Benton County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

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

Benton County Tennessee Courthouse
Benton County Courthouse 1 E Court Square Camden, TN 38320 Phone: 901-584-6053

County Clerk has marriage records from 1836 and probate records from 1840. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Hours:

Mon.-Thurs. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Benton County Tennessee History
The county is named after "Creek War veteran David Benton (1779–1860), an early settler in the county."

Parent County
1835--Benton County was created 19 December 1835 from Henry and Humphreys Counties. County seat: Camden

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
Cities and Towns:

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Benton County biography, cemetery, land, marriage, and probate 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

 * "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Benton County at TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * Welcome to Benton County Tennessee, web page has a history of the are and many links to cities and interests, such as biographies, births, census, military, newspaper articles, etc.

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.

Census
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Benton 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 Benton County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 - Ancestry($)

1810 - 1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

1840


 * Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson, An Abtract of the 1840 United States census for Benton County, Tennessee (S.I.: s.n.), 1977 (Memphis: R.H. Harris) 

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Benton County on page 158.

1880


 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara 1880 census Benton County, Tennessee (Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1990)

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. . Benton County is included in Vol. 2.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978.

1891


 * Benton County 1891 Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of 21 years of Age and Up. Henry County Tennessee Archives. Free lookups available!


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

1900


 * Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1900 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?)

1910


 * Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1910 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?)

1920


 * Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1920 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?)

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.


 * Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.


 * - FamilySearch Catalog -


 * If the records you need are not available through the Family History Library, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived. Two sites that give information about churches in Benton County are:
 * - List of Benton County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)
 * - List of Benton County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

The churches with the largest membership in Benton County are the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. For more information about religions in the county, see the charts showing membership by faith created by the Association of Religion Data Archives.


 * In 1936, a helpful guide to early Benton 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 the county are listed.

Court
County Court


 * Minutes of the County Court of Benton County, Book No. 2, 1842-1854, Part 1 and 2, available online through Danville Crossing Archives.
 * Benton County, TN. Records 1836-1855: Includes administrations, guardians, clerk, trustees, probate of deeds, record of wills and the scholastic population WPA Free lookups available!

Genealogy
More than 65 genealogies have been published about Benton County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Benton County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.

Land
The Benton County Register of Deeds is located at the Courthouse, E. Court Square, Rm. 101, Camden, TN 38320-0008; Telephone: (901) 584-6053. It has has land records beginning with the county's organization in 1836. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Other records available include:


 * Benton County Deed Books Vol. 2-May 1843-Jan 1849 ([Mayfield, KY?]:Simmons Historical Publications,s.d.). Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
 * Benton County Deed Books Vol. 3-Feb 1849-Nov 1852, ([Mayfield, KY?]:Simmons Historical Publications,s.d.). Digital version available at World Vital Records ($).
 * The Family History Library has microfiled records from the Register of Deeds Office of Deed Books 1836-1885 and Trust Books 1874-1882. It also has some published land records.
 * Wills, Laura Benton County, Tennessee, Deeds Volume 1 (June 1830 - April 1843) Free lookups available!

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

 * Perry, Larry T. A Pictorial History of the Old 23rd District. L.T. Perry, 198? Free lookups available!
 * Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson Historic Benton : a people's history of Benton County, Tenn. Memphis, Tennessee:Richard H. Harris, 1976 . Free lookups available!

Maps


*Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Benton County on page 158.

War of 1812

 * Armstrong, Zella Twenty-four hundred Tennessee pensioners:revolution - War of 1812 Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987. . Free lookups available!

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
 * Civl War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Benton 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 Benton County:

Confederate Soldiers
 * 5th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies E and M.
 * 27th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
 * 49th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I.
 * 55th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Brown's) - CSA - Companies A and B.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Benton County:
 * Tennesseans in the Civil War (Parts One and Two) Civil War Centennial Commission, Nashville, TN 1964. . Free lookups available!
 * Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant (Volumes 1 and 11) Charles L. Webster and Company, New York, 1886 printed by J.J. Little and Co., NY. : Volume 1: FHL US/CAN film 962513 item 1. Volume 2: FHL US/CAN film 1697318 item 2 and FHL US/CAN book 921.73 G767gu. Free lookups available!
 * 49th Tennessee Infantry History. Brief history, roster of Company I.
 * TNGenWeb, Benton County in the Civil War. Includes links to units, soldiers, etc., both Union and Confederate.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Benton 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.Benton County, page 317.
 * CWSAC Battle Summaries, Johnsonville. Location: Benton County.
 * Ezell, Norman L., Tragedy at Duck Hill Station, Collision of the James Brown &amp; The A. M. West. This page gives a brief description of the battle, a roster of those killed and an incomplete list of those soldiers wounded.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Benton County:


 * November 4-5, 1864 = Johnsonville [8]


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee

Spanish American War

 * Hale, Will T.The First Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. Nashville, 1899. Free digital copy.

