee Convicts: Early Records of the State Penitentiary. Mount Juliet, Tennessee: Charles A. Sherrill, 1997. (Family History Library book 976.8 J6s.) This record covers the years 1831–1850. The record includes place and name indexes.

Sistler, Byron. Every Name Index to 18 Middle Tennessee County Record Books. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1992. (Family History Library book 976.8 P22sb; film 1697905 item 2.) This contains an alphabetical list of names in the land, court, cemetery, probate, and vital records of Bedford, Giles, and Lincoln counties.

To find various types of Tennessee public records, use the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

TENNESSEE - PUBLIC RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY] - PUBLIC RECORDS