Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Moore County

Guide to Moore 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: Lynchburg Organized: December 14, 1871 Parent County(s): Lincoln, Franklin, Coffee, Bedford Neighboring Counties Bedford • Coffee • Franklin • Lincoln See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Moore County was named for General William Moore, an early settler and long-time member of the state legislature. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Moore County Courthouse
Public Square
Lynchburg, TN 37352
County Courthouse Phone: 931-759-7028
Register of Deeds Phone: 931-759-7913
County Clerk Phone: 931-759-7346
Clerk Circuit Court Phone: 931-759-7208
Clerk and Master Phone: 931-759-7028

Register of Deeds has land records
County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, and probate records
Clerk of Circuit Court has court records

Moore 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
1881	1872	1908	1872	1872	1871	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908 (1913 missing). General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1871--Moore County was established 14 December 1871 from Lincoln, Franklin, Coffee, and Bedford Counties. County seat: Lynchburg 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:

Cities
Lynchburg

Neighboring Counties

Bedford Coffee

Franklin

Lincoln

Neighboring Counties

Bedford Coffee

Franklin

Lincoln

History Timeline

Additional Information
Middle Tennessee county in the Chestnut Ridge region. Established 1871.

The county is named after "Tennessee state legislator William Moore."

Resources

Biographies

• Douthat, James L. Moore 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 Moore County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• 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 Moore County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Moore County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb 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.	%±
1880	6,233	—
1890	5,975	−4.1%
1900	5,706	−4.5%
1910	4,800	−15.9%
1920	4,491	−6.4%
1930	4,037	−10.1%
1940	4,093	1.4%
1950	3,948	−3.5%
1960	3,454	−12.5%
1970	3,568	3.3%
1980	4,510	26.4%
1990	4,721	4.7%
2000	5,740	21.6%
2010	6,362	10.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Moore County federal population schedules 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 for more information about statewide printed indexes.
• See Moore County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned census images. The USGenWeb Census Project^®.

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. 6 1891. Pickett County is included in Vol. 6.
• 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
  

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. TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Directories

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

Funeral Homes

Jennings-Moore-Cortner Funeral Home in Lynchburg Lynchburg Funeral Home in Lynchburg

Genealogies

DNA

• DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Moore County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

• Doss - Descendant of Samuel H. Doss, b. 1803 Virginia, resident of Shelby and Moore counties, Tennessee; Illinois; and Madison County, Arkansas. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 85939). Genetic signature available online (labeled Sh-1), courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

General

• As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Moore, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 4,000 entries.

• Daniel - Parkes, John Franklin. Descendants of Calaway Daniel. Online at Montgomery County Genealogy.
• Frost - Frost, Wright Wilson. The Frosts and Related Families of Bedford County, Tennessee. Knoxville, TN: W.W. Frost, c1962. Available at FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 F929f and FS Library US/CAN Fiche 6104871. Online at Internet Archive.
• Edens - Colsher, Sue M. The Edens Family. Online at Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
• Felps - Parks, Roy H. The Felps Family. Online at Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
• Logan - Dietz, Virginia My Logan ancestors from Scotland to Logan, Missouri. Salt Lake City, Utah Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2002. FS Catalog book 929.273 L828. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Parkes - Parks, Rufus Alonzo. The Parkes Family History, The Parkes Family History 2 and A Statement of M.N. Parkes, Jr. Online at Moore County, Tennessee Genealogy. (Part of the TNGenWeb Project.)
• Simpson - Miner, Ethel Nerim. Descendants of Rice and Rachael Simpson: of Franklin and Moore Counties, Tennessee. Fountain Hills, Arizona: Four Peaks Enterprise, 1986. FS Library FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si58me.

Land and Property Records

• Evans, 91 deeds dated 1807-1915 in Moore County, Tennessee placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2009. It is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product to view the maps.

Online Land Indexes and Records

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

Local Histories

• Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. 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. Free digital copy.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• Map of 1888 Moore 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

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at Ansearchin' News. Includes Moore County pensioners (p. 49).

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 Moore 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 Moore County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Turney's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
• 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
• 17th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
• 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
• 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company C.
• 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Moore County:

• USGenWeb, Civil War Regiments of Moore County, Tennessee.
• USGenWeb Archives, Moore County Tennessee Archives. Pensioners on the Roll 1883.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Moore 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. Moore County, page 366-367.
  

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 Moore County click on the following city:

• Lynchburg

• 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:

• Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. Perform keyword searches and read online articles of previous issues at Ansearchin' News. FS Library Book 976.8 B2a.
• The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History: Quarterly magazine of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society. For surnames, use the volume-by-volume index, or do a keyword search of the Article Index. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Probate Records

The Moore County Court and Chancery Court have responsibility for probate records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry $
• 1871-1966 Moore 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

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1860 Tax List, 1860, District 1, Moore County Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Jul. 1998).

Vital Records

• See also Tennessee 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$
• 1881-1882 - Moore County Birth Index 1881-1882 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C519572
• 1881-1882 - Moore County Clerk.Vital statistics, births and deaths 1908-1911, births 1881-1882. Manuscript. TSLA, 1967. FS Catalog 501086
• 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 - 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
• 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry $
• 1872-1938 - Moore County Marriage Index 1872-1938 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1915-1978 - Moore County, Tennessee 1830-1993 index, 1915-1978. Manuscript. Tennessee, Chancery Court Records Click on Camera to view
• 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

• 1874-1955 Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1911 - Moore County Clerk.Vital statistics, births and deaths 1908-1911, births 1881-1882. Manuscript. TSLA, 1967. FS Catalog 501086
• 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
• 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

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 Moore County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Moore County Archives
241 Main Street, Suite 105
Lynchburg, TN 37352
Phone: 931-759-7068
Email: moorecountyarchives@yahoo.com
Website

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

• Columbia Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Fayetteville Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Huntsville Alabama FamilySearch Center
• Madison-Harvest Alabama FamilySeach Center
• McMinnville Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Murfreesboro Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Tullahoma Tennessee FamilySearch Center
• Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Spring Hill Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Moore County Public Library
P.O. Box 408
Lynchburg, TN 37352
Phone: 931-759-7285
Email: mcpl.lynchburg@gmail.com
WebsiteMoore County Archives

Societies

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

Moore County Historical Society
P.O. Box 408
Lynchburg, TN 37352
Facebook

Websites

• Chestnut Ridge Cousins Genealogy Records, Surname Exchange, Maps, Obituaries, Photos, History
• Moore County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Moore County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Moore 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

• "Moore County Genealogical Records Survey," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Spring 1989). For access, see Periodicals.

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Moore County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)