McMinn County, TennesseeEdit This Page

East Tennessee county. Established 1819.

The county is named after Tennessee Governor Joseph McMinn (1758-1824).^[3]

Parent County

1819--McMinn County was established 13 November 1819 from Cherokee Indian Lands.
County seat: Athens ^[4]

County Pronunciation

1. Hear it spoken^[5] (female)
2. Hear it spoken^[6] (male)

Boundary Changes

"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

• Lost censuses: 1820, 1890
• Lack of marriage records: 1819 to 1837

Although these are not burned records, applying strategies used for burned counties may aid in compensating for their loss. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:

• Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
• Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
• Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

Resources

Tnmcminn.png

Getting Started

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published McMinn County biography, census, history, land, and WPA records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

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

African American

United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Bible

• W.P.A. McMinn Transcripts Book [Bible records and original Cedar Grove cemetery]. Free Lookups Available!

Cemeteries

Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

Various volunteers are willing to search the McMinn County Cemetery Index by Sharon McCormack, which is based on Marvin and Samme Templin's book and cemetery webpages. Free Lookups Available!

Additional McMinn County cemetery resources include:

• Carlock Cemetery
• Pleasant Hill Methodist Cemetery
• Short Creek Baptist Cemetery

• For a volunteer willing to look up funeral Home records for the names Bayless, Bordwine, Dender, Evans, Jerry Smith, Kyker, Murphy, Quisenberry, Ziegler see the McMinn USGenWeb site.

Census

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of McMinn 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 McMinn County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project^®].

1820 - Lost^[7]

1830

• Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830. Free Lookups Available!

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, McMinn County on page 153.]

1850

• Boyer, Reba Bayless. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 (Seventh Census) for McMinn County, Tennessee. Athens, Tenn.: McMinn County Chapter, East Tennessee Historical Society, 1961. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8865 X2p 1850. Free Lookups Available!

1870

• Broyles, Bettye J. 1870 McMinn County, Tennessee, Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1983. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8865 X2b 1870. Free Lookups Available!

1880

• Sistler, Barbara and Byron Sistler. 1880 Census, McMinn County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1995. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8865 X2s 1880. Free Lookups Available!

Church

Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration.  For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.

In 1936, a helpful guide to McMinn County church records was publised by the Works Project Administration:

• Douthat, James L. McMinn County, Tennessee, Records : W.P.A. transcript. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 1991.  Reprint. FHL 976.8865 K2m

• McMinn County Church Records

- Family History Library Catalog - McMinn County Church Records

• Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.

- Family History Library Catalog - McMinn County Church History

• If the records you need are not in the Family History Library collection, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived.  Two sites that give information about churches in McMinn County are:

- List of McMinn County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)

- List of McMinn County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

Baptist

• [1832-1967]  Mars Hill Presbyterian Church Records. Athens, 1832-1967.  TSLA Reel #466 FHL 464124 Item 4
• [1832-1900] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. FHL 976.8 K29s vol.2   Mars Hill Presbyterian Church Records. Athens, 1832-1967.

Methodist Episcopal

• [1865-1929]   Athens Methodist Episcopal Church Records. McMinn County, 1865-1929. TSLA Reel #369
• [1827-1900] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. FHL 976.8 K29s vol.1   Index to original Athens Methodist Episcopal Church Records. McMinn County, 1865-1929.

Presbyterian

• 1823-1885 - Mars Hill Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1823-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C711041.^[8]
• 1823-1885 - Mars Hill Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1823-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M711041.^[8]

Court

• Boyer, Reba Bayless Chancery court records of McMinn County, Tennessee [Tennessee] " Reba B. Boyer, 1980 FHL US/CAN book 976.8865 P2bo Free lookups available!
• 1852-1930 McMinn County Chancery Court Records Index Free lookups available!

DNA

• [Brown] Multiple descendants of James S. Brown, b. 1780 Rockingham County, Virginia, resident of Lincoln County, Tennessee mid 1820s, resident of McMinn County, Tennessee 1830, d. 1876 DeKalb County, Alabama. Y-DNA 25 and 67 Marker Tests, FTDNA (Kits 39542, 82328). Genetic signatures available online (labeled Group No. 94), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study.

Family Histories

It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:

• Locate publications about direct ancestors
• Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
• Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in McMinn, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 45,000 entries.

