History and Genealogy

County Records > Genealogical Fact Sheets About Tennessee Counties

Jefferson County


Updated:  October 26, 2006

Jefferson County was formed in 1792 from
Greene and Hawkins counties.

The county seat is Dandridge.

 

CENSUS RECORDS 

  • Census on microfilm for Jefferson County:  1830-1880, 1900-1930
  • State-wide census index:  1830-1880
  • State-wide census index on microfilm  (Soundex):  1880,  1900-1930
  • Jefferson County census records in book form:  1840, 1850, *1880

 

SELECTED COUNTY HISTORIES

  • *Bent Twigs in Jefferson County (Bible, 1991)
  • Crossing : A History of White Pine, Tennessee (White Pine Historical Committee, 1986)
  • Heritage Jefferson County (Bicentennial Committee of Jefferson County, Tennessee, 1976)
  • Hitch Hiking Along the Holston River from 1792-1962 : A Peep at East Tennessee from King's Meadows (Bristol) to White's Fort (Knoxville) via McBee's Ferry (Wood, 1964)
  • People and Places of Jefferson County (Muncy, 1994)

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources:  Jefferson County.  The items in the bibliography may not all be available at TSLA.

 

PUBLISHED LOCAL RECORDS

  • 1840 Population Schedule of the United States Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee (Templin, 1981)
  • *1880 Census Jefferson County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1994)
  • Antioch Baptist Church Minutes 1839-1870 (WPA, 1938)
  • Bent Twigs in Jefferson County (Bible, 1991)
  • Bible & Tombstone (WPA, 1936)
  • Cherokee Reservoir Grave Removals by T.V.A. (Douthat, 2003)
  • Civil War Claims, 1868, Jefferson County, Tennessee (Moore, 1998)
  • Dumplin Baptist Church Minutes, 1797-1860 (WPA, 1939)
  • *Families of Jefferson County, Tennessee : 200 Years (Genealogical Society of Jefferson County, 1992)
  • French Broad River Baptist Church Minutes, 1786-1842 (WPA, 1936)
  • *Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Jefferson County, Tennessee (McNamara, 1996)
  • Historical Records of East Tennessee [Jefferson County] (McGhee, 1954)
  • Hopewell Presbyterian Church Minutes, 1788-1842 (WPA, 1936)
  • *Jefferson County, Tennessee 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists (Douthat, 1993)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Boundary of School District, 1840 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jefferson County Tennessee Chancery Court Minutes Volume I, 1836-46 (WPA, 1939)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Church and Family records [includes Minutes of the French Broad Baptist Oak Grove Church, 1887-1932; History of the White Pine Presbyterian Church, 1873-1880; Minutes of Primitive Baptist Church, 1829-1881; Cline Family Record; Hynds Family History, 1819-1916; and Swann Family Record] (WPA, 1939)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Circuit Court Minutes, 1810-16 (WPA, 1938)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, City Directory (1991)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, County Boundary and Civil Districts, 1792-1998 (Moore, 1998)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court Minute Book no.5, 1810-1811 (WPA, 1938)
  • *Jefferson County, Tennessee Court Minutes [vol. 1 1792-1795] (Douthat & Hatcher, 1985)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1792-98 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jefferson County Tennessee Court Minutes, 1807-1810 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1817-1831 (WPA, 1937)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, vol. 6, 1812-1818 (WPA, 1937)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Families and History, 1792-1996 (Jefferson County Genealogical Society, 1996)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, General Index to Deeds, Grantor Grantee, 1792-1846 (WPA, 1940)
  • Jefferson County Tennessee Grant Book no.1, 1792-94 (WPA, 1938)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Grant Book no. 1, 1792-1794 (Douthat, 1981)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Guardian's Reports Book no. 1, 1805-32 (WPA, 1938)
  • *Jefferson County, Tennessee, List of Free White Males, January 1, 1861 (McNamara, 1995)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Marriage License and Bond Book, 1792-1840 (WPA, 1938)
  • *Jefferson County, Tennessee, Marriage Records : Index of Marriage Bonds and Licenses [vol. 1 1792-1829] (Jefferson County Genealogical Society, 1996)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1792-1870 (D'Armand, 1983)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Marriage Records Vol.2, 1840-1870 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jeferson County, Tennessee, Minutes of Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Book no.7, 1818-24 (WPA, 1940)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Minutes Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Book no. 8, 1821-31 [2 pts.] (WPA, 1940)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Order Book, 1801-07 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Quorum Minutes vol.1 Suit Book, 1792-1802 (WPA, 1936)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Record of Monies Received by County Court Clerk, 1827-1860 (WPA, 1937)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Scholastic Population, 1841-61 (WPA, 1938)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Tax Lists, 1822-30 (WPA, 1938)
  • Jefferson County Tennessee Tombstone Records (WPA, 1938)
  • *Jefferson County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1914 Through 1925 (Wiefering, 1993)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee, Will Book #1, 1792-1810 (Douthat, 198?)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee Will Book 3 & Sale Book 1826-1833 (Prevost, 1989)
  • Jefferson County, Tennessee Will Book 4 & Sale Book 1833-1840 (Prevost, 1990)
  • Jefferson Co., TN., Will Book 2, 1811-1826 (Douthat, 1985)
  • *Land Deeds of Jefferson County, Tennessee, 1792-1814 (Holdaway, 1991)
  • Laws of Tennessee : Napoleon B. Bradford, Circuit Court Clerk, 1825-1833, Jefferson County, Tennessee (Bradford & Moore, 1998)
  • *Marriages of Jefferson County, Tennessee, 1792-1836 (Whitley, 1982)
  • Milestone Sixty : History of the Jefferson County Baptist Association, 1919-1978, Jefferson City, Tennessee (Toomey, 1978)
  • Minutes / Lost Creek Quarterly Meeting of Friends (West & Picciano, 1988)
  • Minutes of Maury Academy, 1818-1860 (WPA, 1936)
  • *Miscellaneous Bonds : Administration, 1806-1814, Constables, 1806-1815, Maintenance (Bastardy), 1807-1857, Indentures, 1807-1828, Jefferson County, Tennessee (McNamara, 1995)
  • Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 for Jefferson County, Tennessee (Underwood, 1977)
  • Ration Book Three, 1943 : World War II Index to Registrants, Jefferson County, Tennessee (Jefferson County Genealogical Society, 1996)
  • Sales & Will Book vol. 3, 1826-1840 (WPA, 1938)
  • Shunem Church and Cemetery Speak; A Living Memorial to Those who Sleep Here, 1824-1965 (Wood, 1965)
  • *Stories in Stone : Jefferson County Cemeteries [vol. 1. South of the French Broad River and Dumplin Valley sections; vol. 2 Dandridge and White Pines; vol. 3 Jefferson City, New Market, Strawberry Plains and Talbot.] (Templin & Henderson)
  • Will Book 4-10 inclusive, 1841-1844 (WPA, 1938)
  • Will Book no. 1, 1792-1810 (WPA, 1937)
  • Will Book vol. 2, 1811-1826 (WPA, 1936)

