Blount County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Maryville
Organized: July 11, 1795
Parent County(s): Knox[1]
Neighboring Counties
Graham (NC)KnoxLoudonMonroeSevierSwain (NC)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Blount County Tennessee courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Blout County Tennessee.PNG

County Information

Description

Blount County was named for the governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Blount County Courthouse
345 Court Street
Maryville, TN 37804
Phone: 865-273-5800
Blount County Website

Clerk of Circuit Court
926 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy
Phone: 865-273-5400
Clerk of Circuit Court

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1795.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records.
Register of Deeds has land records.[3]

Blount County, Tennessee Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1881 1881 1881 1795 1795 1795 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908 (1913 missing). General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1879 and 1906 Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.[5]

  • Lost censuses: 1810, 1820

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Boundary Changes

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:[7]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Alnwick
  • Armona
  • Binfield
  • Clover Hill
  • Cold Springs
  • Disco
  • Dry Valley
Census-designated places
Historic communities


Neighboring Counties

History Timeline

Additional Information
Blount County is named after Tennessee Senator William Blount (1749-1800) who played an instrumental role in the formation of the state.[8]

North Carolina first organized the land that would eventually become Blount County as part of Washington District in 1776, then as part of Washington County in 1777, and then as part of Greene County in 1783.

In the 1780s, this county's land fell within the bounds of the State of Franklin

In August 1784 delegates of three western North Carolina counties, Washington, Sullivan, and Greene (all now in Tennessee), declared their Independence from North Carolina because of perceived neglect, and misuse by North Carolina’s legislature. By May 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the new State of Franklin. The Franklin statehood request was denied.[9]

In June of 1785 "John Sevier, governor of the State of Franklin, negotiated the Treaty of Dumplin Creek through which the land south of French Broad and Holston was purchased from the Indians."[10] All of Blount County is in the district South of the French Broad Holston. (map)

The Treaty of Dumplin "extinguished the Indian claims on this land. This 'opening of new lands' caused a great influx of new settlers. (p.369, Ramsey, Annals)"[11] In 1786 the Franklin legislature created several new counties including Blount (all in present-day Tennessee).[12] By 1789 Franklin's hopes of statehood had faded and so the land office which was opened by the State of Franklin in 1787, which had taken entries, may never have issued a grant.[13]

In 1789 North Carolina ratified the Constitution, was admitted the union, and ceded her westernmost counties to the United States. The United States used them to form the Southwest Territory. The new counties created by the Franklin government were not recognized by North Carolina, the Southwest Territory, or by Tennessee. When they were reconstituted, no mention was made of their Franklin predecessor county governments. The Southwest Territory reconstituted Blount County, albeit with significantly redrawn borders, in 1795 from part of its Knox County.[14]

In 1796 the Southwest Territory, and the land of all these counties became part of the new State of Tennessee. In 1806 Tennessee was finally able to open her own land office and create her surveyor districts.

Sen. William Blount (1749-1800)

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

  • East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Blount County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Blount County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.


Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1800 5,587
1810 8,839 58.2%
1820 11,258 27.4%
1830 11,028 −2.0%
1840 11,745 6.5%
1850 12,424 5.8%
1860 13,270 6.8%
1870 14,237 7.3%
1880 15,985 12.3%
1890 17,589 10.0%
1900 19,206 9.2%
1910 20,809 8.3%
1920 28,800 38.4%
1930 33,989 18.0%
1940 41,116 21.0%
1950 54,691 33.0%
1960 57,525 5.2%
1970 63,744 10.8%
1980 77,770 22.0%
1990 85,969 10.5%
2000 105,823 23.1%
2010 123,010 16.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Blount 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 Blount County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

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

Lost
1800 Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820 Lost[15]

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. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 1 1891. Blount County is included in Vol. 1.
  • Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

1820 Manufactures
The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at NARA, Washington, D.C. FS Library copies: FS Library US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

These records have also been abstracted:

1830

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

1850

  • Robinstein, Joyce. "Blount, TN 1850 Federal Census," (includes every-name index) available at online through USGenWeb Archives.

1860

  • Templin, David H. and Cherel Bolin Henderson. 1860 Population Schedule of the United States Census, Blount County, Tennessee. Maryville, Tenn.: n.p., 1981. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8885 X2t.

