Hardin County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hardin County Courthouse 601 Main Street; Savannah, TN 38372 Phone: 901.925.8166 County Clerk has marriage records from 1864, divorce, land, probate and court records.

Hardin County Clerk Marriage, probate, land and court records 500 Court Street Savannah, TN 38372 Phone: 1-731-925-3921

Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wed. and Sat. 8 a.m.-noon

History
West Tennessee county. Established 1819.

The county is named after "Joseph Hardin legislator of the Southwest Territory and State of Franklin."

Parent County
1819--Hardin County was created 13 November 1819 from Chickasaw Indian Lands. County seat: Savannah

County Pronunciation

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

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
1859, 1864, 1949 Fires damaged courthouse records.


 * Lost marriage records: 1819 to 1863
 * Lost probate records: 1819 to 1836

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Alcorn County, Mississippi
 * Chester
 * Decatur
 * Henderson
 * Lauderdale County, Alabama
 * McNairy
 * Tishomingo County, Mississippi
 * Wayne

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Hardin County biography, cemetery, and history 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: Hardin 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

Census takers found no free African Americans living in Hardin County, Tennessee in 1820.

Resources include:


 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1860 Hardin County, Tennessee Census, available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hardin 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 Hardin 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 $

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.

1833


 * Brown, Albert The 1833 census of males 21 and over, Hardin Co., Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee: History and genealogy, c1994.

1840


 * Curtis, Janet Austin 1840 U.S. census, Hardin County, Tennessee Fort Worth, Texas : American Reference Publishing Company, 1972

1840 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, Western District, Hardin County on page 159.

1860


 * Brown, Albert The 1860 census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, c1998

1870


 * Brown, Albert The 1870 census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, c1994

1880


 * Sistler, Barbara 1880 census Hardin County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler and Associates, 2001
 * Brown, Albert The 1880 Census of Hardin County, Tennessee Bethel Springs, Tennessee : A. Brown, c1994

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Burress, Reita Jones. "1890 Civil War Veterans Census of Hardin County, Tennessee," available online.

1891 Male Voters 


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

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


 * Doss - Descendant of Reuben Jackson Doss (1820-1910), resident of Shelby, Colbert, and Marion counties, Alabama and Hardin County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 76381). Genetic signature available online (labeled Wi-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

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

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Hardin, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 45,000 entries.


 * Hitt, Andrew P. Hardin Co., Tennessee Biographical Sketches. MSS., microfilmed by TSLA in 1970s..

Bibliography


 * Bratton - Jones, Louise Brint Family History of our Brattons, Masseys and Martins Salt Lake City, Utah? : L.B. Jones, 1985. Available at the Family History Library with a digital version at.
 * Brooks - Brooks, Moses Edward. Descendants of James Brooks. Unknown: unknown, 1974. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Cook - See Grimes
 * Grimes - Grimes, Jay Cook. Grimes, Cook and Related Families of Wayne County, Tennessee: A Genealogy. Related Families, Johnson, Morris, Montague, 1800-1960. Auburn, Alabama: J.C. Grimes, 1960. Available at and ; digital versions available at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Johnson - See Grimes
 * Martin - See Bratton
 * Massey - See Bratton
 * McDougal - The McDougal Family in Hardin County, Tennessee. MSS., Paducah, Ky. Microfilmed in 1963..
 * Montague - See Grimes
 * Morris - See Grimes
 * Rose - Rose, Christine. Ancestors and Descendants of Frederick Rose : of Sussex County, Virginia, Orange County, North Carolina, and Wayne and Hardin Counties, Tennessee. San Jose, Calif.: C.C. Rose, 1980..

Land

 * Hardin County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the Courthouse, 601 Main St., Savannah, TN 38372-2061; Telephone: (731) 925-3921.Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of deeds 1835-1892 with indexes1835-1903; land entries 1820-1820-1853, tax sales to the state 1896-1913; and survey books1824-1934.

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

 * Brazelton, B.G. A History of Hardin County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. ; digital version at Google Books.

Maps

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Hardin County on page 159.
 * 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. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Hardin County pensioners (p. 66)

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 Hardin 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 Hardin County:

Confederate Soldiers


 * 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Field's) - CSA - Company G.
 * 1st/27th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
 * 21st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wilson's) - CSA - Companies A, B, and F.
 * 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Company B.
 * 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company B.

Union Soldiers


 * 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies C and D.
 * 6th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies G and H.
 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company E.
 * 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company E

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hardin County:


 * Quintard, Charles Todd. Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Sewanee, Tennessee: The University Press, 1905. Free digital copy. Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment.
 * Hardin County, Tennessee 1890 Civil War VeteransCensus. All spelling is taken like it was written. Contributed by: Reita Jones Burress, 2004.
 * TNGenWeb, Hardin County Tennessee History &amp; Genealogy, Military. Civil War Rosters and Pensions.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Hardin County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Corinth. Located in Hardin County and McNairy County, Tennessee; Alcorn County and Tishomingo County, Mississippi. Shiloh, located in Hardin County.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hardin 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. Hardin County, page 343-344.