 

LOCAL RECORDS ON MICROFILM 

An inventory of microfilmed Jefferson County records is available on our web site.  Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased. 

Earliest records include:

  • marriages from 1792
  • wills from 1792
  • deed index from 1792
  • chancery court minutes from 1856
  • county court minutes from 1836
  • circuit court minutes from 1836
  • tax books from 1822

 

The following reels are available on interlibrary loan:

  • *Deed Index -- 1792-1829 [Direct] (#40, 1 reel)
  • *Deed Index -- 1792-1829 [Reverse] (#41, 1 reel)
  • *Marriages -- 1792-1881 (#23, 1 reel)
  • *Wills -- 1792-1826 (#35, 1 reel)
  • *Wills -- 1826-1845; 1891-1921 (#36, 1 reel)
  • *Wills -- 1851-1876 (#37, 1 reel)
  • *WPA Records, Jefferson County (Record Group #107, Roll 39, 1 reel) Roll includes Minutes of French Broad River Baptist Church (1786-1842), Minutes of Hopewell Presbyterian Church (1788-1860), Antioch Baptist Church Minutes (1839-1870), Dumplin Baptist Church Minutes (1797-1860), Minutes of Maury Academy (1818-1860), Boundary of School District (1840), Scholastic Population (1841-1860), General Index to Deeds (1792-1846), Will Book No. 1 (1792-1810), Bible Records (undated), Church & Family Records (undated) and Tombstone Records (undated).
  • *WPA Records, Jefferson County (Record Group #107, Roll 40, 1 reel) Roll includes Will Book No. 2 (1811-1826), Will Book & Sales, No. 3 (1826-1840), Will Book No. 4-10 (1841-1844), Guardian Report, Book 1 (1805-1832), Tax List (1822-1830), Records of Monies Received by County Court Clerk (1827-1860), Order Book of Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions (1801-1807), Grant Book No. 1 (1792-1794), Quorum Minutes, Vol. 1 (1792-1802), Marriage License & Bond Book (1792-1840), Marriage Records, Vol. 2 (1840-1870) and County Court Record Book, No. 1 (1792-1798).
  • *WPA Records, Jefferson County (Record Group #107, Roll 41, 1 reel) Roll includes Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Minute Books 4-7 (1807-1824), Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Minute Book 8, pts. 1 & 2 (1821-1831), Circuit Court Minute Books (1810-1816, 1817-1831) and Chancery Court Minutes, Vol. 1 (1836-1846).

 

NEWSPAPERS ON MICROFILM 

Newspapers were published in Dandridge and Jefferson City.  Scattered early issues are available from 1854, and a complete run begins in 1965.  Microfilms are loaned to Tennessee libraries.  Individual reels may also be purchased.  An Inventory of Newspapers on Microfilm at TSLA is available on our web site.

 

SELECTED MANUSCRIPTS MATERIAL

 

*  Indicates this title may be borrowed on Interlibrary Loan.

Tennessee State Library and Archives
403 Seventh Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: 615.741.2764 Fax: 615.532.2472
Email:reference.tsla@state.tn.us
Web Policies