Lake County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Lake County

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

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Tiptonville Organized: June 24, 1870 Parent County(s): Obion Neighboring Counties Dyer • Fulton (KY) • New Madrid (MO) • Obion • Pemiscot (MO) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Lake County was named for Reelfoot Lake and is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Lake County Courthouse
229 Church Street
Tiptonville,TN 38079-1162
County Courthouse Phone: 731-253-8926
County Clerk Phone: 731-253-7582
Register of Deeds Phone: 731-253-7462
Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 731-253-7137

County Clerk has probate records from 1870 and marriage records from 1883
Clerk Chancery and Circuit Court have divorce records
Registrar and Tax Assessor have land records.

Lake 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1914	1883	1914	1870	1870	1870	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908 (1913 missing). General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

Lost marriage records: 1870 to 1883 For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1870--Lake County was created 24 June 1870 from Obion County. County seat: Tiptonville Tennessee Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Tennessee Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Tennessee county 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:

Towns
Ridgely	Tiptonville
Unincorporated communities
Bessie Blue Bank Cates Cottonwood Grove Keefe	Lake Drive Madie Mooring Owl City	Owlhoot Phillippy Proctor City Wynnburg

History Timeline

Additional Information

Reelfoot Lake, Lake and Obion Counties, Tenn.

West Tennessee county. Established 1870.

The county is named after Reelfoot Lake.

Resources

Biographies

• Douthat, James L. Lake County, Tennessee Biographies. 1887; reprint, Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free Surname Index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.
• Family Biographies from The History of Lake County, Tennessee (1887) published by Goodspeed are availableon the My Genealogy Hound website.
  

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 Lake County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lake County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Gravestones FamilySearch Places
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	2,428	—
1880	3,968	63.4%
1890	5,304	33.7%
1900	7,368	38.9%
1910	8,704	18.1%
1920	9,075	4.3%
1930	10,486	15.5%
1940	11,235	7.1%
1950	11,655	3.7%
1960	9,572	−17.9%
1970	7,896	−17.5%
1980	7,455	−5.6%
1990	7,129	−4.4%
2000	7,954	11.6%
2010	7,832	−1.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Lake 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.

1810-1891

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

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book

1880

• Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 census Lake County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Byron Sistler and Associates, 2002 FS Library US/CAN book 976.812 X2

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. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 3 1891. Lake County is included in Vol. 3.
• 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.

1891 Male Voters

• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

Curry Funeral Home in Ridgely Dyersburg Funeral Home in Ridgely Dyersburg Funeral Home in Tiptonville

Genealogies

General

• As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Lake, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 2,500 entries.
• TNGenWeb has histories of several families. Scroll down to "Families."
• Lake County Historical Society. History and Families Lake County, Tennessee: 1870-1992. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1993. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.812 H2h.

Bibliography

• Shull - Algee, Isabelle Rogers. The Shull Family of Lake County, Tennessee and Allied Families. n.p.: I.R. Algee, 1998. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sh92ai.

Land and Property Records

• Lake County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1870 and is located at Courthouse, 116 S. Court, Tiptonville, Tennessee 38079; Telephone: (731) 253-7582. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
• The FamilySearch Library has microfilmed copies on deeds 1870-1914 with indexes 1870-1969; and land entry books 1893-1929.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• Map of 1888 Lake County, Tennessee with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
  
• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

War of 1812
There were no War of 1812 pensioners or widows of pensioners living in Lake County on 2 January 1883.

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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 Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Lake 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 Lake County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Heavy Artillery (Jackson's) - CSA
• 15th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company E.
• 18th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Newsom's) - CSA - Company D.
• 33rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Lake County:

• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Lake 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. Lake County, page 356.
• Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Civil War in Lake County.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War Battle was fought in Lake County.

• February 28-April 8, 1862 - New Madrid/Island No. 10.
• Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Newspapers

• Newspapers on Microfilm at the Library & Archives at TSLA; some may be accessed via interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee
  • See Interlibrary Loan Policies for more information
    

For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Lake County click on the following towns:

• Ridgley
• Tiptonville

• 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FS Catalog 976.8 V2L.
• 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. FS Library US/CAN Books 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851 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?)
• 1800s-Current Tennessee, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Other Records

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

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

• Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 B2f.
• West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1871-1943 Lake County portion of Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

The original Lake County Tax Books 1878-1879 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1976, TSLA microfilmed these records. FS Library copy: FS Library US/CAN Film 1007798 Item 2.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1891 Moore, Leslie. "Lake County, Tennessee 1891 Voter's List," Districts 1-4 available online, courtesy TNGenWeb. Scroll down to "Census and Voter's Lists"

Vital Records

Birth

• 1828-1939 Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

Online indexes and Records

• 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
• 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
• 1780-2002 -Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1790-1962 Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1796-1950 Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1838-1888 Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1883-1895 - Lake County Marriage Index 1883-1895 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
• 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

• 1874-1955 Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 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 Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Lake 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

• Fulton Kentucky FamilySearch Center
• Trenton Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Chester County Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Dunklin County Library - Missouri - an affiliate library.
• Graves County Public Library - Kentucky - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Ridgely Public Library
134 N Main St.
Ridgley, TN 38080
Phone: 731-264-5809
Email: ridgelylibrary58@bellsouth.net
Website
Facebook

Tiptonville Public Library
126 Tipton St.
Tiptonville, TN 38079
Phone: 731-253-7391
Email: tipvle@bellsouthnet
Website
Facebook

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center
Paul Meek Library
10 Wayne Fisher Dr.
Martin, TN 38238
Phone: 731-881-7065
Website
Houses a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Societies

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

Lake County Tennessee Genealogy & History
655 Lake Drive
Tiptonville, TN 38079
Email: randy@reelfootfoundation.org
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Lake County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Lake County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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: Lake County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.