Dickson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Dickson County

Middle Tennessee county. Established 1803.





County Courthouse
Dickson County Courthouse 4 Court Square Charlotte, Tennessee 37036 Phone: 615-789-4171

Dickson County Clerk Marriage and Probate records Birth and Death 1908-1912 and 1925-1939 P.O. Box 220 1 Court Square, Room 126 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-5093

Dickson County Register of Deeds Land records, military discharge records #4 Court Square P.O. Box 130 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-5123 Indexing older documents and internet search of records is available at www.ustitlesearch.com

Dickson County Circuit Court Clerk Court Records P.O. Box 70 Charlotte, TN 37036 Phone: 615-789-7010

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm

History
The county is named after "U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816)."

Parent County
1803--Dickson County was created 25 October 1803 from Robertson and Montgomery Counties County seat: Charlotte

From 1788 to 1796 people living in what is now part of Dickson County were in extinct Tennessee County. Their records for that period are now found in Robertson County, Tennessee.

Record Loss
1830--Tornado damaged records


 * Lost census: 1810, 1890
 * Marriages recorded between 1803 and 1816 are lost

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Neighboring Counties

 * Cheatham
 * Hickman
 * Houston
 * Humphreys
 * Montgomery
 * Williamson

Research Guides

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

African Americans

 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

Cemeteries
Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness offers to take photographs of headstones found in Dickson County cemeteries.

The following websites may contain Dickson County cemetery records:


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Dickson County linking to the information about the people buried there,


 * Dickson County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.


 * Dickson County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.


 * Dickson County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Dickson county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Dickson County cemeteries 

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Dickson 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 Dickson County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

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


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

1820 Manufactures

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

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, Middle District, Dickson County on page 155.]

1850


 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 6 includes 1850 Western Dickson County.

1860


 * Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
 * Baker, Georgia. 1860 Census for Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Richland Press, 1998.
 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 7 includes 1860 Western Dickson County.

1870


 * Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area. Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19-?. Volume 8 includes 1870 Western Dickson County.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1993.

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. 8 1891. [Dickson County is included in Vol. 8.]
 * 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.

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


 * Dickson County Heritage Book Committee and H. Alan Ragan. The Heritage of Dickson County, Tennessee, 1803-2006. Waynesville, N.C.: County Heritage, 2007. FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 H2d.

Bibliography


 * [Adams] Hampton, Estelline Adams. John Adams, Esquire (III): Ancestors and Descendants. Unknown: unknown, 1976. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 982157 Item 7; digital versions available at Ancestry ($); BYU Family History Archives; and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [West] Boyle, Blodwen West. Isaac West's Family of North Carolina, South Carolina and Dickson County, Tennessee, 1745-1850. 1974. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 1146.
 * [West] West, James Edwin. Samuel Walker West : families and genealogies Washington, Utah : J.E. West, 2007 FHL book 929.273 W52wje. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives

Land

 * Dickson County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1804 and is located at 4 Court Square, Charlotte, TN 37036; (615) 789-4171. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
 * Willis, Laura and Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Deeds. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998. 9 volumes. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 R2w FHL is missing volume 4. Digital versions of selected volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 1804-1808; v. 2 - 1808-1812; v. 4 - 1815-1818; and v. 6 - 1820-1823. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1804-1966 and trust deeds 1875-1966 with a general index; estate and guardianship settlements 1800-1898; land entries 1824-1962; platt books 1899-1962; register of probate deeds 1894-1938; and road minutes 1998-1891.

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 Tennessee State Library and Archives 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 Tennessee State Library and Archives; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Military
Revolutionary War


 * 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, Middle District, Dickson County on page 155.]

Newspapers

 * Willis, Laura and indexed by Betty Sellers. Dickson County, Tennessee Newspaper Abstracts. Melber, KY: Simmons Historical Pub., 1998, 2001, 2003. 8 volumes. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 B38w. Digital versions of select volumes available at World Vital Records ($). v. 1 - 7 Jan 1910-22 Apr 1910; v. 2 - 22 Apr 1910-15 Jul 1910; v. 3 - 15 Jul 1910-6 Jan 1911; and v. 4 - 23 Dec 1910-31 Mar 1911. Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. 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 Dickson County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Burns
 * Charlotte
 * Dickson
 * Ruskin Cave
 * White Bluff

Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Dickson 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

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Dickson 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.

