Tennessee Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Tennessee online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Tennessee Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Tennessee statewide beginning in 1907, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1828-1939: Tennessee Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- 1869-1909: Tennessee Delayed Birth Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1908-1912: Tennessee Birth Records (ER Series) at FamilySearch; index & images
Marriages
- 17thc-20thc: US Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
- 1780-2002: Tennessee State Marriage index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1784-1825: Tennessee Compiled Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1790-1950: Tennessee County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1796-1950: Tennessee Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1810-1965: Tennessee Church Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1838-1888: Tennessee Civil Marriages at FamilySearch; images only
- 1851-1900: Tennessee Compiled Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
- Tennessee Records: Bible Records and Marriage Bonds at Ancestry; images only ($)
- Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records at Ancestry - index only ($)
Deaths
- 1874-1955: Tennessee Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1908-1933: Tennessee Deaths at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1908-1965: Tennessee Death Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1914-1966: Tennessee Death at FamilySearch; index & images
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Tennessee, see How to Find Tennessee Birth Records, How to Find Tennessee Marriage Records, and How to Find Tennessee Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1907. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- Online Tennessee Death Records & Indexes
- GenealogyBuff Obituaries
- ObitsArchive.com - Tennessee ($)
- ObituariesHelp.org - Tennessee Newspaper Obituaries Listings
- The Obituary Link Page - Tennessee Obituary Links
- 1899-2012 United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Cemeteries
- Findagrave.com
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Tennessee Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Tennessee Cemetery Records at Interment
- Tennessee Records: Tombstone Inscriptions and Manuscripts at Ancestry ($)
- Tennessee, Relocated Cemeteries Index, 1787-1975 at Ancestry ($)
- Tennessee Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Tennessee Valley Grave Cemetery Relocation at Tennessee Valley Authority
- Tennessee Valley Cemetery Relocation Files, 1933-1990 at Ancestry ($)
- Online Tennessee Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Jewish Cemeteries in Tennessee at Find-A-Grave
- Tennessee Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Tennessee Obituaries and Tennessee Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Tennessee, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Tennessee, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Tennessee Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Tennessee Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.