World War I and II

 * Service Record - World War I and II Camden and Community. American Legion circa 1947 Free lookups available!

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 Benton County click on the following city:


 * Camden

This newspaper has been partially abstracted:


 * Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson. Selective Gleanings from Camden, Tennessee Newspapers, 1882-1932. Memphis, Tenn.: J.K.T. Smith, 1977. . Free lookups available!

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. . Includes Benton County.

Periodicals

 * Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly
 * Family History Library has volume 3, no. 1 (Jan - Mar 1991) - 21, no. 4 (Dec 2009) with some issues missing. . Free lookups available for 1989 - 1997 Quarterly.
 * BYU Family History Archives has BCGS quarterly volume 17 and volume 19
 * Family Findings
 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of Benton 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 through 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.
 * 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 Clerk has responsibility for the probate records of Benton County. Some probate records are kept at the Benton County Archives.

Online Records


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


 * Settlements, Wills, 1855-1968
 * Accounts, Settlements, 1860-1928
 * Bonds, Letters, 1874-1968
 * Claims against estates, 1867-1943
 * Index to Administrations and Guardianships, 1858-1868
 * Insolvent estate records, 1852-1916
 * Settlements, 1860-1930

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


 * 1836 - 1910 - Benton County Genealogical Society. Wills of Benton County 1836-1910. Camden, Tennessee: The Benton County Genealogical Society, 2009.
 * 1837 - 1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler Associates, Inc., 1990. . Includes an index to this county's probate records.

Taxation
The original Benton County Tax Books 1836-1909 were microfilmed by TSLA in 1968. FHL copies:.

The following Benton County tax lists have been abstracted:


 * 1836 - "1836 Land and Poll Tax List," Transcript, Benton County Public Library, Camden, Tenn. Digital version, by Brian Nichols, available online at TNGenWeb.
 * 1836 - "1835 Map of Civil Districts, Benton County, Tennessee" and "Benton County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Summer 1994):56-61. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * 1836 - Tax List, 1836, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Camden TN: Jul 1997. Vol. 9 Iss. 3.
 * 1836 - Poll Tax Payers, 1836, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly
 * 1837 - Cleveland, Harry Milton. "Benton County, Tennessee 1837 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Fall 1994):107-110. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * 1844 - Land Tax List, 1844, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Camden TN: Dec 2005. Vol. 17 Iss. 4.
 * 1865 - 1866- Smith, Jonathan K.T. United States Direct Tax Commission, District of Tennessee, Benton County, 1865-1866. Jackson, Tenn.: n.p., 1992..

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
 * 1925 - 1939 - Benton County Birth Index 1925-1939. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage
Marriages were not officially recorded in Benton 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..

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


 * 1780 - 2002 - 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.
 * 1790 - 1950 - - index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796 - 1950 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1832 - 1869 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1989. ff. Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.
 * 1838 - 1968 - Benton County (Tennessee) County Clerk Marriage records, 1838-1968 Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1968.
 * 1838 - 1888 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1832 - 1957 - Hillis, Florence Elliott of the Lydia Russell Bean Chapter DAR (compiled and edited) Benton County, Tennessee Marriages 1832 - 1957
 * 1838 - 1937 - Benton County Marriage Index 1838-1937 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1846 - 1850 - Historical Records Project Marriage records, 1846-1850, Benton County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1939.
 * 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

The following books are available through the Family History Library and also have free lookups:


 * 1837 - 1900 - Brewer, William Hulon Benton County, Tennessee marriage records, 1837-1900 Camden, Tennessee : Glover's Trace Chapter, Daughter of the American Revolution, 1985.  The publisher feels that this book contains the most complete information on marriages in Benton County in existance (sic) as of this date."--Pref.
 * 1846 - 1850 - Douthat, James L. Benton County, Tennessee marriage book #1 : 1846-1850 Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1981.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Benton 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.

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
 * 1925 - 1939 - Benton County Death Index 1925-1939. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

For deaths of Methodists in Benton 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. 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.

Benton County Tennessee Family History Center

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Paris Tennessee Family History Center 

1921 Lone Oak Rd Paris, TN Phone: 1-731-642-2285 Hours: Wed. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m.; Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; All other times by appt. Online catalog

These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Benton County Tennessee Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Benton County Tennessee Genealogy Websites

 * Benton County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Benton County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Benton County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb) - county site, transcriptions and other resources helpful on the county level.
 * (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: TNBENTON-L (Benton County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: DanvilleCrossing-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List)
 * Mailing List: DanvilleQueries-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List) (RootsWeb)