Tennessee Vital Records

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Tennessee

Vital Records

Births County Marriages Deaths Earliest 1881 1778 1881 Statewide Registration 1908 (1913 missing) 1915 1908 (1913 missing) General Compliance late 1920's 1838* late 1920's Many counties suffered courthouse disasters which destroyed vital records. See individual counties for record loss details.

Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

Birth

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

Marriages

• 1600s-1900s US Marriages – Tennessee, 1625-1966 at Findmypast — index & images ($)
• 1780-2002 Tennessee Marriage Index, 1780-2002 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry($)
• 1784-1825 Tennessee Compiled Marriages, 1784-1825 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1790-1950 - Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1796-1950 Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1838-1888 Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
• 1851-1900 Tennessee Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)

Death

• 1874-1955 Tennessee Deaths and Burials, 1874-1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry($)
• 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908-1933 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1908-1965 Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1914-1931 Index to Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1931 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
• 1914-1966 Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

City & County Databases

• 1801-1974 Tennessee, Jackson County Records, 1801-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1809-1975 Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1872-1923 Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1880-1910 Tennessee, Montgomery County Delayed Birth Certificates, 1880-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1900-1913 Tennessee, Davidson County, Death Records, 1900-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

• 1800-1965 Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Tennessee Divorces at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Order Certificates

• Order Tennessee Certificates - ($)

Birth Records

Before 1874

No births were recorded by government agencies prior to 1874. See Substitute Records below.

1874 to 1908 Some counties have early birth records kept at the county courthouse which are microfilmed. Locate these records through the FamilySearch Catalog under TENNESSEEE [COUNTY] VITAL RECORDS.

Four cities recorded births and as indicated in the chart below. These records are available from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Most of these records are also available at FamilySearch Library.

• Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 at Ancestry ($)

Birth Records Pre-1908

Chattanooga from 1879 FS Library has 1911-1915 FS Library film 1303215 Item 2

Knoxville from 1881 FS Library film 1276584-5

Memphis from 1874

Nashville from 1881 FS Library film 1276576(first of 10 films)

1908 to 1912

Hinkle Gladles birth certificate.JPG

Most counties kept birth records beginning in 1908. During the month of July, the clerk of the Board of School Directors was required to collect and report the births and deaths that had occurred in his district during the previous year. Their reports were sent to the Secretary of the County Board of Health (County Clerk) and from there to the State Board of Health.

Tennessee State Board of Health. Births (Enumerator Record Series), 1908–1912. The index is in soundex. The record usually lists the child’s name, birth date and county, certificate number, and name of mother.

1913 During 1913, the state legislature failed to pass a statute requiring the gathering of birth and death information. However, Davidson County and Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville cities all collected birth and death information during 1913.

1914 to present

Virginia Hatfield birth certificate.JPG

Beginning 1 January 1914, statewide registration of vital statistics began but was not generally complied with until 1927. Tennessee birth records are closed for 75 years. Births more than 100 years old are maintained by the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Three types of birth records are available from the Tennessee Department of Health. All births 1914 to present can be ordered in long form. Births after 1949-present can also be ordered in short form. The short form is a computer-generated copy of the birth certificate. Both types of certificates are certified. Certifed records are available only to the person named on the record and to certain family members.

In addition, a "verification of birth facts" is available for genealogical research. Most genealogical information found in a Tennessee birth certificate can be provided to any requestor of a "verification of birth facts". This is a hand-written transcript of the birth record.

Click on image to enlarge

Information in Tennessee Birth Records

Types of Information	1908 - 1912	1914 - present
Name of Child	x	x
Sex	x	x
Race	x	x
Parents' Names	x	x
Midwife/Doctor	x	x
Date & Place of Birth	x	x
Residence	x	x

Delayed Birth Records

In 1935, Tennessee began issuing delayed birth certificates. An applicant for a delayed birth certificate was required to supply documents and letters supporting their claim to a delayed birth certificate. The Tennessee State Library and Archives will search delayed births for the years 1869-1909. Delayed birth requests are accepted by mail only. Also online at:

• 1869-1909 Tennessee, Delayed Birth Records at Ancestry ($)

Delayed births after 1910 are held by the Office of Vital Records, Department of Health.

FamilySearch Catalog

• Dyer County, Delayed birth record, 1900-1946

Marriage Records

County marriage records are the earliest and most complete vital records for Tennessee. The records which have survived usually begin within a few years of each county’s organization. Marriage records from the earliest dates to the present are kept by the county clerk for each county. Since 1 January 1949, duplicates have been sent to the Office of Vital Statistics.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of most of the existing county marriage records from the county organization date to the early 1900's. Access these records through the FamilySearch Catalog Tennessee County Name. Many early Tennessee marriages to about 1950 are extracted and found in the International Genealogical Index. This index is accessed at Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950. For a breakdown of the Tennessee marriages indexed in the International Genealogical Index, visit Hugh Wallis's IGI Batch Numbers for Tennessee, US.... Copy the batch number, paste it into the appropriate search box in the FamilySearch link posted above in this paragraph.

