Rhea County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Rhea County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Rhea County was named for the Tennessee politician and Revolutionary War veteran John Rhea. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Rhea County Courthouse 1475 Market Street Dayton, TN 37321 County Courthouse Phone: 423-775-7808 County Clerk Phone: 423-775-7808 County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-775-7841

County Clerk has marriage records from 1808. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information East Tennessee county.

The county is named after U.S. Congressman John Rhea (1753-1832) from Tennessee.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Rhea County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Rhea 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 Rhea County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810-1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry — index $

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 Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. . Covers this county.


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Rhea County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 6, No. 1 :37. For availability, see Rhea.

1830


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1830 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis Reed. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1830 for Rhea County, Tennessee. Rockwood, TN: Unknown, 1965. ; online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Free Lookups
 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..

1840


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1840 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis Reed. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1830 [and 1840] for Rhea County, Tennessee. Rockwood, TN: Unknown, 1965. ; online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Free Lookups

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, Eastern District, Rhea County on page 154.

1850


 * Broyles, Betty J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. n.p.: n.p., 1980. . Includes 1850 census.
 * Hutcherson, Willis and Pollyanna Creekmore. 1850 Rhea County, Tn. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1983. . Free Lookups Available!

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..
 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Rhea County is included in Vol. 1.

1860


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1870


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1870 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..

1880


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Rhea County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, 1991..

1880 Agricultural Census


 * Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County: 1850, 1870, and 1880 Agricultural Production Census. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry — index $

1900


 * Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups Available!

1920


 * Tallent, Seth, Henrietta Tallent and Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society. Rhea County, Tennessee, 1920 Census. Spring City, Tenn.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995..

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration.For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.


 * Rhea County Church Records


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * If the records you need are not through the Family History Library, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived.Two sites that give information about churches in Rhea County are:


 * - List of Rhea County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)
 * - List of Rhea County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)


 * Rhea County Churches and Schools. Free Lookups Available!

Baptist


 * 1807-1937 - Salem Baptist Church Records. Dayton, 1807-1937. Manuscript. TSLA Reel #465.
 * 1807-1900 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. vol. 2 Index to original Salem Baptist Church Records. Dayton, 1807-1937.

Methodist


 * Historical Records Project. Quarterly Conference of the Washington Circuit of the Holston Conference Methodist Church South, Rhea County, Tennessee. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940. Manuscript. Item 3

Episcopal


 * Green, William. Life and Papers of A.L.Pl Green, D.D.. Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Methodist Pulblishing House, 1877. Free digital copy.

Court Records

 * County Court Minutes 1834-1840. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court Minutes 1840-1844. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: January 1853 - October 1866. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: October 1866 - December 1871. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * County Court of Rhea County Minutes: December 1871 - April 1876. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * Rhea County, Tennessee County Court Minute Book April 1876 - August 1881. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!

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. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Emigration and Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 6 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Rhea County.


 * Kenneth Scott. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979, 372-378 (see East Tennessee). FHL US/CAN 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($)

Genealogies
General
 * As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Rhea, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 25,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Edmonds - Yadon, Laurence J. The Newton J. Edmonds Family of Rhea County, Tennessee and Greene, Laclede and Webster Counties, Missouri. Tulsa, Oklahoma: L.J. Yadon II, 1980..
 * Shultz - Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. . The Shultz family is discussed in Vol. 2.
 * Smith - Mayes, C. Vale. A Genealogy and History of Smith Family of Rhea Co. Tn. and Barry Co. Mo. with Their Related Families, 1772-1982. n.p.: C.V. Mayes, 198?..
 * Walker - Bowman, G. Ralph. Some Descendants of Captain George Walker, 1745-1833: of Fauquier, Virginia; Burke County, North Carolina; Knox, Rhea &amp; Bledsoe Counties, Tenn. n.p.: G.R. Bowman, 1978, 2004. . Digital version available at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Wasson - Murray, J.L. Ancestry of James S. Murray of Campbell County, Tennessee and the Wasson Family of Rhea County, Tennessee. MSS., microfilmed in 1983..
 * Young - Stein, Carl F. Some Descendents of James Pickens Young 1815: of Polk, Rhea, Hamilton, Blount, &amp; Knox Counties, Tenn., Cherokee, &amp; Gaston Counties, North Carolina. Family Group Sheets..

Land and Property Records
In 1969, TSLA microfilmed original Rhea County Deed Books A to M (1808-1879). FHL copies:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * Gray, David H. and Bettye J. Broyles. Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Books. 2 vols: Deed Books A to E (1809-1831), Deed Book F (1831-1838). Dayton, Tenn.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1987.  ff. Free Lookups Available!

Local Histories

 * A Compendium of Rhea &amp; Meigs, Tn 1801-1850. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * The History of Rhea County. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Rhea County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
 * 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, Eastern District, Rhea County on page 154.
 * Revolutionary &amp; Military Pensioners, 1840, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Fall 1978).

Additional resources include:


 * 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. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Rhea County pensioners (p. 50).

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Companies A and D.
 * 16th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Neal's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company D.
 * 26th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (3rd East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company E.
 * 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company B.

Union Soldiers


 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company B.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Rhea County:


 * Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Rhea County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Rhea County. 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 1 Feb 2012). Online at Internet Archive. Rhea County, page 369-370.

Newspapers
Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at 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 Rhea County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Dayton
 * Rhea Springs
 * Spring City


 * 1847 - 1851 - 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. (Largely Methodist?)

