Tennessee, Birth Records, Enumerator Record Series - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Tennessee

What Is in the Collection?
This collection consists of birth records from the "Enumerator Record Series" in the Tennessee Division of Vital Records from 1908-1912. These births were reported yearly by the Board of School Directors in each county; the enumeration was not taken in 1913. The documents are housed at the Tennessee Division of Vital Records in Nashville, which acquired them from the Tennessee State Library and Archives in 1980. Not all records reached the state. If the person you are searching for cannot be found in this collection, try searching county records.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of person reporting birth
 * School District
 * City Ward
 * Name of child
 * Birth date
 * Sex
 * color
 * Birth place
 * Name of father
 * Father's birthplace
 * Father's occupation
 * Name of mother
 * Mother's birthplace
 * Name of physician
 * Name of midwife
 * Date recorded
 * Name of county court clerk

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of birth.
 * The place where your ancestor was born.
 * The names of the child's parents.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Birth Index" ⇒Select the "Number and Name Range" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the location and parents' names to find family in census and church records.
 * Use the county and the certificate number to obtain a copy of the original birth certificate from the county.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify siblings and other relatives who may have been born in the same area.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

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