Putnam County, Tennessee Genealogy

Putnam County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Putnam County (established 1842) 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
Putnam County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Putnam County Courthouse 421 E Spring Street Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: 931.526.6321 County Clerk has birth and death 1925-1940, incomplete birth and death records 1908-1912, marriage records from 1879 and probate records from 1876. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce and court records from 1900. Register of Deeds has land records from 1854. Clerk Circuit Court court records from 1900. County Historian; Rt. 2, Box 408; Cookeville, TN has miscellaneous court records.



 

Putnam County Clerk Marriage and probate records Birth and death 1925-1940 Incomplete birth and death 1908-1912 P.O. Box 220 Cookeville, TN 38503 Phone: 1-931-372-8201

Putnam County Register of Deeds Land records P.O. Box 487 Cookeville, TN 38503 Phone: 1-931-526-7101

Putnam County Circuit Court Clerk Court records 421 E. Spring Street, Room 1C, Suite 49A Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: 1-931-528-1508

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

History


Middle Tennessee county.

The county is named after Revolutionary War Major General Israel Putnam (1718-1790).

Parent County
1842--Putnam County was established 2 February 1842 from White, Overton, Jackson, Smith and DeKalb Counties. Early records may be found under White, Overton, Jackson, Smith and DeKalb Counties. County seat: Cookeville

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1860s  Courthouse records were damaged in the American Civil War, 1861-1865.

1898 Fire damaged courthouse records.


 * Lost marriage records: 1842 to 1878
 * Lost probate records: 1842 to 1875

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Putnam County family Bible, cemetery, court, marriage, private papers, 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: Putnam 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 FamilySearch Catalog lists some . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Putnam County cemeteries


 * Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Putnam County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.
 * TNGenes.net has 180+ cemeteries photographed.

Census
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Putnam 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 Putnam 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.com — index $

1860


 * McComb, Joyce B. The First Putnam County, Tennessee, United States Census, 1860. Lexington, South Carolina : J.B. McComb, 1989.

1870


 * McGee, Norman T. 1870 United States Census of Putnam County, Tennessee. Arrington, Tennessee : Lilac Hill Pub., 1989.

1880


 * McGee, Norman T. 1880 United States Census of Putnam County, Tennessee. Arrington, Tennessee : Lilac Hill Pub., 1989.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Putnam County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1991.

1890 Lost 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. . Putnam County is included in Vol. 5.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters


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

1900


 * Clark, Fred L. The United States Twelfth Census of Putnam County, Tennessee, 1900. Quebeck, Tennessee : F.L. Clark, 1994.

1910


 * Wilkerson, Azilee, Fred L. Clark, ed. The United States thirteenth Census of Putnam County, Tennessee, 1910. Quebeck, Tennessee : F.L. Clark, 1992.

Baptist

 * 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.

Presbyterian

 * 1873-1886 - First Presbyterian Church, Cookeville, Baptism Index 1873-1886. Batch in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Family Histories
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 Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. has uploaded a free "Index to the Charles Leonard Collection" on their website. It contains "a name index to family research files at the Putnam County Library in Cookeville TN."

General

As of August 2010, a query for born in Putnam, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries.

Bibliography


 * Dyer - Preator, Richard E. The Descendants of James Dyer and Jane Finn of Jackson Co. Tennessee. Salem, Mass.: Higginson, 1998..
 * Maxwell - Maxwell, Harry L. Descendants of Samuel Maxwell of Putnam County and Jackson County, TN. Cookeville, Tenn.: H.L. Maxwell, [199-?]..

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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 Putnam County pensioners (p. 50).

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)
 * 1891-1965 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Civil War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Putnam 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 Putnam County:

Confederate Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Gore's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 16th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company F.
 * 17th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company R.
 * 22nd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Murray's) - CSA - Company H.
 * 25th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies F, I and K.
 * 28th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies D and H.
 * 28th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (2nd Tennessee Mountain Volunteers) - CSA - Companies E and I.
 * 84th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company D.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Putnam County:


 * 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.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Putnam County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Putnam 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). Online at Internet Archive. Putnam County, page 369.
 * Civil War Soldiers From Putnam County. Compiled by Maurine Ensor Patton &amp; Christine Spivey Jones.

