Johnson County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
Johnson County was named for Thomas Johnson, an early settler. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Johnson County Courthouse 222 Main St. Mountain City, TN 37683 Johnson County Courthouse Phone 423-727-7853 County Clerk Phone: 423-727-9633 Register of Deeds Phone: 423-727-7841 Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 423-727-9012 Clerk & Master Phone: 423-727-7853

County Clerk has marriage, land, court and probate records from 1836 Clerk Chancery Court has divorce and court records Register of Deeds has land records.

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:

History Timeline

 * 1784-1788 - Part of the pioneer Watauga Settlements.
 * 1786- The land on which Johnson County was located was part of older Washington County, North Carolina, and Wayne (old) County in the State of Franklin in March 1786. . The Franklin statehood effort collapsed by 1789. This county existed only briefly, its legality is questionable, and little trace remains. The records of Wayne (old) County are now found at Family Search and Tennessee County Facts
 * 1796 - The first county created by the new State of Tennessee was the reconstituted Wayne (old) County, only under the name of Carter County.
 * 1836 - The northeast part of Carter County was divided off as Johnson County. The land on which the lost county of Wayne (old) was located is now part of Johnson and Carter counties in Tennessee.

Additional Information

The county is named after "Thomas Johnson an early settler of Carter County along the Doe River."

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Johnson County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
 * Upon a Lonely Hill. The Cemeteries of Johnson County, Tennessee. By Jeffrey L. Carrier. Elizabethton TN: PDQ Printers, 1985. Many Johnson County cemeteries; indexed. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Census Records
1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Johnson 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 Johnson 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 ($)

1840


 * Wilson, Walter W. Johnson County, Tennessee, Census Records 1840-1850. Santa Fe, N.M.: Sleeping Fox Enterprises, 1974..

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 Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Tennessee, Eastern District, Johnson County on page 153.

1850


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Wilson, Walter W. Johnson County, Tennessee, Census Records 1840-1850. Santa Fe, N.M.: Sleeping Fox Enterprises, 1974..

1860


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives

1870


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Gentry, Thomas W. Johnson County, Tennessee: 1870 Census. Mountain City, Tenn.: Thomas W. Gentry, 1982..

1880


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Gentry, Thomas W. and Bettye G. Morley. Johnson County, Tennessee: 1880 Census. Mountain City, Tenn.: T.W. Gentry, 1982..
 * Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Johnson County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1994..

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. . Johnson County is included in Vol. 7.
 * 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 ($)

1900


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Gentry, Thomas W. Johnson County, Tennessee 1900 Census. Johnson City, Tenn.: Overmountain Press, 1984, 1995..

1910


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Gentry, Thomas W. Johnson County, Tennessee 1910 Census. Johnson City, Tenn.: Overmountain Press, 1986, 1995..

1920


 * Scanned census images. USGenWeb Archives
 * Gentry, Thomas W. Johnson County, Tennessee 1920 Census. n.p.: n.p., 200-?..

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
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. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Genealogies

