DeKalb County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    DeKalb County  Middle Tennessee county. Established 1837.

Quick Dates
DeKalb County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
DeKalb County Courthouse 1 Public Square Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: 615-597-5159

DeKalb County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 1 Public Square, Room 205 Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: 1-615-597-5177

DeKalb County Register of Deeds Land records 1 Public Square, Room 201 Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: 1-615-597-4153

DeKalb County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 1 Public Square, Room 303 Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: 1-615-597-5711

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 pm

History


The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.

Parent County
1837--DeKalb County was created 11 December 1837 from White, Warren, Cannon, Wilson, and Jackson Counties. County seat: Smithville

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (female)

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

 * Marriages recorded between 1837 and 1847 are lost
 * Probate records 1837 to 1846 are lost

Neighboring Counties

 * Cannon
 * Putnam
 * Smith
 * Warren
 * White
 * Wilson

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published DeKalb County biography, probate, and tax records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: DeKalb County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries

 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in DeKalb County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * DeKalb County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * DeKalb County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of DeKalb County cemeteries

Census
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of DeKalb 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.

See DeKalb County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1840


 * Parsley, Jorene W. DeKalb County, 1840, Eleven Districts Population. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1985.

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, DeKalb County on page 155.]

1850


 * Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1988.

1860


 * Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1860 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley,19-?.

1870


 * Parsley, Jorene W.Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1870 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 198-?

1880


 * Parsley, Jorene W. and Brenda J. Tramel Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1880 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley and B.J. Tramel, 198-?
 * Sistler, Byron. 1800 Census, DeKalb County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B.H. Sistler, 1993.

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * "1890 Civil War Veterans Census of DeKalb County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.


 * 1) A-L Index
 * 2) M-Z Index

1900


 * Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1900 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1988.

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed.. DeKalb County, Tennessee Census, 1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available 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. Free digital copy.
 * Historical Records Project (Tennessee) Salem Baptism Church Minutes, 1809-1908, Dekalb County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 1939. Free lookups available!

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following DeKalb County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

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]

The Justin Potter Library in Smithville, Tennessee maintains an online list of published genealogies held in their collection. See: An Inventory of Genealogy Books found at the Justin Potter Library.

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in DeKalb, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 45,000 entries.


 * Webb, Thomas G. The Webb Families of Dekalb County, Tennessee, and 23 Related Families: Including Bethel, Cantrell, Colvert, Fuson, Gribble, Hicks, Jaco, Judkins, Magness, Mangum, Moser, Parker, Potter, Redmon, Snow, Turner, and Weedon Families, along with the Farmer and Foushee Families of Virginia; the Gray, George, and Sageley Families of Cannon County, Tennessee, the Nathaniel Miller Family of Rutherford County, Tennessee, and Others. Smithville, Tenn.: Bradley Printing Co., 2002. . Additional information.

Bibliography


 * [Adcock] Adcock, Deverle Carol Turner and Jimmie Wallis Adcock. Adcock Family and Allied Families. [Austin, Texas: n.p.], 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ad19ad.
 * [Burton] Lee, Laura Moncrief. Squire-Brown-Burton. Lincoln, Nebraska: L. Lee, 1985. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sq58L.
 * [Cantrell] Wright, Mildred S. George Washington Cantrell and His Wife Martha Elizabeth Lea Carver of Tennessee: Their Ancestry and Descendants. Beaumont, Texas: M.S. Wright, 1983. FHL US/CAN Book 929.273 C169wm.
 * [Cantrell] Barry, Fredrick M. and Geneva Barry. The Family of Isaac Denton Cantrell and Sindrilla Cope. Franklin, N.C.: Genealogy Pub. Service, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C169bf.
 * [Claybourn] Claybourn, Verner Marvin and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family: The Descendants of Ephraim Claybourn of Tennessee and William Divine Claybourn of Jefferson County, Illinois. McKinney, Texas: H.P. Threlkeld, 1969. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C579t.
 * [Drewry] Drewry, Jody Lawrence. Descendants of John Henry Drewry and Related Families of Searcy County, Arkansas. Provo, Utah : J.L. Drewry, 2000. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Evans] Bonfield, Hortense Cook and Leland Dale Bradley. Evans and Related Families. Antioch, Tenn.: H.C. Bonfield, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 929.273 Ev15bh.
 * [Evins] Evins, Joe Landon. The Evins Family: A Genealogical Study. Washington, D.C.: unknown, 1938. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Fisher] Fisher, Margaret and Betty Fisher Cox. The Fisher Line: Nicholas Fisher's Descendants, 1730-1980. Owensboro, Ky.: Cook &amp; McDowell Publications, 1980. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F531fm.
 * [Fite] Fite, Esther Goldie and Daniel Harley. Fite Family History. E. and H. Fite. Free Lookups Available!
 * [Foster] Presley, Nina Marie Foster. 2000 Years, the Families of Foster and Mansell. Ponca City, Oklahoma: N. M. F. Presley, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F815f.
 * [Foutch] Breedlove, Billie Anita Foutch. William Foutch and His Descendants' Footprints Across the United States of America: From Virginia, North Carolina to Middle Tennessee and to Points North, South, East and West, 1765-2000. Wyandotte, Oklahoma: Gregath, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F829bb.
 * [Love] Love, Jolee. Love's Valley. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Love, 1954. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L941Lj.
 * [McDonald] McDonald, Roy and Louise McDonald Wells. Family Tree of James Madison McDonald and Nancy Leah Downs. n.p.: R. McDonald, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M145mr.
 * [Miller] The Hoggard Link. 1983-. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.27305 H679.
 * [Moore] Terry, Donald Eugene. Wallace Robinson Bonds and Lera Agnes (Ray) Bonds: 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary Autobiography 1936-1986. Poway, Calif.: D.E. Terry, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B64t.
 * [Murphy] Winfree, Lela B. Genealogical Records by Lela B. Winfree. Warren, Michigan: L.B. Winfree, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W726wL.
 * [Ray] Terry, Donald Eugene. Wallace Robinson Bonds and Lera Agnes (Ray) Bonds: 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary Autobiography 1936-1986. Poway, Calif.: D.E. Terry, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B64t.
 * [Taylor] Taylor, Ardis. William Taylor, Sr.: Volume III. Lisbon, North Dakota: R.J. Taylor Jr. Foundation, 1999?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T219tw.
 * [Taylor] Taylor, Ardis. A Few More Taylors: Volume IV. Lisbon, North Dakota: A.R. Taylor, 2003. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T212tar.
 * [Tubb] Tubb Family Records, 1814-1848. Houston, Texas: Houston Genealogical Forum, 1963. FHL US/CAN Book 976.4 A1 no. 108.
 * [Webb] See General.
 * [White] Christian, Michael and Barbara Christian. The Descendants of James Russell "Major" White. Russellville, Ky.: A.B. Willhite, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W584c.

