Hardeman County, Tennessee Genealogy

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


County Facts
County seat: Bolivar[1]
Organized: October 16, 1823
Parent County(s): Chickasaw Indian Lands[2]
Neighboring Counties
Alcorn (MS)Benton (MS)ChesterFayetteHaywoodMcNairyMadisonTippah (MS)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Hardeman County Court House Bolivar Tennnessee.jpg
Location Map
Location of Hardeman County, Tennessee.PNG

County Information

Description

Hardeman County was named for Thomas J. Hardeman (1788-1854), a veteran of the Creek War and War of 1812 and a prominent figure in the fight for Texas independence. He served as a congressman in the Republic of Texas. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

Hardeman County Courthouse
100 N Main Street
Bolivar, TN 38008-2322
County Courthouse Phone: 901-658-3541
County Clerk Phone: 731-658-3541
Register's of Deeds Phone: 731-658-3476
Chancery Court Clerk Phone: 731-658-3142

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1823.
Register of Deeds has land records.[4]

Hardeman 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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1881 1823 1881 1823 1820 1823 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908 (1913 missing). General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1864 Fire damaged records, but most are complete.[6] [7]

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:[9]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities


History Timeline

Additional Information
West Tennessee county. Established 1823.

The county is named after "Thomas Jones Hardeman, Creek War and War of 1812 soldier, later a member of the Republic of Texas legislature."[10]

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

All of the family biographies from the History of Hardeman County, Tennessee (1887) by Goodspeed are available online at My Genealogy Hound.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

  • West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. 2006. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Hardeman County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Hardeman 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.


Additional Cemetery Resources

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 11,655
1840 14,563 25.0%
1850 17,456 19.9%
1860 17,769 1.8%
1870 18,074 1.7%
1880 22,921 26.8%
1890 21,029 −8.3%
1900 22,976 9.3%
1910 23,011 0.2%
1920 22,278 −3.2%
1930 22,193 −0.4%
1940 23,590 6.3%
1950 23,311 −1.2%
1960 21,517 −7.7%
1970 22,435 4.3%
1980 23,873 6.4%
1990 23,377 −2.1%
2000 28,105 20.2%
2010 27,253 −3.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

1810-1891

1840 Pensioners

1850-1860

  • Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 & 1860 Hardeman County, Tennessee Census. website.

1880

1891 Male Voters

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

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.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

