Sequatchie County, Tennessee Genealogy


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

County Facts
County seat: Dunlap
Organized: December 9, 1857
Parent County(s): Hamilton[1]
Neighboring Counties
BledsoeGrundyHamiltonMarionVan BurenWarren
See County Maps
Courthouse
Sequatchie county tn.jpg
Location Map
Sequatchie County Tennessee.png

County Information

Description

Sequatchie County was named for the Sequatchie Valley, which in turn had been named for a Cherokee chief. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Sequatchie County Courthouse
22 Cherry Street, Ste 4
Dunlap, TN 37327
County Courthouse Phone: 423-949-3479
County Clerk Phone: 423-949-2522
County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-949-2512
County Clerk Master Phone: 423-949-3670
County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, and probate records from 1858
Clerk of Circuit Court has divorce and court records
Register of Deeds has land records[3]

Sequatchie 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
1858 1858 1858 1858 1858 1858 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

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:[6]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Additional Information
East Tennessee county in the Sequatchie Valley.

The county is named after a "Cherokee word believed to mean opossum, he grins or runs."[7]

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

  • Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FS Library US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at MyHeritage ($).
  • Tennessee Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. Coal Mines and Mining--Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: A.B. Travel, 1883. Free digital copy.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Sequatchie 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.
1860 2,120
1870 2,335 10.1%
1880 2,565 9.9%
1890 3,027 18.0%
1900 3,326 9.9%
1910 4,202 26.3%
1920 3,632 −13.6%
1930 4,047 11.4%
1940 5,038 24.5%
1950 5,685 12.8%
1960 5,915 4.0%
1970 6,331 7.0%
1980 8,605 35.9%
1990 8,863 3.0%
2000 11,370 28.3%
Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.

1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Sequatchie 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 Sequatchie County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned images of census microfilm. The USGenWeb Census Project®.

1810-1891

1860

  • Douthat, James L. 1860 Sequatchie County, Tennessee Census. Signal Mountain, Tennessee James L. Douthat, 1983. FS Catalog 976.877 X2d
  • Goins, Sarah A. and Norma Jean Hobbs. 1860 Census, Sequatchie County, Tennessee. S.l.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 198-?. FS Catalog 976.877 X2g 1860

1870

  • Goins, Sarah A. and Norma Jean Hobbs. United States Census, Sequatchie County, Tennessee 1870. S.l.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 198-?. FS Catalog 976.877 X2h

1880

  • Hobbs Norma Jean and Sarah A. Goins. United States Census, Sequatchie County, Tennessee 1880. Dunlap, Tennessee N. Hobbs & S. Goins, 1986. FS Catalog 976.877 X2h 1880
  • Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Sequatchie County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1994. FS Catalog 976.877 X2s 1880

1891 Male Voters

1910

  • Goins, Sarah A. and Norma Jean Hobbs. Sequatchie County, Tennessee, 1910 Census. S.l.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 1986. FS Catalog 976.877 X2g 1910

1920

  • Goins, Sarah A. and Norma Jean Hobbs. 1920 Census, Sequatchie County, Tennessee. Dunlap, Tennessee Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 198-? . FS Catalog 976.877 X2g 1920

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • Compendium of Local Biography Sequatchie County, Tn. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1997?. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.877 D3c.
  • Douthat, James L. Sequatchie Families: Biographical Sketches of the Earlier Settlers of the Sequeatchie Valley of Tennessee. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1983. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.87 D3d.

Bibliography

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Sequatchie Valley

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

  • Raulston, J. Leonard and James Weston Livingood. Sequatchie: A Story of the Southern Cumberlands. Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1974. FS Library US/CAN Book 976.87 H2r.

Maps and Gazetteers

Van Buren CountyGrundy CountyWarren CountyBledsoe CountyHamilton CountyMarion CountyTN SEQUATCHIE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Revolutionary War

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 Sequatchie County pensioners (p. 52).

Civil War

Online Records

Regiments. Men in Sequatchie 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 Sequatchie County:

Confederate Soldiers

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Sequatchie County:

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

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

Obituaries

Other Records

Prisons

Periodicals

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

Probate Records

The Sequatchie County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for probate records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

The original Sequatchie County Tax Books (1861-1891) are held at the County Courthouse. GSU microfilmed these records in 1969: FS Library US/CAN Film 1012196.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

  • 1861 Goins, Sara and Paula Carle Bosch. "1861 Sequatchie County, Tennessee Tax List"

Vital Records

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

Birth

Marriage

Online indexes and Records

Book Abstracts and Indexes

Death

Divorce

Online Records

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Sequatchie County Public Library
227 Cherry St.
Dunlap, TN 37327
Phone: 423-949-2357
Fax: 423-949-6619
Website

Museums

Societies

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

Sequatchie Valley Historical Association
350 Mountain View Road
Dunlap, TN 37327
Phone: 423-949-2294
Website

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. Wikipedia contributors, "Sequatchie, Tennessee" in Wikipedia accessed 03 Jan 2019
  3. The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Putnam County, Tennessee, p.643
  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, "Sequatchie County, Tennessee," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequatchie_County,_Tennessee, accessed 25 September 2020.
  7. "List of counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
  8. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at Media:Igitennessees.pdf.