1870

  • Brown, Kenneth A. and Mary Ruth H. Brown. United States Census of 1870 for Blount County, Tennessee. Maryville, Tenn.: Printers, Inc., [198-?]. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8885 X2br.

1880

Voters

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist

Six Mile Baptist Church, 1813-1836 Name index. Available at TSLA.

Methodist

Holston Conference Office
P.O. Box 850
Alcoa, TN 37701
Telephone: 866-690-4080
Fax:865-690-3162

Presbyterian

History of New Providence Presbyterian Church, Maryville, Tenn., 1786-1921. Available at TSLA.

Court Records

County Court

  • Record of Blount County, Tennessee, County Court Records (vol. 1 1795-1804; vol. 2 1804-1807; vol. 3 1808-1811) Name . Available at TSLA.
  • Blount County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, Book no. 2, 1814-1817. Name . Available at TSLA.
  • Minutes of the County Court of Blount County, Book no. 3, 1818. Name . Available at TSLA.

Chancery Court

  • Blount County, Tennessee Chancery Court Records (vol. 1 1852-1865; vol. 2 1866-1869). Name . Available at TSLA.

Circuit Court

  • Minutes from 1852

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.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Early settlers came down the Indian war path, primarily from Virginia.[18]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 19 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Blount County.[19]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

More than 85 genealogies have been published about Blount County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Blount County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.

The Will E. Parham papers are kept at the Blount County Library Reference Section. Parham was a professional genealogist in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There is a card file by last name. Loose leaf by family name. There are also family files from other people who have added information.

Gordon Aronhime (1911-1983) collected information on hundreds of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee pioneers. His note cards, which reference more than 4,000 early settlers of the Holston-Clinch River area and East Tennessee (1770s-1790s), are held at the Library of Virginia. The cards have been digitized and made available online.[20]

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Grants

  • Intro - Blount county part of the French Broad River Area
  • Blount County Land Grants Sevier County Genealogy and History, Genealogy Trails History Group. Note that this helpful index, although labeled an index to grants, is really an index to ENTRYS.
  • Fox, George and Juanita.Surveyor Entry Book, District South of French Broad Holston, State of Tennessee 1807, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier Counties. (S.I. G. J. Fox, c2004). FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R2fg. This is a definitive source - it abstracts and indexes all enterees, adjacent land owners, etc. ISBN 097540444X
  • Blount County, Tennessee, Entry Taker's Book, 1824-1826. Name . Available at TSLA.

Deeds

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • Thomas, Jane Kizer. Blount County, Tennessee Deeds(Maryville, Tenn. Blount County Genealogical & Historical Society, 1990). Two volumes: Vol 1 1795-1819 and Vol 2 1819-1833. The indexes in these books include the names of witnessess and adjoining land owners. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8885 R2t v. 1 & 2. Also at TSLA. Books also available on FS Library film.

Microfilm Originals

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

US GenWeb offers a "Times Past" page which has photos and histories of Blount County.

Maps and Gazetteers

Knox CountySevier CountySwain CountyGraham CountyMonroe CountyLoudon CountyTN BLOUNT.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

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

Additional resources include:

  • 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. FS Library US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FS Library US/CAN Film 2321. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Tennessee, Eastern District, Blount County on page 152.
  • One Hundred Soldiers of American Revolution, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 2 (1987).
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War at TNGenWeb.
  • Revolutionary Soldiers, Reflector, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Dec. 1976).
  • Revolutionary War Soldiers, Tennessee Rifleman, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Spring 1990).
  • Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots, Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan. 1977).
  • Soldiers of Blount (100), Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, Vol. 110, No. 6 (Jul. 1976).

War of 1812

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Blount County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Blount County:

Confederate Soldiers

Union Soldiers

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Blount County:

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

For a list of newspapers available for Blount County, see Maryville.

For deaths of Methodists in Blount County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:

Obituaries

Other Records

Prisons

Periodicals

Genealogical periodicals can contain unique sources and can be local, regional, or statewide. The following periodicals cover this county:

  • The Pellissippian: Published by the Anderson County Historical Society (formerly called, Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society). The table of contents for some issues are available on their website. FS Library Book 976.8 D25p.