Funeral Homes

Genealogies


  • Armour - Armour, Quinnie. Armour Genealogy: James Armour and His Descendants. Bolivar, Tenn.: Q. Armour, 1972. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ar55a.
  • Babb - Babb, Ernest Lloyd. Babb Families of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Memphis, Tenn.: E.L. Babb, 1988. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 B113ba.
  • Bell - Lewis, Leroy Carlisle. William Samuel Bell of Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas: A Genealogical Survey and Historical Record of His Life and the Lives of His Descendants and His Ancestors. Searcy, Arkansas: L.C. Lewis, 1987. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413LLc.
  • Brint - Jones, Louise Brint and Glenda Waters Harden. Our Brint Family History: Their Descendants and Allied Families. Murray, Utah: Roylance Publishing, 1993. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 B772jL.
  • Chandler - Chandler, Annamae Barber, Philip A. Gowan, and John R. Rossell. Discovering Chandler Lines, 1474-1996, in Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1944. Seattle, Washington: ABChandler, 1996. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 C361ch.
  • Cooper - Clark, Richard Charles. The History and Family Tree of Stephen Brannan, Thomas T. Cooper, and William Hughes, 1786-1993. Chino Valley, Arizona: R.C. Clark, 1993. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 B735c.
  • Corley - McMaster, Phyllis Olewine and Gerald B. Corley. The Descendants of John W. Corley of Hardeman County, Tennessee: Including Allied Family Lines of Carl, Dick, Hudson, McMaster, and Thompson. Huntington Beach, Calif.: G.B. Corley, 1989. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.,273 C813mc.
  • Davis - Wiley Jarrett Davis - Mary Ann Tedford Family Bible Record: Pocahontas-Hardeman County Tennessee. Typescript. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 D299wj.
  • Derryberry - Williams, John T. The John Wesley C. Derryberry Family, ca. 1800-1973. MSS., microfilmed in 1983. FS Library US/CAN Fiche 6019288.
  • Derryberry - Graziano, Eugene Edward and Freida Mullen Graziano. The Andrew Derryberry, Sr., (bef. 1780) Family Line: A Genealogy Including Individuals Related through Marriage ... Goleta, Calif.: E. & F.M. Graziano, 1999. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 D448g.
  • Fowler - Arthur, Glenn Dora Fowler (Mrs. James Joyce Arthur).Annals of the Fowler family, with branches in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, California, and Texas. Austin, Texas, published by the author, 1901. Free digital copy.
  • Gatewood - Gatewood, Timothy Arnold. The Gatewood Tree: A Newsletter of the Gatewoods of the Mid-South (Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas) & Surrounding States, and Those Descended from Gatewoods of the Mid-South. 1993. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.27305 G223gt.
  • Hardeman - Wilson, Francis W. The Hardeman Impact on Early Texas History. Luling, Texas: F.W. Wilson, 1986. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 H217w.
  • Harris - Timmons, Nancy Harris. Heritage of the Harris Family. St. Helens, Oregon: Star West Images Small Press, 1996. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 H24t.
  • Holman - Holman Family Records. Unknown: Unknown, 2001. Available at some libraries through HeritageQuest Online.
  • Hudson - McMaster, Phyllis Olewine. Hudsons of Hardeman County, TN. Albany, Ore.: P. McMaster, 1985. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 H867m.
  • Keller - Sherfey, Steven Keller. The Kellers and Teagues of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Scottsboro, Ala.: S.K. Sherfey, 1985. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 K282s.
  • Lawrence - Land, Barbara. The Descendants of Samuel Prevo: Six Generations: The Descendants of John Bryant, Four Generations: The Descendants of Abraham Lowrance. Ukiah, Calif.: B. Land, 2005. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 P929Lb.
  • Neal - Neal, William D. Descendants of J.C. Neal, 1800-1965. "Successor to the original volume: The Jesse C. Neal Family, compiled by Charles A. Neal, 1949." FS Library US/CAN Film 2366276 Item 4.
  • Notgrass - Woodbury, Harry and Peter F. Woodbury. The John C. Woodbury and Thomas Notgrass Families of West Tennessee, 1830-1982. Gulfport, Miss.: H. Woodbury, 1982. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 W852wha.
  • Seaton - Katheder, Thomas. "Seaton of Fauquier County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):83-102. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg.
  • Teague - Sherfey, Steven Keller. The Kellers and Teagues of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Scottsboro, Ala.: S.K. Sherfey, 1985. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 K282s.
  • Wharton - Wharton, Richard. Richard Wharton papers, 1863-1906. Book contributor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diary, letters and other writings including his service in the Confederate Army , letters relating to family matters, a genealogy of the Wharton family, poems and speeches. Free digital copy.

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Hardeman County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1820 and is located at Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Bolivar, TN 38008-2322; Telephone: (731) 658-3541. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of Hardeman County deed records 1822-1891, with indexes 1822-1902; Land survey and entry books 1820-1901; and petitions 1840-1900, with indexes 1849-1900.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Haywood CountyMadison CountyChester CountyMcNairy CountyFayette CountyAlcorn CountyTippah CountyBenton CountyTN HARDEMAN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Revolutionary War
The following Hardeman 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 ($). See Tennessee, Western District, Hardeman County on page 159.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($) . Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War. Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.

War of 1812

Civil War

Online Records

Regiments. Men in Hardeman 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 Hardeman County:

Confederate Soldiers

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hardeman County:

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Hardeman County.[11]

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Hardeman County click on the following cities:

  • 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FS Catalog 976.8 V2L.

For deaths of Methodists in Hardeman County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following resources:

Obituaries

Other Records

Prisons

Periodicals

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

  • Harde-facts: "Harde-facts is a genealogical newsletter devoted to research in Hardeman County, TN. Its purpose is to promote interest in Hardeman County family history by providing information from county records, church records, Bibles, and family genealogies."
  • FamilySearch Library has Numbers 1 - 37 and 50 (1984-1993) FS Library US/CAN 976.828 D25h
  • Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index

Probate Records

The County Court has responsibility for the probate records of Hardeman County.

