Carter County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Carter County

East Tennessee county established in 1796. Originally part of the pioneer Watauga Settlements, from 1785 to 1789, this land was also claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin.





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

County Courthouse
Carter County Courthouse 801 East Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN 37643 Phone: 1-423-542-1801

Carter County Clerk Marriage and Probate records 801 E. Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN 37643 Phone: 1-423-542-1814

Carter County Register of Deeds Land records 801 E. Elk Ave. Elizabethon, TN 37643 Phone: 1-423-542-1830

Carter County Clerk of Circuit Court Court records Carter County Justice Center 924 E. Elk Ave. Elizabethon, TN 37643 Phone: 1-423-542-1835

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

History


The county is named after Landon Carter (1710-1778), Speaker of the State of Franklin senate.

The land of Carter County was first organized by the State of Franklin in March 1786 from part of Washington County under the name Wayne (old) County. Wayne seems to have included at least the present area of Carter and Johnson Counties. However, the Franklin statehood effort collapsed by 1789. Wayne (old) County existed only briefly, its legality is questionable, and little trace remains. It was not recognized by the subsequent North Carolina, Southwest Territory, or Tennessee governments.

In 1796 the first county reconstituted by the new State of Tennessee was Franklin's Wayne (old) County, only it was called Carter County. Now the land on which the lost county of Wayne (old) County was located is known as Carter County and Johnson County.

Parent County
1796--Carter County was created 9 April 1796 from Washington County. County seat: Elizabethton

Record Loss
1933-- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.


 * Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1820, 1890
 * Many early wills have been lost

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle
 * When the Records are Gone in Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Carter 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
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. The Tennessee Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online resources:

Published Carter County cemetery records:

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

1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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 - Lost

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the National Archives, 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.]

These records have also been abstracted:


 * 1820 Census of Manufactures: Carter County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 7, No. 3 :114. For availability, see Periodicals.

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Carter County on page 152.]

1850


 * Bishop, Brenda C. 1850 Census, Carter County, Tennessee. Elizabethton, Tenn.: B.C. Bishop, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 X2bb 1850.

1860


 * Bishop, Brenda C. 1860 Census, Tennessee, Carter County Transcription. Elizabethton, Tenn.: B.C. Bishop, 1985. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 X2ct.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census - Tennessee: Transcription for Carter County. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 198-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 X2s 1880.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 7 1891. [Carter County is included in Vol. 7.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

Church
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.


 * Carter County Church Records


 * - Family History Library Catalog - Carter County Church Records


 * 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 Bedford County are:


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


 * In 1936, a helpful guide to early Carter County church records was published by the Works Project Administration. Use this guide to locate which church records exist and where they were housed in 1936. The Tennessee State Library and Archives has filmed some of these records. To locate which records are available at the TSLA, go to the appropriate "county fact sheet" on the TSLA Web site and scroll down to "selected manuscript material". All filmed church records at the TSLA for Carter county are listed.

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Carter 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]

General


 * East Tennessee Historical Society. First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early Settlers and Their Present-day Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 H2ff. [Identifies families that had settled in Tennessee before it achieved statehood in 1796.]

Bibliography


 * [Carter] Bennett, Frances Helm. The Hampton, Helm &amp; Carter Families. Carmel, Ind.: unknown, 1968. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Carter] Henry, John J. and Audrey Duffield Henry. A History of the Carter and Duffield Family of Carter Co. and Johnson Co. in East Tennessee: With Reference to the Virginia Carter Family and the East Tennessee Families of Taylor, Lowe and Stout. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: J.J. Henry, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C245hj.
 * [Duffield] Henry, John J. and Audrey Duffield Henry. A History of the Carter and Duffield Family of Carter Co. and Johnson Co. in East Tennessee: With Reference to the Virginia Carter Family and the East Tennessee Families of Taylor, Lowe and Stout. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: J.J. Henry, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C245hj.
 * [Hampton] Bennett, Frances Helm. The Hampton, Helm &amp; Carter Families. Carmel, Ind.: unknown, 1968. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Haynes] Shores, Robert Merritt. Haynes Family: Descendants of George Haynes (1757-1836) of Winchester &amp; Frederick County Virginia and Carter County Tennessee. Tucson, Arizona: R.M. Shores, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6437.
 * [Helm] Bennett, Frances Helm. The Hampton, Helm &amp; Carter Families. Carmel, Ind.: unknown, 1968. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Hendrix] Hendrix, Violet Hendrix. The Hendrix Family of Carter County, Tennessee: Descendants of John Hendrix 1756-1846. Kingsport, Tenn.: Hendrix, 1976. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H385a.
 * [Humphreys] See Sams.
 * [Macklin] DAR (Tennessee) Genealogical Records Committee. Alexander Macklin of Carter County, Tennessee. Typescript, 1947. FHL US/CAN Film 876555 Item 6.
 * [Mottern] Mottern, Hugh H. William Mottern Family of Turkeytown, East Tennessee, Elizabethton, Carter County. Glenview, Ill.: H.H. Mottern, 1962. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M858m.
 * [Range] Mumaw, Lola Range. Peter and Ida Range: Ancestors and Descendants, Carter County, Tennessee. Sandwich, Ill.: L.R. Mumaw, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R163a.
 * [Sevier] Turner, Francis Marion. Life of General John Sevier New York: The Neale Publishing Co., 1910. Free digital copy.
 * [Sams] Turner, Alice Bellvadore. In Memoriam, John Sams and Susan Evaline Sams Colfax, Iowa: unknown, 1902. FHL US/CAN Film 1018896 Item 8; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Taylor] Armstrong, Zella. Taylor of Tennessee. Chattanooga, TN: Lookout Pub. Co., 1933. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1036349 Item 9. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land
The original Carter County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. In the 1970s, the TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to T (1796-1884), indexes, and Trust Deed Book 1874-1892. Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 847620-847627, 464080 Item 2, 1011383.

