Lincoln County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Fayetteville
Organized: November 14, 1809
Parent County(s): Bedford[1]
Neighboring Counties
Bedford • Franklin • Giles • Jackson (AL) • Limestone (AL) • Madison (AL) • Marshall • Moore
See County Maps
Courthouse
Lincoln County Tennessee Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Lincoln County, Tennessee.PNG

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Lincoln County was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Lincoln County Courthouse
P.O. Box 577
112 Main St. South
Fayetteville, TN 37334
County Courthouse Phone: 931-433-2454
County Clerk Phone: 931-433-2454
County Clerk and Master Phone: 931-433-1482
County Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 931-433-2334
Register of Deeds Phone: 931-433-5366

County Clerk has marriage and probate records
Clerk of Circuit Court has divorce records
Clerk and Master have court records
Register of Deeds has land records[3]

Lincoln County, Tennessee Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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 1834 1881 1810 1810 1809 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908 (1913 missing). General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

  • Lack of marriage records: 1809 to 1837

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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:[6]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

U.S. Secretary of War Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810)

Additional Information
Middle Tennessee county in the Chestnut Ridge region. Established 1809.

The county is named after U.S. Secretary of War Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810).[7]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

  • Tucker, Mabel Abbott and Waller, Jane Warren. Lincoln County, Tennessee Bible Records. Batavia, Ill.: Lincoln County Tennessee Pioneers, 1972. FS Catalog Collection 976.8624 D29t v. 1-6. Free lookups available!
  • Williams - Williams: Family Bible Records, 1793-1920, Together with Transcripts. MSS. Microfilmed 1984. FS Catalog Collection 1206451 Item 6

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

  • Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. 2004. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Includes Lincoln County.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Lincoln 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[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1810 6,104 —
1820 14,761 141.8%
1830 22,075 49.5%
1840 21,493 −2.6%
1850 23,492 9.3%
1860 22,828 −2.8%
1870 28,050 22.9%
1880 26,960 −3.9%
1890 27,382 1.6%
1900 26,304 −3.9%
1910 25,908 −1.5%
1920 25,786 −0.5%
1930 25,422 −1.4%
1940 27,214 7.0%
1950 25,624 −5.8%
1960 23,829 −7.0%
1970 24,318 2.1%
1980 26,483 8.9%
1990 28,157 6.3%
2000 31,340 11.3%
2010 33,361 6.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

1810 Lost

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.

1810-1891

1820

Census takers found no free African Americans living in Lincoln County, Tennessee in 1820.[8]

1820 Manufactures

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

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FS Library US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820. [Covers this county.]

1830

  • Tennessee Census, Lincoln Co., 1830. Salt Lake City, Utah Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974. FS Catalog 954248 Item 3

1840

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

1850

1880

1891 Male Voters

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

The organization GSC provides indexes to the following Lincoln County church records. They also sell CDs for a reasonable price that contain these W.P.A. abstracts:

  • History of Bethesda Methodist Church
  • History of Church of Christ, Fayetteville, Tenn.
  • History of Methodist Churches, Fayetteville, Tenn., 1831-1890
  • Missionary Baptist Church History, Fayetteville, Tenn., 1879
  • History of Presbyterian Church, Petersberg, Tenn., 1859-1902
  • Prosperity A.R.P. Church History
  • Prosperity Church History
  • Minutes of William Carey Baptist Association, Missionary Baptist Church, 1919

Congregational

Methodist

Providence Methodist Episcopal Church

Shiloh-Taft Methodist Episcopal Church, Taft

Presbyterian

First Presbyterian Church, Fayetteville

Mount Hebron Presbyterian Church, Belleville

Prosperity Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Yokon

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions

  • Lincoln County, Tennessee Court Records - links to images on FamilySearch; includes deeds, wills, and administrations
  • W.P.A. Lincoln County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions Minute Book, 1814-1817. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1941. FS Library US/CAN Film 24744. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Lincoln County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.

Court Minutes

  • W.P.A. Lincoln County, Tennessee, Minute Docket Book, Volume 1, 1811-1812. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1940. FS Library US/CAN Film 24743 Item 2. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Lincoln County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.

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[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 2 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Fayetteville and Lincoln County. Ancestry, $ [9]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]


Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

  • Lincoln County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1810 and is located at the county Courthouse, P.O. Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, Tennessee 37334; (931) 433-2454. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
  • The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of land records 181-1887 with a general index 1810-1912; deeds and land grants about 1816-1889.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • History of Tennessee, from the Earliest Time to the Present; together with an Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore Counties. Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Online at: Internet Archive.
  • Edmiston, William C. The Fat of the land Record Press, 1958. Free lookups available!

