Dickson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Dickson County

Dickson County, Tennessee genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Dickson County (established 1803) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

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

County Courthouse
Dickson County Courthouse 4 Court Square Charlotte, Tennessee 37036 Phone: 1-615-789-4171 

Dickson County Clerk Marriage and Probate records Birth and Death 1908-1912 and 1925-1939 P.O. Box 220 1 Court Square, Room 126 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 1-615-789-5093

Dickson County Register of Deeds Land records, military discharge records #4 Court Square P.O. Box 130 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 1-615-789-5123 Indexing older documents and internet search of records is available at www.ustitlesearch.com

Dickson County Circuit Court Clerk Court Records P.O. Box 70 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 1-615-789-7010

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

County Clerk has birth and death records 1908-1912 and 1925-1939, marriage records from 1817 and probate records from 1977; Register Off has land records from 1804 and military records from 1946

History
Middle Tennessee county.

The county is named after "U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816)."

Parent County
1803--Dickson County was created 25 October 1803 from Robertson and Montgomery Counties County seat: Charlotte

From 1788 to 1796 people living in what is now part of Dickson County were in extinct Tennessee County. Their records for that period are now found in Robertson County, Tennessee.

County Pronunciation

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

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
1830--Tornado damaged records


 * Lost censuses: 1810, 1890
 * Marriages recorded between 1803 and 1816 are lost

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Neighboring Counties

 * Cheatham
 * Hickman
 * Houston
 * Humphreys
 * Montgomery
 * Williamson

Research Guides

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

African Americans
United States African Americans Tennessee 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.]

Biographies

 * Douthat, James L. Dickson County, Tennessee Biographies. 1887; reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free Surname Index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

The following websites may contain Dickson County cemetery records:


 * 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 Dickson County linking to the information about the people buried there,


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


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


 * Dickson County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * 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 Dickson County cemeteries 

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Dickson 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 Dickson County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

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..

1820


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * 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:.

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. ; digital version at Lineages. [Covers 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Dickson County on page 155.]

1850


 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 6 includes 1850 Western Dickson County.

1860


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * Baker, Georgia. 1860 Census for Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Richland Press, 1998.
 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 7 includes 1860 Western Dickson County.

1870


 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 8 includes 1870 Western Dickson County.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1993.

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. . [Dickson County is included in Vol. 8.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

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


 * [Brown] Descendant of Charles Brown, b. 1826 Dickson County, Tennessee, d. 1909 Weakley County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 68374). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 20), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
 * [Brown] Descendant of John A. Brown, Esq., b. 1770 North Carolina, d. 1850 Dickson County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 18696). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 20), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.

Land

 * Dickson County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1804 and is located at 4 Court Square, Charlotte, TN 37036; (615) 789-4171. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * Willis, Laura and Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Deeds. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998. 9 volumes. Available at FHL is missing volume 4. Digital versions of selected volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 1804-1808; v. 2 - 1808-1812; v. 4 - 1815-1818; and v. 6 - 1820-1823. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1804-1966 and trust deeds 1875-1966 with a general index; estate and guardianship settlements 1800-1898; land entries 1824-1962; platt books 1899-1962; register of probate deeds 1894-1938; and road minutes 1998-1891.

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.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * Revolutionary and Military Pensioners in 1840 of Dickson County, Tennessee

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, Dickson 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 Dickson County pensioners (p. 43)]

Civil War


 * Civl War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from Dickson County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Dickson County.

Confederate Soldiers


 * 11th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies C, E and K.
 * 49th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B and D.
 * 50th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Dickson County:


 * TNGenWeb, Dickson Tennessee Civil War Information, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Links to Baxters Artillery, 11th Infantry Volunteers 1861, Tidwell CW Letters, etc.
 * Dickson County, Tennessee 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Listed alphabetically - All spelling is taken like it was written.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Dickson County, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Includes soldier's name, county, pension #, unit or widow.
 * United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883: Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for ...(Washington Printing Office; 1883), (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Online at Internet Archive. Dickson County, page 332.

Newspapers

 * Willis, Laura and indexed by Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Newspaper Abstracts. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998, 2001, 2003. 8 volumes. Available at . Digital versions of select volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 7 Jan 1910-22 Apr 1910; v. 2 - 22 Apr 1910-15 Jul 1910; v. 3 - 15 Jul 1910-6 Jan 1911; and v. 4 - 23 Dec 1910-31 Mar 1911. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * 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 Dickson County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Burns
 * Charlotte
 * Dickson
 * Ruskin Cave
 * White Bluff

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 Dickson County.]

