Tennessee Research Tips and Strategies

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Tennessee

Research Tips and Strategies

Tennessee Research Strategies

Links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Tennessee

• Tennessee Online Genealogy Records
• How to find Tennessee Birth Records
• How to find Tennessee Marriage Records
• How to find Tennessee Death Records

Tennessee Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Tennessee.

Birth information  Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Tennessee with general compliance by 1927. The best substitute record for locating birth information is death records (the majority of death records will list the date of birth of the decedent, and since death certificates are considered a primary resource, they can provide you with the same documentation as a birth certificate). Or, try these other substitute records.

Finding Parents   Statewide registration of deaths began in 1914 in Tennessee with general compliance by 1936. They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search Tennessee death records

Look in all censuses   Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

Tennessee Record Finder

This Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research.

1. What you are looking for:	2. Try these records first:	3. Other useful records
Birth information	Birth records, Death records, Obituaries, Church records	Cemeteries, Naturalization and Citizenship, Bible records, Military records (pension)
Marriage information	Marriage records, Obituaries, Bible records	Church records, Probate records, Military records
Death information	Death Records, Cemeteries, Obituaries	Probate Records, Church Records, Bible Records
Parents	Birth records, Death records, Obituaries, Census, Church records	Biography, Genealogy
Maiden name	Marriage Records, Obituaries, Probate records	Church Records, Military Records (pension)
Immigration date	Emigration and Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship, Census	Obituaries, Biography, History
Naturalization	Naturalization and Citizenship, Census, Court Records	Voting Registers, Biography, Periodicals
Physical description	Military Records, Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906)	Biography, History

To look for more Tennessee records, go here.

Further Tennessee Research

For more research on Tennessee, including research at the county level, visit the Tennessee page on the Research Wiki.

Search all of the Tennessee record collections at FamilySearch.