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


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1796-1806
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1806-1815

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

 * Co-operative Town Company of Tennessee. The New Co-Operative Town of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee, 1890. Free digital copy.
 * Turner, Francis Marion. Life of General John Sevier New York: The Neale Publishing Co., 1910. Free digital copy.

Maps

 * [1796] Reeves, Charles A. Carter County [Tennessee] - Created April 1796 from Washington County. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Military
Revolutionary War

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


 * 1) 1835 Pension Roll
 * 2) 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Carter County on page 152.]
 * "Carter County Tennessee -- Pensioners 1835," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
 * Census of Pensioners, 1840, Eastern District (sel.), Sullivan County Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 2004).
 * 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.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Rev. War Pensions, June 7, 1832, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2007).
 * Watauga Story, Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Vol. 108, No. 2 (Feb. 1974).

War of 1812


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1960):13-16; Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Carter County pensioners 7(1):16, 7(2):40.]

Civil War


 * History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A ... By Samuel W. Scott and Samuel P Angel, has information, including some biographies of Carter County people. Available at FHL; digital version on Google Books

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 Carter County click on the following city:


 * Elizabethton

Occupations
Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Carter 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 Carter 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.
 * East Tennessee Roots
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Carter County, Tennessee records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 D25e.
 * Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Carter County, Tennessee records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase.The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001. Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Prisons
Learn if your Carter 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
Loose probate files exist at the Carter County Courthouse covering the years 1796 to 1915. They were microfilmed by GSU in 1999: FHL US/CAN Films 2117645-2117646, 2117648.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Carter 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 Books 1-3: 1794-1937

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


 * [1794-1861] 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.] Free Lookups Available!

Taxation
TSLA microfilmed the original Carter County Tax Books 1860-1880 (gaps) in 1971. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Film 1011384.

The following Carter County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1796] Taxpayers, 1796, East Tennessee Historical Society Publications. Knoxville TN: 1958. Vol. - Iss. 30.
 * [1796] Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4cp index. [Includes 1796 tax list.]
 * [1796, 1798] 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 1796 and 1798 tax lists.]
 * [1796, 1798] Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4c. [Includes 1796 and 1798 tax lists.]
 * [1798] 1798 Tax List, Carter County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 9, No. 4. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes digital images of the original source.]
 * [1799] Tax List, 1799, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: Summer 1972. Vol. 1 Iss. 2.
 * [1834] Tax List, 1834, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: 1979. Vol. 8 Iss. 1-2; 2000. Vol. 29 Iss. 2; 2001. Vol. 30 Iss. 1.
 * [1836] Douthat, James L. Carter County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee, Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 R4d; online: free surname index and purchase details.
 * [1874-1877] Nathaniel Edens Hyder Tax Collection Journal Excerpts, 1874-1877, Distr. 1-4, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: 2007. Vol. 36 Iss. 1.

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


 * 1) Marriages 1796-1811

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


 * [1796-1825] Raymond, Brenda Jordan. "Carter County, TN - VITALS - Marriages, 1796 - 1825," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * [1796-1876] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1987. FHL US/CAN 976.8 V2s v. 1. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.] Free Lookups Available!

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Carter County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, see:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Deaths

 * Nikazy, Eddie M. Abstracts of Tennessee Death Records for Carter County, Tennessee, 1908-1925. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1992. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 V4ne.
 * Nikazy, Eddie M. Carter County, Tennessee Death, Record Abstracts, 1926-1934. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1994. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8984 V4n.

For deaths of Methodists in Carter 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
Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library 201 N. Sycamore St. Elizabethton, TN 37643 Phone: 1-423-547-6360 Fax: 1-423-542-1510 Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tues., Wed.and Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Includes the Paty-McCellan-Dungan Archives Room which includes census records, city directories, county records, local history books. Volunteers are available to assist with research on the first Thursday night of each month from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

Charles C. Sherrod Library, East Tennessee State University P.O. Box 70665 Johnson City, TN 37614 Phone: Information desk 1-423-439-4307 Hours vary depending on the time of year because of school sessions. See website for hours. The Sherrod Library has genealogical information concerning the East Tennessee Region.

East Tennessee Historical Society 601 S. Gay St. P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, TN 37901-1629 Phone: 1-865-215-8824 E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Web Sites

 * Carter County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Carter County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Carter County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Carter County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Carter County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Mailing List: TNCARTER-L (Carter County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: FRANKLIN-STATE-L (State of Franklin 1784-1788 List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: UPPEREASTTN-L (Upper East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)