Periodicals

 * Dickson County Genealogical Society Newsletter
 * The Dickson County Genealogical Society was organized in June of 1983 and dissolved in December of 1987. The Family History Library has Volume 1, no. 1 (Jan - Mar 1984) - Volume 4, no. 4 (December 1987). FHL US/CAN Book
 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Dickson 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.

Probate
The Dickson County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for probate records. Many records are found as the Dickson County Archives.


 * Wills, 1800-1950 (2 vols.)

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


 * 1) Will Book B: 1803-1856

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


 * [1803-1856] Strictly by Name (see above).
 * [1804-1861] 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.]
 * [1838-1847] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 1-1838-1847. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1848-1868] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 2-1848-1868. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1866-1895] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 3-1866-1895. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1895-1914] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 4-1895-1914. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1914-1929] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 5-1914-1929. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1804-1856] Works Progress Administration. Dickson County, TN Will Book A : 1804-1856. 1936. Reprint with new index by Samuel Sistler, Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1998. (FHL book 976.844 P2s.)

See also:


 * Garrett, Jill Knight. Dickson County Handbook. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1984. Indexed. Contains a variety of Dickson County resources, including wills and estate settlements. (FHL book 976.844 A3g.)

Taxation
The following Dickson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1812] Tax Lists, 1812, Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History. Nashville TN: Spring 2003. Vol. 16 Iss. 4.
 * [1813] "Dickson County Land Sold for 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Winter 2001):57. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 48 (2001). For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1814] "Some Dickson County Property Subject to Double Taxes in 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer 2002):21. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 49 (2002). For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1815] Petition by Inhabitants Concerning Tax Complaint, 1815, Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin. Centerville TN: 2005. Vol. 12 Iss. 2.
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 43 (1996). For access, see Periodicals. [Includes Dickson County.]
 * [1839] 1839 Tax List Dickson County, Tennessee, Ansearchin' News, Vol 27, No. 3 (Fall 1980). FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 27 (1980); free digital version at society's website. For further access, see Periodicals.

Marriage
The original Dickson County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages were not officially recorded in Dickson County until 1817. 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 Dickson County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1817-1995] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1817-1899 are available for interlibrary loan.
 * [1817-1966] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.
 * [1859-1950] Marriage Records 1859-1950, Court ordered Birth Records ca. 1875-1941, Death records 1930-1939. Available at the Family History Library. Listed alphabetically by groom's surname.

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


 * [1817-1879] Eddlemon, Sherida K. Dickson County, Tennessee, Marriage records, 1817-1879. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, 1989., CD no. 620.
 * [1838-1870] 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|976.8 V2t|book]] v. 1Abstracts 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.]
 * [1838-1873] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. {{FHL|434884|title-id|disp=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.]
 * [1850-1866] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript. {{FHL|24640|film}} Item 3
 * [1850-1870 Sistler, Byron. Dickson County, Tennessee Marriages, 1850-70 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Black, James M. Southern states Genealogical Records: Bible records, Tombstone Inscriptions, Historical records, Southern States Mission Records. Salt Lake City, Utah: s.n., 190-? {{FHL|976 A1 no. 1|book}}
 * Garrett, Jill K. Dickson County Handbook. Easley, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, 1984. Contains marriage record information. {{FHL|976.844 A3g|book}}
 * Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. {{FHL|976.8 V2t|book.}}. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * {{RecordSearch|1619127|Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950}} - covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.
 * ’’’[1838-1849]’’’ Marriage Records.
 * ’’’[1817-1850]’’’ 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 Dickson 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.]

Societies and Libraries
Dickson County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1922 Dickson, TN 37056 For current contact information regarding genealogist, historian and other officers of the Society click here. Dickson County Historian is H. Alan Ragan 204 North Main St. Dickson, TN 37055 Phone: 1-615-446-2359 E-mail: Alan.Ragan@Ragans.biz

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

Dickson County Public Library 206 Henslee Drive Dickson, TN 37055 Phone: 1-615-446-8293 Hours: Mon., Fri.and Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues. and Thurs. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Genealogy resources: County records, newspapers, census and more.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Dickson Tennessee Family History Center (Burns)

Web Sites

 * Dickson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Dickson County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Dickson County, Tennessee Genealogy and History (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors with in the context of their local history.
 * Dickson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Dickson County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Dickson County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)
 * (FamilySearch)
 * Mailing List: DanvilleQueries-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region