Online Records and Index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • 1823-1925 - Cox, R. Harold et al. Extract of Wills - Estate Settlements and Guardian Bonds of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Bolivar, Tennessee: R.H. Cox, 1993. Indexed. (FS Library book 976.828/B1 P29c.)
  • 1824-1861 - 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 probate records.
  • USGenWeb's Hardman County page has some wills and estate records.

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

The original Hardeman County Tax Books 1824-1880 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1975, TSLA microfilmed these records. FS Library copies: FS Library US/CAN Films 989359-989361.

Book Abstracts and Indexes[12]

  • 1824 Tax List, 1824, Harde-facts, Issue 29 (Oct. 1990); Issue 30 (Jan. 1991); Issue 31 (Apr. 1991); Issue 32 (Jul. 1991).
  • 1836-1837 Nazor, Mary Louise Graham. "1836 Map of Civil Districts, Hardeman County, Tennessee" and "Hardeman County, Tennessee 1836 and 1837 Tax Lists," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Fall 1990):105-110; Vol. 37, No. 4 (Winter 1990):187-192; Vol. 38, No. 1 (Spring 1991):27-32; Vol. 38, No. 2 (Summer 1991):84-86. For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1836 "1836 Hardeman County, Tennessee Tax List Addenda," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Summer 1992):62-63. For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1836-1837 Brown, Albert. 1836 & 1837 Tax List, Hardeman Co., Tennessee. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: History & Genealogy, 1994. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.828 R49b.
  • 1859, 1862 Thomas Camp Assessor's Book, 1859, 1862, Harde-facts, Issue 41 (Oct. 1994).
  • 1865-1896 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County Voter Registers and Poll Lists," available online at USGenWeb Archives. Not every year in the range is covered.
  • 1874 Taxpayers, 1874, Old Timer Press, Vol. 1, No. 9 (Mar. 1982).
  • 1879 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected 14 July 1879," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1888 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Late Taxes for 1888," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1889 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Due July 1, 1889," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1894-1895 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected [1894-1895]," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1895 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected [on Businesses] 1895," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1903 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected 1903," available online at USGenWeb Archives.
  • 1924 Holloway, Charlotte. "Circuit Court Taxes Sept. 30 1924," available online at RootsWeb.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Online Indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

Death

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 Hardeman 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 Hardeman County. For state-wide library facilities, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Bolivar Hardeman County Library
213 N Washington St
Bolivar, TN 38008
Phone: 731-658-3436
Website
The Genealogy and Local History Room has cemetery records, census records, marriage records, minority records, newspapers, court records, etc.

Grand Junction Community Library
530 Madison Ave West
P.O. Box 751
Grand Junction, TN 38039
Phone: 731-764-2716
Website
Facebook

Lee Ola Roberts Public Library
140 W Main St
Whiteville, TN 38075
Phone: 731-254-8834
Facebook

Middleton Community Library
100 Bolton Ave
Middleton, TN 38052
Phone: 731-376-0680
Website
Facebook

Museums

Little Courthouse Museum
215 E. Market Street
Bolivar, TN 38008
Phone: 731-518-7148
Website

Shiloh National Military Park
1055 Pittsburg Landing Road
Shiloh, TN 38376
Phone: 731-689-5275 OR 731-689-5696
Website

Societies

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

Websites

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. 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.
  3. Wikipedia contributors, "Hardeman, Tennessee" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardeman_County,_Tennessee accessed 21 Dec 2018
  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. 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.
  6. Robert M. McBride, Tennessee County Data (Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee States Library and Archives, 1966), 26.
  7. Lost Records: Courthouse Fires and Disasters in Tennessee in Tennessee State Library and Archives in Tennessee Secretary of State (accessed 13 March 2016).
  8. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 640. (FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
  9. Wikipedia contributors, "Hardeman County, Tennessee," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardeman_County,_Tennessee, accessed 16 November 2019.
  10. "List of counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
  11. National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
  12. The Heritage Quest Online version of PERSI aided in the compilation of this list.
  13. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/d/d3/Igitennesseef.pdf.