Probate Records

The County Clerk has the responsibility for the administration, settlement, and distribution of the estates of deceased person. The County Clerk has all the probate records and the will books and some of the newer wills. Blount County Records Management and Archives has all the older wills.[21]

Most of the early original Blount County Will Books were destroyed. In 1869, all known records not lost in a fire were transcribed. In 1971, TSLA microfilmed the 1869 transcript and the records that were left. FS Library copies: FS Library Films 888877-888878.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • 1795-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 P22s. Includes an index to this county's wills.

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

The original Blount County Tax Books are held at the Blount. TSLA microfilmed Tax Books 1800, 1801, 1803-1805, 1837-1839 (Reel 1--available for interlibrary loan), 1845-1856 (Roll 482), and 1864-1900 (Rolls 482-488). FS Library has copies of 1845-1846 and 1864-1867: FS Library US/CAN Film 888892.

Online Images

  • 1796-1801 Federal distillery tax book for Tennessee, 1796-1801 online, Tennessee Living Archive, includes Blount county.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

Due to the limited tax years that survived, an alternative resource to consider is "Tennessee Legislative Petitions".

Vital Records

Birth

Online Index

Marriage

Online Indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

Death

Online Records

Divorce

Online Records

Online Titles

  • W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Blount County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Blount County. For state-wide library facilities, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Blount County Public Library
508 N. Cusick St.
Maryville, TN 37804
Phone: 865-977-1142
Website
The Genealogy and Local History section has an 800+ volume collection. Microfilm of local newspapers, court records and census schedules are available for photocopying.

Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library
120 Tiger Drive
Townsend, TN 37882
Phone: 865-448-1441
Fax: 865-448-1875
Email: metmlib@yahoo.com
Website
Contains the Townsend collection which includes local interest items and genealogical sources.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Blount County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Tennessee Societies.

Blount County Genealogical and Historical Society
P.O. Box 4986
Maryville, TN 37802-4986
Phone: 865-273-1409
Email: bcghs@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook

Smoky Mountain Historical Society
P.O. Box 5078
Sevierville, TN 37864-5078
Email: corsec@smhstn.org
Website

Websites

Research Guides

Research Guides

References

  1. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Tennessee.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Blount County, Tennessee" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blount_County,_Tennessee, accessed 11 Dec 2018
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Tennessee.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Tennessee.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. Lost Records: Courthouse Fires and Disasters in Tennessee at Tennessee Secretary of State, https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/pages/lost-records-courthouse-fires-and-disasters-in-tennessee, accessed 4 October 2024.
  6. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Tennessee.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Blount County, Tennessee," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blount_County,_Tennessee#Communities, accessed 7 November 2019.
  8. "William Blount," Wikipedia.
  9. “State of Franklin” in North Carolina History Project at http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/99/entry (accessed 27 June 2010).
  10. George and Juanita Fox, 'Surveyor Entry Book, District South of French Broad Holston, State of Tennessee 1807, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier Counties. (S.I. : G. J. Fox, c2004). Page v. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R2fg.
  11. George and Juanita Fox, 'Surveyor Entry Book, District South of French Broad Holston, State of Tennessee 1807, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier Counties. (S.I. : G. J. Fox, c2004). Page v. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R2fg.
  12. “State of Franklin” in The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture at http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=F061 (accessed 27 June 2010).
  13. George and Juanita Fox, 'Surveyor Entry Book, District South of French Broad Holston, State of Tennessee 1807, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier Counties. (S.I. : G. J. Fox, c2004). Page v. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R2fg.
  14. Robert M. McBride, "Lost Counties of Tennessee," East Tennessee Historical Society's Publications 38 (1966): 6.
  15. Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee tax lists. (Fort Worth, Texas : Arrow Print., c1964.) FS Catalog book 976.8 R4c; At various libraries (WorldCat).
  16. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/6/60/Igitennesseea.pdf.
  17. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/6/60/Igitennesseea.pdf.
  18. George and Juanita Fox, Surveyor Entry Book, District South of French Broad Holston, State of Tennessee 1807, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier Counties. p. v. (S.I. : G. J. Fox, c2004). FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R2fg.
  19. Kenneth Scott. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979, 372-378 (see East Tennessee). FS Library US/CAN 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  20. "Original Virginia Records Imaged and Indexed Online," Arlene Eakle's Virginia Genealogy Blog, 12 October 2008.
  21. Jackie Glenn, Records Manager and County Archivist, "Blount County Records Management and Archives", Blount County Goverment (http://www.blounttn.org/records.asp#Probate : accessed 4 Aug 2012)