Dickson County Genealogical Society Newsletter

The Dickson County Genealogical Society was organized in June of 1983 and dissolved in December of 1987. The Family History Library has Volume 1, no. 1 (Jan - Mar 1984) - Volume 4, no. 4 (December 1987). FHL US/CAN Book 976.844 D25d

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Dickson 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

The River Counties

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Dickson County, Tennessee records were published in The River Counties Quarterly, (14 vols.) edited by Jill K. Garrett. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2rc.

Prisons
Learn if your Dickson County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

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


 * 1) Will Book B: 1803-1856

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


 * [1803-1856] Strictly by Name (see above).
 * [1804-1861] 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.]
 * [1838-1847] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 1-1838-1847. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1848-1868] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 2-1848-1868. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1866-1895] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 3-1866-1895. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1895-1914] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 4-1895-1914. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * [1914-1929] Dickson County Will Books Vol. 5-1914-1929. Kentucky. Simmons Historical Publications, s.d. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.

Taxation
The following Dickson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1812] Tax Lists, 1812, Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History. Nashville TN: Spring 2003. Vol. 16 Iss. 4.
 * [1813] "Dickson County Land Sold for 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Winter 2001):57. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1814] "Some Dickson County Property Subject to Double Taxes in 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer 2002):21. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1815] Petition by Inhabitants Concerning Tax Complaint, 1815, Hickman County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin. Centerville TN: 2005. Vol. 12 Iss. 2.
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Dickson County.]
 * [1839] 1839 Tax List Dickson County, Tennessee, Ansearchin' News, Vol 27, No. 3 (Fall 1980). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

Vital Records
Marriage

The original Dickson County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages were not officially recorded in Dickson County until 1817. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


 * Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

The following Dickson County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1817-1995] Available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Marriages 1817-1899 are incomplete.
 * [1817-1966] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.
 * [1859-1950] Marriage Records 1859-1950, Court ordered Birth Records ca. 1875-1941, Death records 1930-1939. Available at the Family History Library. Listed alphabetically by groom's surname.

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


 * [1817-1879] Eddlemon, Sherida K. Dickson County, Tennessee, Marriage records, 1817-1879. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, 1989., CD no. 620.
 * [1838-1870] Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. {{FHL|976.8 V2t|book]] v. 1Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * [1838-1873] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1850-1866] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Dickson County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript. {{FHL|24640|film}} Item 3
 * [1850-1870 Sistler, Byron. Dickson County, Tennessee Marriages, 1850-70 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Black, James M. Southern states Genealogical Records: Bible records, Tombstone Inscriptions, Historical records, Southern States Mission Records. Salt Lake City, Utah: s.n., 190-? {{FHL|976 A1 no. 1|book}}
 * Garrett, Jill K. Dickson County Handbook. Easley, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, 1984. Contains marriage record information. {{FHL|976.844 A3g|book}}
 * Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. {{FHL|976.8 V2t|book.}}. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
 * RecordSearch at FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. This is a free pilot site and still under construction.  At this time, it is best to search from the home page, Discover Your Ancestors: indicate a surname, marriage "event", no date, and a county name (i.e. Dickson, Tennessee).  Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.
 * ’’’[1838-1849]’’’ Marriage Records.
 * ’’’[1817-1850]’’’ Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Divorce

Death


 * Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at Record Search Pilot at FamilySearch. Name index with extracted death certificate information. Search by surname then browse through the results. You may need to supply variant spellings of the names.

For deaths of Methodists in Dickson 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
A local volunteer, through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, offers to do genealogy lookups and make photocopies at Dickson County's public library.

Dickson County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1922 Dickson, TN 37056 For current contact information of genealogist, historian and other officers of the Society click here. Dickson County Historian is H. Alan Ragan 204 North Main Street Dickson, TN 37055 615-446-2359 Email: Alan.Ragan@Ragans.biz

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

Dickson County Public Library 206 Henslee Drive Dickson, TN 37055 Phone: 615-446-8293 Hours: Monday, Friday and Saturday 9 am - 6 pm Tuesday and Thursday 9 am - 8 pm Wednesday 8 am - 8 pm Genealogy resources: County records, newspapers, census and more.

Web Sites

 * Dickson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Dickson County, Tennessee Genealogy and History (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors with in the context of their local history.
 * Dickson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Dickson County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: DanvilleQueries-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)