About 20 Tennessee counties did not begin officially recording marriages in registers until a state law passed mandating the practice in 1838. Many of the loose marriage licenses and bonds created before that time have been lost. Soderberg and Creekmore quote the Acts of Tennessee (1838, ch. 118, sec. 2) as follows:

It was not until 1838 that the clerks were required "to keep a well bound book, in which they shall register the names of the parties, and the date of issuance of each marriage license."

The following counties, though many had been in existence for more than a decade, did not begin registering marriages until that time: Anderson, Benton, Campbell, Cannon, Carroll, Claiborne, Fayette, Franklin, Henry, Johnson, Lauderdale, Lincoln, Madison, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Smith, Stewart, Tipton, and Weakley. A useful substitute for counties where marriages were not officially recorded, or where courthouses burned is:

• Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FS Catalog book 976.8 V2L.

In the 1930s, W.P.A. workers indexed many Tennessee county marriage records. Edythe Whitley Rucker notes that when she went back to these courthouses several decades later to make new indexes, some of the records the W.P.A. found had gone missing for various counties, possibly due to theft. Therefore, it is crucial to search W.P.A. indexes for your county's marriages, in addition to more modern published indexes and online indexes, or you may overlook marriages that have disappeared.

FamilySearch now includes indexed Tennessee marriages. Indicate a surname, marriage "event" and a county name. Browse through the results for that surname. You may need to supply any variant spellings of the surname in separate searches.

Beginning in 1945, Tennessee required registration of marriages with the state. These records have been indexed and are at the Office of Vital Statistics. The FamilySearch Library does not have copies of these records. Reels of microfilm containing marriage records can be borrowed on inter-library loan from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Counties continue to keep their own records of marriages. Many of these later marriages are available on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives or the county courthouse. See individual Tennessee counties in the wiki for the availability of county marriage records.

Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties. In particular, most Davidson county marriages after 1900 are not included.
You can find early Tennessee published marriage records through:

• Early East Tennessee Marriages. This source indexes pre-1861 marriages from 20 counties, listing the bride and groom and the date and county of the marriage. There is a separate index for brides and grooms.

• Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. This source indexes pre-1861 marriages from 27 counties, listing the bride and groom and the date and county of the marriage. There is a separate index for brides and grooms.

• Early West Tennessee Marriages. This source indexes pre-1861 marriages from 15 counties, listing the bride and groom and the date and county of the marriage. There is a separate index for brides and grooms.

• Marriage Records. Contains marriage records for several Tennessee counties from the late 1700's to 1926, as well as marriage records from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Dates vary with the county.
• Marriage Records: Early–1850. Contains marriage records for Tennessee, as well as marriage records from Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Information in Tennessee Marriage Records

Types of Information	early - 1945	1945 - present
Name of Bride/Groom	x
Date of Marriage	x
Location of Marriage	x
Presiding Official	x
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Residence at Time of Marriage

• Gretna Greens. When a Tennessee couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Fort Southwest Point TN for frontier couples, or Rome GA, or Mount Airy NC, or Pike County, Kentucky.

Death Records

Before 1872

No deaths were recorded by government agencies before 1872. See Substitute Records below.

1872 to 1908

Some counties have early death records kept at the county courthouse which are microfilmed. Locate these records through the FamilySearch Catalog under TENNESSEEE [COUNTY] VITAL RECORDS.

Four cities collected death information and maintained these records on the city level. These records are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The FamilySearch Library collection also includes these records.

Death Records Pre-1908

Chattanooga from 1872 FS Library film 1303220

Knoxville from 1881 FS Library film 1276602

Memphis from 1848 FS Library film 1465227

Nashville from 1881 FS Library film 1303216

Hatfield Death Certificate

1908 to 1912

Most counties kept death records beginning in 1908. During the month of July, the clerk of the Board of School Directors was required to collect and report the births and deaths which occurred in his district during the previous year. Their reports were sent to the Secretary of the County Board of Health (County Clerk) and from there to the State Board of Health. Death records for 1908–1912 do not list the names of parents. This register is at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Tennessee State Board of Health. Deaths (Enumerator Record Series), 1908–1912 FS Library film 338140. These records are arranged by enumerator record number. An index to these early death records is found at the Tennessee State Library and Archives listing 98,000 deaths or at Tennessee Deaths and Burials, 1874-1955. An index to the deaths is also found in the filmed record collection. Copies of certificates can be orderd from the State Library and Archives or accessed in the FamilySearch Library collection.

Click on image to enlarge

1914 to Present

Hatfield, Joseph Jr Death Certificate

Tennessee began registration of deaths after 1914. Originally, deaths were reported by the local undertaker. If a family buried their dead without the use of an undertaker, often the death was not recorded in state records. Some deaths were unreported as late as 1936. Also check vital records on the county level. Occasionally deaths recorded at the county level were not returned to the state. Certificates more than 50 years old are housed at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Certificates newer than 50 years can be ordered from the Tennessee Department of Health.