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Marshall CountyBedford CountyMoore CountyFranklin CountyGiles CountyJackson CountyMadison CountyTN LINCOLN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War
The following Lincoln 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 ($). See Tennessee, Middle District, Lincoln County on page 156.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.

War of 1812

Civil War

Online Records

Regiments. Men in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County:

Confederate Soldiers

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Lincoln County:

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Lewis County click on the following city:

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Prisons[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

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

  • Lincoln County, Tennessee Pioneers:Edited by Jane Warren Waller, Lincoln County, Tennessee Pioneers ran for 26 volumes (1970-1997). A few additional issues were published online in 1997 and 1998. FS Library has acquired most volumes: FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8624 B2L. Tables of contents are available online, courtesy: Lincoln County, Tennessee Archives (USGenWeb Archives). Free lookups available!

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

The Lincoln County Court and Chancery Court have responsibility for the probate records. Many records are held by the Lincoln County Archives.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • 1809-1824 - Ingmire, Frances Terry. Wills, Inventories and Miscellaneous, March 1809 - April 1824. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1984. Indexed. (FS Library book 976.8624 P2i.)
  • 1810-1850 - W.P.A. Will Books, 1810-1850, Lincoln County, Tennessee. [Includes Inventories 1810-1824] Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1940. FS Library US/CAN Film 24743 Items 3-5. Free indexes to Wills and Inventories 1810-1824 and Wills 1827-1850, are available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Lincoln County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
  • 1810-1895 - Marsh, Helen Crawford and Timothy Richard Marsh. Abstracts of Wills, Lincoln County, Tennessee, 1810-1895. Shelbyville, Tennessee: Marsh Historical Publications, 1977. Indexed. (FS Library book 976.8624 P28m.)
  • 1810-1921 - Marsh, Helen Crawford and Timothy Richard Marsh. Wills and Inventories of Lincoln County, Tennessee, 1810-1921. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1989. Indexed. (FS Library book 976.8624 P2m.)
  • 1810-1861 - 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.
  • 1863-1868 - McGee, Velma, transcriber; and Russell O'Neal, indexer. Lincoln County, Tennessee: Administrator Settlement Book 1863-1868. Index only. (FS Library book 976.8624 P22m.)

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Pre-1900 tax records of Lincoln county are available on microfilm by interlibrary loan from the Tennessee State Library and Archives for years 1829-1833, 1836, 1846-1850, 1865-1867, 1870-1889-1891-1900.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • 1810-1811 Tax List, 1810-11, Lincoln County Tennessee Pioneers, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Sep. 1977). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1811 Tax Collectors, 1811, Volunteer (Fall 1998). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1812 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. & B. Sistler, 1977. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. Includes 1812 newspaper tax list (Fayetteville only).
  • 1814 "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3(Fall 1996):115-120. For access, see Periodicals. Includes Lincoln County.
  • 1817 "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For access, see Periodicals. Includes Lincoln County.
  • 1836 Douthat, James L. Lincoln County, 1836 Tennessee, Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8624 R4d; online: index and purchase details.
  • 1836 Civil Districts and Tax List, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Aug. 1998); Vol. 2, No. 3 (Dec. 1998). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1860 Tax List, 1860, Volunteer (Spring 2002, Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Fall 2003, Spring 2004, Fall 2004, Spring 2005). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1868 Taxpayers, 1868, Lincoln County Tennessee Pioneers, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 1981). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1870 Tax List District 1, 1870, Lincoln County Tennessee Pioneers, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Jun. 1978). For access, see Periodicals.
  • 1880 List of Privileges, 1880, Lincoln County Tennessee Pioneers, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Jun. 1978). For access, see Periodicals.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Online indeses and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library
306 Elk Ave N
Fayetteville, TN 37334
Phone: 931-433-3286
Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Lincoln County Genealogical Society
1508 West Washington St.
Fayetteville, TN 37334

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

A good place to start is Byron and Samuel Sistler's Every Name Index to 18 Middle Tennessee County Record Books (Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1992) FS Catalog Collection 976.8 P22sb. It indexes multiple books about Lincoln and nearby Bedford and Giles counties.

References[edit | edit source]

  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, "Lincoln County, Tennessee" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County,_Tennessee, accessed 24 Dec 2018
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Lincoln County, Tennessee, p.641
  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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lincoln County, Tennessee," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County,_Tennessee, accessed 2 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "List of Counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
  8. ↑ Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," online at Free African Americans.
  9. ↑ Kenneth Scott. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979, 372-378 (see West Tennessee). FS Library US/CAN 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  10. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at Media:Igitennesseel.pdf.
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