Bibliography

• [Barnes] See Longley.
• [Bates] Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
• [Beavers] Beavers, Donald Lewis. Beavers Family: Charles Brack Beavers, 1876-1933. n.p.: D.L. Beavers, 1980?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B386be.
• [Bigham] Bigham, Esther W. Genealogical Collection of Esther Bigham. MSS., microfilmed in 1993. FHL US/CAN Film 1598133 Item 1. [Andres Bigham of McMinn County, Tennessee.]
• [Blake] Johnson, Chester R. The Blakes of Bibb County, Alabama, 1819-1988. Cullman, Ala.: Gregath, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B581j.
• [Boone] Hodges, J. E. Jesse Boone: His Ancestors and Descendants. Maiden, NC: Unknown, 1953. FHL US/CAN Film 1402779; digital version at Heritage Quest Online. ($).
• [Brown] Schofield, Cuma Drury. My Mother's Brown Family. [North Fork, Calif.: C.D. Schofield], 1990. FHL US/CAN Book 929.273 B812s.
• [Brown] McCornack, John C. The Family of Ollie Brown and Robert Austin of Scotts Hill, Tennessee and Foss, Oklahoma. [Peoria, Illinois]: J.C. McCornack, 1992. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B814; digital version at [ FamilySearch Books Online
• [Cantrell] See Longley.
• [Curd] See Longley.
• [Delzell] Delzell Family Bible Records, 1847-1936. Published before 1948. FHL US/CAN Film 875412 Item 6.
• [Dixon] Abshire, Wiley D. Dixon Genealogy. MSS., microfilmed in 1978. FHL US/CAN Film 1036379 Item 25.
• [Dodson] Lynn, Catherine Gaffin. The Dodson Family of Warren County, Tennessee and Allied Families. [Centerville, Tenn.: Lynn], 1974. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D668Lc.
• [Firestone] Russell, George Ely. "Firestone Family of Frederick Co., Md.," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jan. 1993):2-14; Vol. 9, No. 2 (Apr. 1993):62-72.
• [Gentry] Edwards, Helen Watson. Echoes of the Past: A Book for the Descendants of John Alexander Gentry and Minnie Bell Woods. Montgomery, Ala.: H.W. Edwards, 1992. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G289eh.
• [Hampton] Mellen, Diana L. Yesterday: The Hampton, McCracken, Longwith, Mabry & Wells Families. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H189hm.
• [Hemphill] Hemphill, Patricia Murphy. James M. Hemphill and Frances A. Neill: of North Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri: and Their Descendants (1800-1999). Decorah, Iowa: Anundsen, 1999. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H377hp.
• [Hunt] Hunt, Edward E. Descendants of Grandison Hunt, 1801-1982. Prepared abt 1982. FHL US/CAN Film 1320815 Item 42.
• [Kelley] Smith, Paul and Alba Nannie Hickman Smith. Joel Kelley, ca 1775 - ca 1862. Alpharetta, Georgia: P. Smith, 1984. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K287sm.
• [Kincheloe] Hendrix, Dorothy Kincheloe. Ancestors and Descendants of Alexander Bowling Kincheloe and Nancy Catherine Stout. Orem, Utah: D.K. Hendrix, 2001. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K574h.
• [Langley] See Longley.
• [Longley] Matthews, Addah Longley. Genealogy, Curd-Longley, Cantrell-Barnes. North Newton, KS: Mennonite Press, 1966. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C922g; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [Morris] Morris, James L. Our Morris Family. [Boise, Idaho]: J. Morris, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M831mjL.
• [Morton] Morgan, Donna Morton. The Lookout Mountain Mortons and Their Descendants: Plus Ancestors and Relatives from York Co., Pennsylvania; Mechklenburg Co., North Carolina; Blount Co., Tennessee; and Wacker Co., Georgia, 1731-1989. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1989. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M821mL.
• [Newman] Benson, Gracie Lee Armstrong, Alice Loraine Benson Slayden, Mildred Lindsey Strange and Susan Cantrill Christie. The Cantrell-Newman Genealogy. Bowie, Texas: Mrs. W.E. Benson & Mrs. J. Slayden, [1964]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C169b.
• [Owen] Owen, Cyril Revella Zina and Dorothy Barbara Cross Owen. Owen - Cross Family History. Aptos, Calif.: C.R.Z. & D.B.C. Owen, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ow2ocr.
• [Pope] Pope, George M. Our Pope Family in America: With Brief Genealogy of the Rutherford, Odell, Morgan and Banks Families. Murfreesboro, Tenn.: G.M. Pope, 2002. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P81pg.
• [Rothwell] Fischer, Myra Smith. A Rothwell Book: Comprising the Descendants of Claiborne Rothwell of Albemarle County, Virginia, through Nine Generations and Interesting Sketches About Some of His Descendants. Memphis, Tennessee: M.S. Fischer, 1964. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R746f; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [Rutherford] Guthrie, Glenita. Family Cookin' II: With a Dash of Family History. Westville, Oklahoma: G. Guthrie, [1995]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R159g.
• [Smart] Goforth, George Tuttle. Smart Genealogy. Annadale, Md.: G.T. Goforth, [198-]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6413.
• [Starr] Garrett, Sandi. Descendants of Thomas Starr, Nannie Wolf & Nancy Foreman: "Ani-Yun-Wa-Ya" Real People. Spavinaw, Oklahoma: Cherokee Woman Pub., 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 St28gsa.
• [Thomas] Roy, Claude N. The Roy Family of Virginia and Tennessee: Goddard, Thomas, Lee, McDaniel. n.p.: C.N. Roy, 1994. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R812rc.
• [Thompson] Thompson, Mary Ann Morris. Samuel Thompson of McMinn County, Tennessee and Some of His Descendants: Including the Related Families of Cobb, Cooke, Derrick, Lattimore and Rogers. Plano, Texas: M.A.M. Thompson, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T371tm.
• [Whitmore] Whitmore, Mary Louisa. A Brief History of Mary Louisa Whitmore. FHL FAM HIST Q Storage 929.273 W598wm.
• [Wolfe] Moore, Kenneth. Jeremiah Wolfe Family. Typescript, microfilmed in 2003. FHL US/CAN Film 1440545 Item 24.