The FamilySearch Library collection includes death certificates 1914-1950 FS Library film 1299605 (first of 527 films and 1951-1958 FS Library film 2372443 (first of 229 films). If you cannot access the free online indexes described in the following paragraph, you may use the yearly indexes included in this film collection. Some years are indexed by soundex.Convert the surname to its soundex equivalent; search the index first by surname, then by given name. Note the certificate number. Then, locate the appropriate film for the death year and certificate number.

Indexed images for Tennessee Death Certificates are available online at no cost at Tennessee Deaths 1914-1955. Another copy of these records is available for free to Tennessee residents at Tennessee, Death Records, 1908–1951 at Ancestry ($). The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a free online statewide index to deaths 1914-1933. The Shelby County Clerk website has an online statewide death index 1949-2014. This index includes certificate numbers. Note the certificate number on this index, then locate the appropriate FS Library or TSLA (pre-1961)film for the death year and certificate number. If the record you find is after 1960, you will need to contact the Tennessee Department of Health for copies.

You may also want to search both Tennessee Death Records Index 1874-1955 and Tennessee Deaths 1914-1955. These are independent indexes and so the information may vary between databases. Always search for variant name spellings if you do not find your expected record. And, remember that women will be probably be found under their married surnames.

Information in Tennessee Death Records

Types of Information	1908-1912	1914 - present
Name of Deceased	x	x
Date of Death	x	x
Place of Death	x	x
Date of Birth/Age	x	x
Place of Birth		x
Place of Burial	sometimes	x
Parents' Names/Maiden		x
Occupation of Deceased		x
Marital Status	sometimes	x

Published Book

• 1780-1805 - Meier, Oveda. Tennessee Ancestors: The Brave and the Dead, Probate and Death Records of Early Middle Tennessee, 1780–1805. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1990. (FamilySearch Library FS Library film 1697372; book 976.8 P2m. This source contains abstracts of probate, Bible, and court records, county histories, and military death records for Davidson and Sumner counties. It includes a surname index.

Cause of Death

• Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Divorce Records

Prior to 1834, divorces are found in legislative papers. The Index to Names in Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 provided by the Tennessee State Library and Archives will search for any person found in the legislative papers. The state constitution of 1834 then gave individual county circuit and chancery courts the power to grant divorces. Circuit courts handled divorce proceedings which did not involve a dispute over the division of property. Divorces that did involve property disputes were handled by the Chancery court. The Tennessee State Library and Archives suggests that you read their document Courts Where Tennessee Court Cases Were Tried to aid in determining which court records are most likely to hold the records you desire.

• Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 at Ancestry ($)

The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a state-wide divorce index for July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1959. divorce records prior to 1960.

Divorce records for the past fifty years are available to order online at the Tennessee Office of Vital Records or by mail. For divorces prior to 1994, the husband's name is required to search the records. After 1994, a search can be done using either the wife's maiden name or the husband's name.

• Bamman, Gale Williams. Tennessee Divorces, 1797 to 1858: Taken from 750 Legislative Petitions and Acts. Nashville, Tennessee: G.W. Bamman, 1985. FS Library 976.8 P2bThis book contains abstracts of divorce decrees in alphabetical order by the name of the person requesting the divorce. It indexes every name.

To find divorce records in the FamilySearch Library collection, perform a Place Search of the FamilySearch Library [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog Catalo... under the following topics:

TENNESSEE - COURT RECORDS

TENNESSEE - VITAL RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY] - COURT RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY] - DIVORCE RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY] - VITAL RECORDS

Additional Helps

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.
• Most information from Tennessee births, deaths, marriages, and divorces can be provided to any requestor as a handwritten transcript, called a verification.
• Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Tennessee to locate records filed by the State. Search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.

Research Guides

The Tennessee Library and Archives Internet site listed in the Archives and Libraries describes in more detail many of the state’s vital records. See United States vital records wiki pages for more detailed information on the value and content of vital records.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives offers a free online research guide:

• Finding Birth & Death Records in Tennessee

Lost and Missing Records

See the heading "Record Loss" in each individual county.
For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:

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

Substitute Records

These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

• Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.

• Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.

• Census Records: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.

• Newspapers: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.

• Obituaries: Obituaries found in newspapers can list the age of the deceased, birth date and place, death date and place, and names of living relatives and their residences.

• Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted early birth, marriage and death information.

• Military Records: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information, In addtion, soldiers' homes records can included this same information.

• Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.

• Histor...: Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the FamilySearch Catalog.

FamilySearch Library Vital Records Collections

To find vital records, consult the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Library Catalog... under:

TENNESSEE - VITAL RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY] - VITAL RECORDS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS

Tennessee Vital Records Index

This is a collection of FamilySearch Library records which are abstracted, indexed and titled the Tennessee Vital Records Index. For over 30 years, volunteer indexers extracted this information from microfilm copies of the original records. In 1998, a few of the entries were published on 7 CDs by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the "North America Vital Records Index." This index is an index of the births, marriages, and deaths throughout Kentucky. The index is not necessarily complete for any particular place or region.

These records are available online for free at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection....