Robertson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Robertson County





Middle Tennessee county established in 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

 * 1800 Census, 1810 Census

Research Guides

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

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. 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

1810 - Lost, but a substitute is available:

1820 1850 Agricultural Census
 * 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.
 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee.  Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * 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.]

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


 * [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 ($).
 * [Darden, Dorden, Dardens, Durden, Dearden] Darden, Newton Jasper. Darden Family History: With Notes on Ancestry of Allied Families: Washington, Lanier, Burch, Strozier, Dodson, Pyles, McNair, Barnett : a memorial of Dearden-Durden-Dardens of the United States of America, Particularly in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Washington, D.C.?: Unknown, 1957. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 461302 Item 6; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [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 ($).
 * [Redfern, Redfearn] Redfearn, Daniel Huntley. History of the Redfearn Family. Miami, FL: D. H. Redfearn, 1942. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R247 1942; FHL US/CAN Film 1035977 1321277 Item 4; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

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.] 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.

Military
Spanish American War


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

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: 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 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.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Robertson County, Tennessee Marriage Index 1839-1880, available online, courtesy: Robertson County Archives.

Death

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."

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)