Land

In 1970, TSLA microfilmed the original McMinn County Deed Books A to II (1820-1900) as well as a Deed Index (1893-1927). FHL copies: FHL Films 830197-830213.

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. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

Maps

Military

Revolutionary War

The following McMinn County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
• McQueen, Ed and Bigham, W.L. (Transcribed by) McMinn County, Tennessee Revolutionary War Pensioner's List
• TnGenWeb Revolutionary War Pensioner's Information of McMinn County, Tennesse

Additional resources include:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, McMinn County on page 153.]
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.]

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes McMinn County pensioners (p. 20).]

Civil War

• Civl War Research Database $
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from McMinn County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from McMinn County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Company C.
• 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
• 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) - CSA - Company G.
• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
• 16th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Neal's) - CSA - Company B.
• 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
• 39th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (W. M. Bradford's) (31st Infantry) - CSA - Company F.
• 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennesse Volunteers) - CSA - Company H.
• 59th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Cooke's) (Eakin's 1st Battalion) - CSA - Companies A and H.

Union Soldiers

• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies A and D.
• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company M.
• 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies C, D and I.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from McMinn County:

• Wiefering, Edna et al. Tennessee Union Soldiers: of Bradley, McMinn and Polk Counties Serving in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th TN Cavalry 5th TN Infantry and 5th TN Mounted Infantry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 M28tus.
• Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902.  Free digital copy.
• USGenWeb Archives, McMinn County Tennessee Archives, (accessed 31 Jan 2012).  Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : McMinn County, (accessed 31 Jan 2012). 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), (accessed 31 Jan 2012). Online at Internet Archive. McMinn County, page 359-360.
• TNGenWeb, McMinn County Military Units, (accessed 31 Jan 2012).  Confederate and Federal.

Newspapers

  Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at TSLA. Most of these newspapers may be accessed by interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee, although there are some newspapers which are not available in or outside of Tennessee. For further information regarding interlibrary loan policies and newspapers not available for interlibrary loan click here. For a list of newspapers available at the archives for McMinn County click on the following cities or towns:

• Athens
• Calhoun
• Englewood
• Etowah

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. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes McMinn County.]

Periodicals

Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:

Ansearchin' News

Genealogical articles with abstracts of McMinn County, Tennessee records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly FHL Book 976.8 B2a.

East Tennessee Roots

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of McMinn County, Tennessee records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots FHL Book 976.8 D25e.

Prisons

Learn if your McMinn County, Tennessee ancestors went to prison!

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online through TSLA.
• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online through TSLA.

Probate

In 1970, TSLA microfilmed McMinn County Will Books A to H (1819-1925). FHL copies: FHL Films 830194-830196.

FamilySearch has placed scans of the following records online in the Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 collection. These are browse-only collections. Handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes:

• Wills, 1819-1925 (Vols. A-H)
• Bonds, 1874-1921 (3 vols.)
• Bonds, Letters, 1897-1932 (2 vols.)
• Insolvent estate records, 1879-1942
• Inventories, 1873-1923 (Vols. 1-4)
• Settlements, 1876-1922 (2 vols.)