The Civil War Battle of Shiloh took place in Hardin County, a few miles southwest of Savannah,on the Tennessee River near an area called Pittsburg Landing. Shiloh Military Park occupies this site today.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War Battles were fought in Hardin County:


 * April 6 - 7, 1862 = Shiloh
 * April 29 - June 10, 1862 = Corinth See [http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/MSmap.htm Map showing battle taking place in Mississippi.


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee.

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 Hardin County click on the following city:


 * Savannah

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Hardin County.

Periodicals

 * Family Findings
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Hardin County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly.
 * Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:
 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)
 * Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search.
 * Hardin County Historical Quarterly
 * Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)
 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers
 * Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 16 and 30 . The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers are indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

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

Online Records


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


 * Wills, 1838-1921 (2 vols.)
 * Settlements, Wills, 1842-1848 ("Vol. D")
 * Inventories, Wills, 1836-1842 ("Vol. B")
 * Administrator records, 1873-1878
 * Bonds, 1895-1927
 * Bonds, Letters, 1874-1915 (3 vols.)
 * Insolvent estate records, 1873-1896
 * Inventories, 1865-1916 (3 vols.)
 * Settlements, 1836-1916 (4 vols.)

The following Hardin County probate records have been indexed:


 * 1779 - 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.
 * 1866 - 1902 Brown, Albert. Index to Guardians Settlement Records, Jul 1866 - Jul 1902. Bethel Springs, Tennessee: A. Brown, 1994. (FHL 976.829 P28b.)
 * USGenWeb's Hardin County page has links to some wills and estate records.

Taxation
The original Hardin County Record of Tax Sales to the State records 1896-1913 were microfilmed by the TSLA. FHL copy:.

The original Hardin County State Tax on Mortgage records 1917-1928 were microfilmed by TSLA. FHL copy:.

The following Hardin County tax records have been abstracted:


 * 1821 - 1823 "Hardin County Sheriff Seeks to Collect Three Years of Unpaid Taxes," (1821-1823) Ansearchin' News, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring 2000):17-18. For access, see Periodicals.
 * 1833 "1833 Enumeration, Hardin County, Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Winter 1983):159-163. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 29-30 (1982-1983); free digital version at society's website. For further access, see Periodicals.
 * 1836 - 1837 "Hardin County, Tennessee 1836 Civil District Map" and "Hardin County, Tennessee 1836 and 1837 Tax Lists," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Spring 1990):20-26; Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer 1990):81-87. For access, see Periodicals.
 * 1836 - 1837 Brown, Albert. 1836 &amp; 1837 Tax List Hardin Co., Tennessee. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: History &amp; Genealogy, 1994..
 * 1862 - 1866 Direct Tax Assessment List, 1862-66, Hardin County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jul. 1982); Vol. 1, No. 2 (Oct. 1982); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr. 1983); Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan. 1984); Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1984); Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct. 1984); Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr. 1985); Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul. 1985); Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1985); Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul. 1986); Vol. 4, No. 4 (Oct. 1986).

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

Birth

 * 1908 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in Hardin County during the first few years of its existence. In 1838, a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1794 - 1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..


 * 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 Hardin County Courthouse marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * 1859 - 1881 - Brewington, Tonney R. Marriage records of Hardin County, Tennessee, 1859-1881: a listing of marriage data taken directly from the marriage registers found in the Hardin County courthouse Enville, Tennessee: Brewington Genealogical Services, c1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.831 V2b


 * 1859 - 1887 - Brown, Albert Hardin County, Tennessee, marriages index, 1859-1887 Bethel Springs, Tennessee: A. Brown, c1994. FHL US/CAN Book 976.831 V28b


 * 1860 - 1899 - Hardin County Marriage Index 1860-1899 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1863 - 1958 - Hardin County (Tennessee) County Court Clerk Marriage records (Hardin County, Tennessee), 1863-1958 Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives, (197-?-1988). FHL US/CAN Film 981000, 879045-48, 1928699-701


 * 1865 - 1868 - Historical Records Survey (Tennessee) Marriage records, 1865-1868, Hardin County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24684 item 3

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


 * 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 - 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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


 * 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 1830s, 1840s, 1910s and 1920s.

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

Websites

 * (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
 * Hardin County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Hardin County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Hardin County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW-TN-L (Southwest Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TNHARDIN-L (Hardin County, Tennessee List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: WESTTN-L (West Tennessee List)