White County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    White County





Middle Tennessee county. Established 1806.

County Courthouse
White County Courthouse 1 East Brockman Way Sparta, Tennessee 38583 Phone: 931-836-3203

White County Clerk Marriage, probate and land records 1 East Brockman Way Sparta, TN 38583 Phone: 931-836-3712

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm Saturday 8 am - noon

History
The county is named after "John White, Revolutionary War soldier and the first European-American settler in the county."

Parent County
1806--White County was established 11 September 1806 from Smith County. Early records may be found under Smith County. County seat: Sparta

Record Loss

 * Census loss: 1810, 1890
 * Marriage record loss: Records starting in 1806, but incomplete.
 * Probate record loss: Records starting in 1806, but incomplete.

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: White 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.)

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

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of White 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 - 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.
 * 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.]

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1870


 * McComb, Joyce B. White County, Tennessee, 1870 Federal Census. Lexington, South Carolina: J.B. McComb, 1990.

1880


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

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed. White County, Tennessee Census, 1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Church

 * Grime, John Harvey. History of Middle Tennessee Baptists: With Special Reference to Salem, New Salem, Enon and Wiseman Associations. Nashville, Tennessee: Baptist and Reflector, 1902. Includes names changes for places in Middle Tennessee.

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


 * [Creech] Heinemann, Martha. Creeches Who were Legal Heirs of Thomas Robertson of White County, Tennessee. Typescript. Microfilmed in 2000. FHL US/CAN Film 1425281 Item 6.
 * [Glenn] Glenn, Wayne. The Glenn Family of Lancaster County, Pa., Orange County, N.C., Caswell County, N.C., Lincoln County, N.C., White County, Tenn., Marshall County, Tenn., and Christian County, Mo.: Related Families Include Ramsay, Simpson, Reynolds, Wilson, Simmons, Clark, Grigg, Phillips, Beard, Collins. Nixa, Missouri: W. Glenn, 1985. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G487gw.
 * [McPeak] ,McPeak, Hugh Ray and Carroll Leroy The William McPeak family history [S.I.:s.n.],c1967 FHL book 929.273 M24 Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Ogle] Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273R22b 1978. [The Ogle family is discussed in Vol. 1.]
 * [Plumlee] Houp, J. Randall. The Descendants of Isaac &amp; Margaret (Bradshaw) Plumlee, White County, Tennessee. Alma, Ark.: J. Randall Houp, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P735h.
 * [Porters] Keenan, Gene and Frances Eight generations of Porters:from 1750 in Tennessee to 1922 in California Sparks, Nevada:E. and F. Keenan, 1992?] FHL book 920.273 P833k. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Robertson] Heinemann, Martha. Thomas Robertson of Gum Springs, White County, Tennessee. Microfilmed in 1992. FHL US/CAN Film 1697742 Item 32.
 * [Robertson] Heinemann, Martha. Creeches Who were Legal Heirs of Thomas Robertson of White County, Tennessee. Typescript. Microfilmed in 2000. FHL US/CAN Film 1425281 Item 6.
 * [Walling] Davis, Betty Smith. Our Walling Family: Texans, Tennesseans and Others. Humble, Texas: B.S. Davis, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W158d.
 * [Webb] Webb, Charles C. The Webb Family of White County, Tennessee. 195-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W381wc.

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


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1801-1809
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1807-1809
 * 3) Deed Book C: 1810-1811
 * 4) Deed Book D: 1811-1812
 * 5) Deed Book E: 1812-1817
 * 6) Deed Book F: 1817-1820
 * 7) Deed Book G: 1820-1828
 * 8) Deed Book N: 1842-1844
 * 9) Deed Book O: 1844-1849

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

 * The Goodspeed Histories of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren and White Counties: With Biographical Sketches and Aboriginal Map of Tennessee. McMinnville, TN: B. Lomond Press, 1972. Reprint. Originally published: Nashville, TN: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1887. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 924077 Item 2. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.
 * Seals, Monroe. History of White County. 1935. Digital version at BYU Family History Archives.

Military
Civil War


 * Head, Thomas A. Campaigns and battles of the Sixteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, in the war between the states, with incidental sketches of the part performed by other Tennessee troops in the same war.1861-1865. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. Free digital copy.

Newspapers

 * The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Sparta, White County, Tennessee newspapers. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) 1824 Sparta Review - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 2) 1825 Sparta Review - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 3) 1829-1831 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 4) 1832-1833 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 5) 1841-1855 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee


 * Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. 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 White County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Bon Air
 * Doyle
 * Sparta

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 White 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


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of White 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 White 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.


 * The Past Finder


 * Quarterly published by the White County Genealogical-Historical Society. Table of Contents available on the website. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of White County, Tennessee have been published in The Upper Cumberland Researcher, the journal of the Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. To view a list of the first 17 years of these articles, visit their online Seventeen Year Index to The Upper Cumberland Researcher (Vols. 1-17, 1975-1992). The Index contains a "Counties" section beginning on page 19. The Family History Library has most issues through the present FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1975-1993) and FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1994-present).