Land

 * Dekalb County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1838 and is located at Courthouse, Room 205, Smithville, Tennessee 37166; Telephone: (615) 597-517. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1838-1897 with indexes 1898-1968; Land entries 1838-1905.

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 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 the TSLA; 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 Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.
 * Hale, Will T. DeKalb County History. Nashville, Tennessee: P. Hunter, 1915. Free dital copy.

Military
Revolutionary War 

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Revolutionary War Veterans, Dekalb County, Tennessee A list of those who served in the Revolutionary War and later lived in Dakalb county, including biographies.

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, DeKalb County on page 155.]
 * 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.]

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. ; digital version at journal website. [Includes DeKalb County pensioners (p. 43)]

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
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 Dekalb County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Alexandria
 * Liberty
 * Smithville

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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes DeKalb 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 records of DeKalb 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


 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of DeKalb 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.


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of DeKalb 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 (1975-1993) and  (1994-present).

Prisons
Learn if your DeKalb 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
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within a few months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers, because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The DeKalb County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

The following DeKalb County probate records have been abstracted or indexed:


 * [1846-1907] Majors, Betty Moore. DeKalb County, Tennessee, Genealogy from Administrator's Settlement Books, 1846-1907. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 1992. Indexed. (FHL book 976.8532 D2m.)
 * [1838-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]

USGenWeb's DeKalb County page also has some transcribed wills.

Taxation
The following DeKalb County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1839] "DeKalb County, Tennessee 1839 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Summer 1993):65-70. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1839] Douthat, James L. 1839 DeKalb County, Tennessee Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details.
 * [1846] "DeKalb County, Tennessee Delinquent Property Taxes, 1846," Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 2 (1992):76-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1906-1907] "DeKalb County, Tennessee Road Taxpayers, 16th District, 1906-7," Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Fall 1992):116-. For access, see Periodicals.

Marriage
The original DeKalbCounty marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages before August 1848 are lost. 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 following DeKalb County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1848-1991] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1848-1887 are available for interlibrary loan.
 * [1848-1968] Available at the Family History Library. Indexes are at the front of each volume.

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


 * [1848-1880] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. v. 2. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1848-1859] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, DeKalb County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project.  Typescript.  Item 4
 * [1848-1900} Parsley, Jorene W. Marriages recorded in DeKalb County, Tennessee, 1848-1900. Smithville, Tennessee : J. W. Parsley, 1990
 * [1848-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in DeKalb 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. 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
Libraries associated with the Dekalb County Library System

Justin Potter Library 101 S. 1st St. Smithville, TN 7166-1706 Phone: 1-615-597-4359 This library is the home of the now defunct DeKalb County Genealogical Society's collection. An Inventory of Genealogy Books Found at the Justin Potter Library (2009)

Alexandria Branch Library 109 Public Square; PO Box 367 Alexandria, TN 37012-0367 Phone: 1-615-529-9124

Dowelltown Branch Library Church Street; PO Box 87 Dowelltown, Tennessee 37059-0087 Phone: 1-615-536-5997

Liberty Public Library 103 College Street Liberty, TN 37095 Phone: 1-615-536-6116

Societies
The once active DeKalb County Genealogy Society is now defunct. Its collection is currently housed at the Justin Potter Library and includes an extensive collection of Vertical Files, Genealogical Books, Census Records, and lots more. See: An Inventory of Genealogy Books Found at the Justin Potter Library (2009)

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

Web Sites

 * DeKalb County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * DeKalb County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * DeKalb County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * DeKalb County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * DeKalb County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)
 * (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)