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early McMinn County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:

1. Will Book A: 1819-1830

McMinn County's probate records have been indexed and/or abstracted multiple times:

• [1819-1830] Strictly By Name (see above).
• [1820-1870] Boyer, Reba Bayless. Wills and Estate Records of McMinn County, Tennessee 1820-1870. 1966. FHL Book 976.8865 P2br. Free lookups available!
• [1820-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL Book 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's probate records.] Free Lookups Available!
• [1823-1851] [Dates?] Bell, Annie W.B. Record of Marriages and Wills in McMinn County, Tennessee, 1823-1851. 1935. FHL Film 823725 Item 5.
• [1828-1848] Historical Records Project (W.P.A.). Will Books, 1828-1848, McMinn County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed in 1940. FHL Film 24749.

Taxation

TSLA microfilmed the original McMinn County Tax Books 1829-1832, 1872, 1875-1898 back in 1970. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 830219-830225.

The following McMinn County tax records have been abstracted:^[9]

• [1825] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. & B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1825 tax list.]
• [1829-1832, 1836] Reksten, Harold and Reba Bayless Boyer. Index to McMinn County, Tennessee, Tax Lists 1829-1832, 1836 & Detail from 1836 Tax. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8865 R42r.
• [1836] "Plat of Districts, McMinn County, Tennessee" and "McMinn County, Tennessee Tax List 1836," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 36, No. 3 (Fall 1989):116-122, 129; Vol. 36, No. 4 (Winter 1989):183-188. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 36 (1989); free digital version at society's website. For further access, see Periodicals.

Vital Records

Marriage

Marriages were not officially recorded in McMinn County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice.^[10] The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:

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

The following McMinn County Courthouse marriage records have been indexed:

• 1820-1895 - McMinn County Marriage Index 1820-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.^[8]
• 1820-1870 - Boyer, Reba Bayless. Marriage Records of McMinn County, Tennessee, 1820-1870. 1964. FHL US/CAN 976.8865 V25b. Free Lookups Available!
• 1820-1870 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1987. FHL Book 976.8 V2s v. 1. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.] Free Lookups Available!
• 1838-1934 - Moses, Rex. McMinn Marriage Records 1838-1934. Free Lookups Available!

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of McMinn County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see:

• W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death

For deaths of Methodists in McMinn County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:

• 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. FHL 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.]

• For a volunteer to lookup death certificate records go to the McMinn genweb site.

Societies and Libraries

  McMinn Historical Society
6 East Madison Ave.
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: 1-423-744-3911
E-mail: mcminn history06@comcast.net

East Tennessee Historical Society
601 S. Gay St.
P.O. Box 1629
Knoxville, TN 37901-1629
Phone: 1-865-215-8824
E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

EG Fisher Library
1289 Ingleside Ave.
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: 1-423-745-7782
Hours: Mon., Tues. and Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wed. and Fri. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 a.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
E.G. Fisher Public "Library currently has over 1,000 books for the local history researcher, including county histories, transcribed county records, family histories, military histories, and church records. McMinn County, in particular, is the focus of the collection; however, the collection includes material on other East Tennessee counties, general Tennessee history, and genealogical material of other southern states, particularly Virginia and North Carolina."
Heritage Quest available

Carnegie Library
723 Ohio Ave.
Etowah, TN 37331
Phone: 1-423-263-9475
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:30-5:30
Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fort Loudoun Regional Library
718 George St.
Athens, TN 37303
Phone:1-423-745-5194

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Athens Tennessee

506 Cedar Springs Rd
Athens, TN
Phone: 1-423-745-0102

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond.

Web Sites

Wikipedia has more about this subject: McMinn County, Tennessee

• Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
• McMinn County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• McMinn County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
• McMinn County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• McMinn County, TN Heritage and Genealogy Page (American History and Genealogy Project)
• McMinn County, TN "Our Tennessee Home" (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TNMCMINN-L (McMinn County, Tennessee List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: SE-TN-L (Southeast Tennessee List)

References

1. ↑ Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.), 1941; "Earliest County Records," Tennessee State Library and Archives.
2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), McMinn County, Tennessee page 642, At various libr40ries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
3. ↑ "List of counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 642. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
5. ↑ Voice of Lynnae Weller, Kingsport, Tenn. (2010).
6. ↑ Voice of Gene Black, FamilySearch employee, former resident of Bristol, Tenn. (2010).
7. ↑ Mary Barnett Curtis, Early East Tennessee Tax Lists (Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964), FHL Book 976.8 R4c.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/8/88/Igitennesseel.pdf.
9. ↑ The Heritage Quest Online version of PERSI aided in the compilation of this list.
10. ↑ Gale Williams Bamman, C.G., "Research in Tennessee," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 2 (June 1993):105. FHL US/CAN Book 973 B2ng v. 81 (1993)

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