Prisons
Learn if your White 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
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early White 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) Wills and Inventories: 1810-1828

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


 * [1810-1861] 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.]
 * [1810-1828] Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
The original White County tax records are held at the County Courthouse. Julia Cauble Smith's "White County Tax Districts -- Overview," hosted online by TNGenWeb, will help researchers understand how the county was divided into tax districts.

Images of White County's original tax records have been reproduced multiple times:


 * [1811-1815] White County Tax Book 1811-1815. TSLA Reel #123, Nashville, Tenn.
 * [1811-1876] Haston, Wayne. 1811-1876 Tax Lists: White County, Tennessee. CD-ROM. Purchase at The Heritage of Daniel Haston. Free transcripts of Militia/Civil District for Caney Fork-Cane Creek Area 1811-1839, taken from this resource, are available online.

The following White County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1811-1815] 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. [Cites White County Tax Book, 1811-1815 as a source.]
 * [1811] Hughes, T.P.. "White County, Tennessee 1811 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1971):106-118. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1811, 1825] 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 1811 and 1825 tax lists.]
 * [1811-1826] Select abstracts of White County, Tennessee Tax Lists 1811-1826, available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. (Source: FHL US/CAN Film 507969.)
 * [1812] "White County, Tennessee: Census of Taxable Inhabitants, 1 Jan. 1812," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 12, No. 4 :189-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Gant, Wanda. "White County, TN 1812 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. [Source: TSLA Roll# 123 Book 1812.]
 * [1813] "White County Sheriff Reports Some Unpaid 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Fall 1999):39. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1813] Sheriffs Report, Unpaid Taxes, 1813, Past Finder, Vol. 6, No. 5 (Sep. 1999).
 * [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 White County.]
 * [1820-1821] Road Docket, 1820/21, Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1991).
 * [1826] "A List Containing the Names and Number of Free Male Inhabitants of the Age of Twenty-one Years and Upwards. Resident Citizens of White County, Tennessee, on the 1st Day of January 1826," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 9, No. 2 :42-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] "White County, Tennessee Civil District Boundaries 1836," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 9, No. 3 :80-; Vol. 10, No. 1 :7-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1844] "White County, Tennessee: District 9 Taxpayers 1844," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 12, No. 2 :92-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1848] "White County, Tennessee: Delinquent Taxpayers 1848," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 13, No. 2 :77-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1851] "White County, Tennessee: Eligible Voters as of 1 January 1851," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 17, No. 2 :68-; Vol. 17, No. 3 :101-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1854] "White County, Tennessee: A List of Some White County, TN Voters, 1854," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 10, No. 3 :83-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1860s] "White County, Tennessee: Civil War Tax List," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 3, No. 5 :3-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1862] Assessments, 1862, Past Finder, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Jul. 1999).
 * [1862] Persons Released from Paying Taxes, 1862, The Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1987). For access, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
Marriage

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


 * [1809-1859] 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 ($).
 * [1809-1870] 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 or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]

The following publication, based on early newspapers, serves as a marriage record substitute:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

Death

For deaths of Methodists in White 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.]

Libraries

 * White County Public Library 11 North Church Street Sparta, TN 38583 Telephone: 931) 836-3613 Website: http://wtclibrary.org/wcplibrary.php Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Tuesday, and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday through Saturday Genealogical resources include regional history books, family history books, and White County records on microfilm. A computer provides Internet access and the full texts of obituaries from The Expositor in recent years, with an index for each year. It's catalog is online.

Societies

 * White County Genealogical-Historical Society 1 E. Bockman Way, Room 304 Courthouse Sparta, Tennessee 38583-2035 Website: http://web.blomand.net/~wcolley/wcghs.html Publication: PastFinder. Quarterly since 1994. Table of Contents online. The society collects material to establish or illustrate the genealogies and history of the area: its exploration, settlement, development, and activities in peace and in war; it's progress in population, wealth, education, arts, science, agriculture, manufacturing, trade and transportation. It collects printed histories, genealogies, biographies, descriptions, gazetteers, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, catalogs, circulars, handbills, programs, and posters; manuscript material such as letters, diaries, journals, memoranda, reminiscences, rosters, service records, account books, charts, surveys, and field books; and museum material such as pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, scenes, aboriginal relics, and material objects illustrative  of life, conditions, events, and activities of the past and the present.


 * Bon Air Mountain Historical Society 9479 Crossville Hwy Sparta, TN 38583 Telephone: 931-935-6463


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

LDS Family History Centers

 * McMinnville Tennessee 183 Underwood Road McMinnville, Warren, Tennessee, United States Phone: 931-473-1053 Hours: W 6pm-9pm, Th 9am-5pm Closed: Other times by appointment
 * See also Putnam and Warren Counties

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * 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)
 * White County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * White County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * White County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)