Newspapers

 * Extracts taken from the Putnam County Herald (19--?). Digital version available at
 * 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 Putnam County click on the following city or town:


 * Cookeville
 * Monterey

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 Putnam County, Tennessee records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly


 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Putnam 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.


 * Overton County Historical Society Newsletter


 * "This newsletter, although called 'Overton County,' covers all the area in Overton, Fentress, and Pickett County, Tennessee along with Monterey in Putnam County" - Vol. 7, no. 4 p. 2 Family History Library has volume 1 - 8 . Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) For further information see Overton County Historical Society website: Overton County Historical Society website


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Putnam 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 Putnam County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.

Probate Records
The Putnam County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records


 * 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $




 * Wills, 1876-1933
 * Inventories, 1899-1909
 * Settlements, 1878-1918
 * Bonds, Letters, 1874-1907

The following Putnam County probate records have been abstracted, indexed, or both:


 * Works Progress Administration. Putnam County, Tennessee, Miscellaneous Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler &amp; Assoc., 1936. This indexed book includes diaries, letters, wills, indentures, and other misellaneous records from private collections. (FHL book 976.867 P2p.)

Taxation
The following Putnam County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1854 - 1855 - "Putnam County, Tennessee - Tax Book Index 1854-1855," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 1, No. 3 :10-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * 1854 - 1855 - W.P.A. Putnam County, Tennessee Tax List 1854-1855. 2005 reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index; purchase details.
 * 1855 - Paessler, Jane Park. "Putnam County, Tennessee 1855 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring 1995):7-12; Vol. 42, No. 2 (Summer 1995):61-63. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * 1858 - Tax List, 1858, The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Winter 1999). For access, see Periodicals.
 * 1860's - "Putnam County, Tennessee - Civil War Tax List," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 3, No. 3 :3-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * 1870 - 1872 - Civil District No. 16, 1870-72, The Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Fall 1992).
 * 1883 - Freeman, Mitzi P. "Putnam County, TN - Tax Records - 1883," (6 Districts) available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1913 - Road Taxpayers List, 1913, The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Winter 1998). For access, see Periodicals.
 * Delinquent Railroad Taxes, The Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Spring 1986). For access, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

See Tennessee Vital Records

Birth

 * 1828 - 1939 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1869 - 1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
The original Putnam County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Due to fire, the marriage records of Putnam County are lost until 1879.

State Marriage Records 


 * 1780 - 2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1780 -2002 -  at FamilySearch.org— index


 * 1790 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * 1796 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

The following Putnam County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * 1879 - 1995 - Available at the TSLA.


 * 1878 - 1952 - Available at the Family History Library. Includes index through 1985.

The following Putnam County marriage records have been indexed:


 * 1878 - 1902 - Putnam County Marriage Index 1878-1902 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free. Batches and.


 * Bartlett, Bess Beatrice. Extracts Taken from the Putnam County Herald. Manuscript. Free digital copy.


 * 1878 - 1882 - Smith, Willie D. Marriage Records of Putnam County, Tennessee, 1878-1882. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 1996.

Putnam County is not included in Sistler's Early Middle Tennessee Marriages.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Putnam County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see the following resources:


 * 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.

Death

 * 1874 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1914 - 1955 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images

For deaths of Methodists in Putnam County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:


 * 1847 - 1914 - 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.

Libraries
Putnam County Library 50 East Broad St. Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: 1-931-526-2416 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The "Tennessee Room houses many items of interest to those doing research in genealogy."

Societies
See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. P. O. Box 575 Cookeville, TN 38503-0575 Blog

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Cookeville Tennessee Family History Center

981 S Walnut Cookeville, TN Phone: 1-931-526-3116

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Putnam County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Putnam County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Putnam County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * Putnam County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)