 * Barry - Neal, Carl B. The Donnelly - Barry - Butler Families and Their Kinfolks of Johnson County, Tennessee. Olympia, Wash.: Neal, 1958..
 * Burkett - Treadway, William Eugene. Treadway and Burket Families: A Merger of the Genealogical Histories of the Treadway and Burket Families in America, through the Documented Ancestry of Jonas Robert Treadway. Topeka, KS: Unknown, 1951. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Butler - Neal, Carl B. The Donnelly - Barry - Butler Families and Their Kinfolks of Johnson County, Tennessee. Olympia, Wash.: Neal, 1958..
 * Carter - Henry, John J. and Audrey Duffield Henry. A History of the Carter and Duffield Family of Carter Co. and Johnson Co. in East Tennessee: With Reference to the Virginia Carter Family and the East Tennessee Families of Taylor, Lowe and Stout. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: J.J. Henry, 2000..
 * Cole - Cole, Redmond Selecman and Mary Cross Cole. The Coles of Johnson County, State of Tennessee: Being a Genealogical Sketch of the Family of Captain Jesse Cole of Shady, Tennessee, with Supplemental Data (in Part ll) Dealing with Kindred Families. Tulsa, Oklahoma: R. S. Cole, 1962..
 * Donnelly - Neal, Carl B. The Donnelly - Barry - Butler Families and Their Kinfolks of Johnson County, Tennessee. Olympia, Wash.: Neal, 1958..
 * Duffield - Henry, John J. and Audrey Duffield Henry. A History of the Carter and Duffield Family of Carter Co. and Johnson Co. in East Tennessee: With Reference to the Virginia Carter Family and the East Tennessee Families of Taylor, Lowe and Stout. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: J.J. Henry, 2000..
 * Dugger - Rowan, Frances Dugger. The Dugger Family: Johnson County, Tennessee. Johnson City, Tenn.: F.D. Rowan, 1995..
 * McQueen - Neal, Carl B. The McQueen Family of Johnson Co., Tenn. Olympia, Wash.: C.B. Neal, 1958?..
 * Rosenbaum, Rosenbalm - Canfield, Clifford R. The Rosenbaum, Rosenbalm Family of Southwest Virginia. Frankfurt, Germany: C.R. Canfield?, 1963. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * Shoun - Neal, Carl B. Leonard Shoun and His Wife, Barbara Slemp Shoun, of Johnson County, Tennessee, and Their Descendants. Olympia, Wash.: Mrs. D. L. Shultz, 1957..
 * Shoun - Neal, Carl B. Leonard Shoun and His Wife Barbara Slemp of Johnson County, Tennessee, and Their Descendants. Johnson City, Tenn.: The Overmountain Press, 1985. 1985 reprint includes index.
 * Stephens - Stephens, Dan V. Peter Stephens and Some of his Descendants, 1690-1935. Fremont, Neb,: Hammond &amp; Stephens Co., 1936. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Treadway - Treadway, William Eugene. Treadway and Burket Families: A Merger of the Genealogical Histories of the Treadway and Burket Families in America, through the Documented Ancestry of Jonas Robert Treadway. Topeka, KS: Unknown, 1951. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Wagner - Foy, Helen Marie Crane and Joe Wagner. David Wagner (1759-1845) of Johnson Co[unty], Tennessee. Typescript..
 * Wagner - Foy, Helen Marie Crane and Joe Wagner. Mathias Wagner (1765-1835) of Johnson Co[unty], Tennessee. Typescript..
 * Wills - Neal, Carl B. The Wills Family of Johnson County, Tennessee. Olympia, Wash.: [J. Kvatum?], 1960. FS Library.

Land and Property Records
TSLA microfilmed original Johnson County Deed Books 1 to 14, and 19 (1836-1891, 1897-1900) and Index to Deeds (1836-1910). FS Library copies:.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * Hougland, Margaret W. Hougland's Index to Johnson County, Tennessee Deeds, 1836-1865. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2005. . [Indexes Deed Books 1 to 4.]

Local Histories

 * Calhoun, Russ Sr. Lost Heritage. The People of Old Butler, Tennessee and the Watauga Valley. Johnson City TN: Overmountain Press, 1998. A documentation of the community, institutions and families displaced or otherwise affected by the Tennessee Valley Authority Watauga Reservoir.
 * Johnson County Historical Society. History of Johnson County, 1986. Mountain City TN: Johnson County Historical Society, 1985.
 * Johnson County Historical Society. History of Johnson County, 2000, Vol II. Mountain City TN: Johnson County Historical Society, 2000.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Johnson County for European settlers included:


 * Great Indian Warpath pre-historic
 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Great Valley Road about 1744 (overlapped the Great Indian Warpath)

Military Records
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. . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Tennessee, Eastern District, Johnson County on page 153.
 * Revolutionary and Military Pensioners, 1840, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer 1986); digital version at journal website.

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1960):90-93. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Johnson County pensioners (p. 91).

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Union Soldiers


 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies E, I, L, and M.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Johnson County:


 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Johnson 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. Johnson County, page 351-353.
 * History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U.S.A. By Samuel W. Scott. Philadelphia: P.W. Ziegler, 1903. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes biographical sketches of some men from Johnson County.
 * Jeffrey C. Weaver's Civil War Pages, Johnson County in the Civil War.

Newspapers
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 Johnson County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Mountain City
 * Taylorsville


 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..
 * 1847-1851 - 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. (Largely Methodist?)

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * East Tennessee Roots: Published by East Tennessee Roots The table of contents for some issues are available on their website;.
 * Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin: Published by Watauga Association of Genealogists. The table of contents for some issues are found on their website; ; Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002).