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * East Tennessee Roots: Published by East Tennessee Roots The table of contents for some issues are available on their website;.
 * Rhea Notes: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society Facebook Page.

Probate Records
Online Records and Indexes Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry $
 * 1825-1969 Rhea County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
 * 1825-1840 Will Book A: 1825-1840 Strictly By Name - Index only
 * 1852-1881 Will Book 1: 1852-1881 Strictly By Name - Index only
 * 1825-1840; 1852-1881; 1881-1902 Images of Wills & Inventories 1825-1840; 1852-1881; 1881-1902 at SouthEasternGenealogy $
 * 1808 - 1851 - Bell, Annie W.B. Rhea County, Tennessee, Wills, 1808-1851. Typescript, pre-1935..
 * 1810 - 1881 - Broyles, Bettye J. Rhea County, Tennessee Wills, Inventories, Estate Settlements and Guardian Reports 1810-1881. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1989. . Free Lookups Available!
 * 1825 - 1860 - Historical Records Project (W.P.A.). Will Books, 1825-1860, Rhea County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1940. . Includes inventories and administrations for certain years.
 * 1825 - 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.Free Lookups Available!
 * 1825 - 1840, 1852 - 1881 - Strictly By Name (see above).

School Records

 * Bryan College Yearbooks - misc. volumes between the 1940s-present. Freely available via the Internet Archive.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.


 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records
In 1969, the TSLA microfilmed the original Rhea County Tax Lists 1832-1834. FHL copy:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1808-1809 - Tax List, 1808-9, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 3 (May 1987).
 * 1808, 1819 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. Includes 1808 and 1819 tax lists.
 * 1808, 1819 Mary Barnett Curtis, Early East Tennessee Tax Lists (Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964), . Includes 1808 and 1819 tax lists.
 * 1808-1850 - Broyles, Bettie J. A Compendium of Rhea and Meigs Counties, Tennessee, 1808 through 1850. 1980. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * 1808-1809 - Tax List, 1808-9, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 3 (May 1987).
 * 1808 - "1808 Tax Lists of Rhea County," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * 1809 Tax List, 1809, Rhea Notes, Vol. 9, Nos. 3-4 (May 1995).
 * 1810 Tax List, 1810, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jul. 1987).
 * 1810 Tax List, 1810, Rhea Notes, Vol. 9, Nos. 5-6 (Sep. 1995).
 * 1811 Tax List, 1811, Rhea Notes, Vol. 1, No. 5 (Sep. 1987); Vol. 1, No. 6 (Nov. 1987).
 * 1814 Tax List, 1814, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Mar. 1988).
 * 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 Rhea. Includes Rhea County.
 * 1815 Tax List, 1815, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 3 (May 1988).
 * 1816-1817 - Tax List, 1816, 1817, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul. 1988).
 * 1818 Tax List, 1818, Rhea Notes, Vol. 2, No. 5 (Sep. 1988).
 * 1819-1829 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County Tax Lists, 1819 through 1829. Chattanooga, Tenn.: B.J. Broyles, 199-?..
 * 1823 - Thornton, Mabel H. "Rhea County, Tennessee, Tax List-1823," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1964):9-20. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Rhea.
 * 1832-1834 - Wells, Carol. Rhea County, Tennessee: Tax Lists, 1832-1834 and County Court Minutes, Colume D: 1829-1834. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1996..
 * 1832-1834 - Wells, Carol. Tennessee. CD-ROM. . Includes 1832-1834 tax lists.
 * 1833 - Vincent, Don. Missouri Heartlands, Family Records. 2 vols. 1991-1993. . Includes Rhea County 1833 tax list.
 * 1836 "Rhea County, Tennessee 1836 Plat Map and Civil District Descriptions," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * 1837 Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County: Taxable Property and Polls for 1837. n.p.: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1992. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * 1850-1900 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. ; online: free surname index and purchase details. Free Lookups Available!
 * 1866 - Broyles, Bettie J. Rhea County, Tennessee 1866 Tax List. Spring City, Tennessee: Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996. ; online: free surname index and purchase details.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry $
 * 1908-1912 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Births 1908-1912. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1924-1939 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Births 1924-1939. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
 * 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1812-1920 - Rhea County Marriage Index 1812-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry $
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1808-1859 - Marriages of Rhea County, Tennessee, 1808-1859.
 * 1808-1861 - Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. . Indexes names of brides, grooms, marriage dates for this county for specified years. Free Lookups
 * 1850-1900 - Rhea County, Tennessee, Census, Marriage, and Tax Records, 1850 through 1900. 1982. . Free Lookups

Death

 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry $
 * 1908-1912 Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1933 Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1925-1939 - Rhea County Vital Statistics: Record of Deaths 1925-1939. TNGenWeb Free Lookups Available!
 * 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce
Online Records Online Titles
 * 1796-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Books Online

Family History Centers

 * Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center
 * Cookeville Tennessee Family History Center
 * Crossville Tennessee Family History Center
 * Loudon Tennessee Family History Center
 * Art Circle Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Clyde W. Roddy Library 371 First Ave. Dayton, Tennessee 37321 Phone: 423-775-8406 Email: [mailto:info@clyderoddy.org info@clyderoddy.org] Facebook Website

Societies
Rhea County Historical & Genealogical Society P.O. Box 31 Dayton, TN 37321 Email: [mailto:rchgsarchives@gmail.com rchgsarchives@gmail.com] Facebook

Websites

 * Rhea County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Rhea County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rhea County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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