Probate Records
The original Johnson County probate records are kept at the County Courthouse. They have been microfilmed twice:


 * In 1973, TSLA microfilmed a variety of probate records covering the year range 1839 to 1937. FS Library copies:.
 * In 2000, GSU microfilmed a variety of probate records purportedly covering the year range 1800 to 1915, along with an index:.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * Images of Wills, 1838-1900; Estate Bonds, Letters, Administrations 1839-1856; 1856-1899; Claims and Estates 1872-1932; Settlements 1837-1862; Settlements and Administrations 1848-1874. Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1827-1937 Johnson County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1827-1867 - Historical Records Project. Will Books, 1827-1867, Johnson County, Tennessee. Typescript, Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilmed in 1940. . Includes administrations.
 * 1827-1860 - Douthat, James L. Johnson County, Tennessee Will Book #1, 1827-1860. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: James L. Douthat, 1982..
 * 1836-1872 - Garland, E.E. Will Book No. One, 1836 to 1872, Johnson County, State of Tennessee. Typescript, 1929..
 * 1836-1861 - 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. Free Lookups Available!

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
The TSLA microfilmed the original Johnson County Tax Books 1836-1889. FS Library copies:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1798-1798 Tax List, Carter County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 9, No. 4. For possible FS Library and online access, as well as indexes, see Carter. Includes digital images of the original source; includes taxpayers in what later became Johnson County.
 * 1836 Douthat, James L. Johnson County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee Civil District and Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. ; online: surname index and purchase details.
 * 1836 - West, Betsy F. "Johnson County, Tennessee Tax List-1836," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Winter 1978):184-189. For FS Library and online access, as well as indexes, see Johnson.
 * 1836-1839 - Historical Records Project. Tax List, 1836-1839, Johnson County, Tennessee. Typescript, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tenn..
 * 1836-1839 - Douthat, James L. Johnson County, Tennessee Tax List 1836-1839. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index; purchase details.
 * 1840 See 1888.
 * 1843 "Johnson County Land To Be Sold for Unpaid 1843 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Winter 2002):15. For possible FS Library and online access, as well as indexes, see Johnson.
 * 1861 - "Jefferson County, TN Voters List-1861," available online, courtesy: The Original Johnson County Tennessee Genealogy Page.
 * 1888 "Johnson Co. 1888 Voters Who Voted in 1840," available online, courtesy: The Original Johnson County Tennessee Genealogy Page.
 * 1891 "Johnson Co., TN List of Voters in 1891," available online, courtesy: The Original Johnson County Tennessee Genealogy Page.
 * 1922 "1922 Voters of Shouns, Tennessee, Johnson County," available online, courtesy: The Original Johnson County Tennessee Genealogy Page.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1912 - Births and Deaths Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1902 - Johnson County Marriage Index 1838-1902 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1838-1880 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. . Indexes names of brides, grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for specified years. Free Lookups Available!

Death

 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1941 - Nikazy, Eddie M. Abstracts of Death Records for Johnson County, Tennessee, 1908 to 1941. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1992..
 * 1908-1943 - Nikazy, Eddie M. Johnson County, Tennessee, Death Record Abstracts, 1908-1943. Hendersonville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Books, 1998..
 * 1908-1912 - Births and Deaths 1908-1912. Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1908-1912 Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1933 Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce

 * 1796 - 1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Sherrod Library, 4th floor P.O. Box 70295 Johnson City, TN 37614 Phone: 423-439-4338 Website Houses nearly 18 million manuscripts, 56,000 sound recordings, and 250,000 still and moving images.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Boone North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Johnson City/Watauga/Gray Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Kingsport Tennessee FamilySearch Center
 * Ashe County Public Library - North Carolina - an affiliate library.
 * Johnson City Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Watauga County Library - North Carolina - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Johnson County Public Library 219 North Church St. P.O. Box 107 Mountain City, TN 37683 Phone: 423-727-6544 Contact form Website

Societies
Johnson County Historical Society P.O. Box 1 Mountain City, TN 37683 Phone: 423-727-5800 Email: [mailto:klct50@yahoo.com klct50@yahoo.com] Facebook Johnson County History and Genealogy Website Facebook

Websites

 * Johnson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Johnson County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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