Decatur County borders the Tennessee River in West Tennessee and was established in 1845. Its name honors Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), American naval officer who won fame in the War with Tripoli in 1804, in the War of 1812, and in the Algerine War in 1815 for his daring exploits. Carved from land originally claimed by the Chickasaws, the area was part of the Jackson Purchase of 1818. Decatur County was initially part of Perry County, which is on the east shore of the river, but citizens on the western side petitioned the general assembly for a new county in 1845. In 1849 Decatur County gained an additional three-mile strip from Hardin County, making its total area 346 square miles. According to the 2000 census, 11,731 people live in the county.
Largely rural in nature, Decatur County contains several small towns and communities. Decaturville, established in 1847 near the center of the county, serves as the county seat.
Newspapers were published in Decaturville and Parsons. Scattered early issues are available from 1883, and a complete run begins in 1961. See Extended History for More information. There were fires at the Decatur County courthouse in 1869 and 1927, most records were destroyed in the 1869 fire.
Decatur County is bordered by Benton County (north), Perry County (east), Wayne County (southeast), Hardin County (south), Henderson County (west) and Carroll County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Decaturville, Parsons, Scotts Hill. The Official County Website is located at http://www.decaturcountytn.org/
Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Decatur County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Bradley County Records. Newspaper Microfilms are loaned to Tennessee libraries. Individual reels may also be purchased. An Inventory of Newspapers on Microfilm at TSLA is available on our web site..
Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Decatur County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1869 and Probate Records from 1869 and is located at P.O. Box 488, Decaturville, TN 38329-0488; 731-852-3417, [EMAIL].
The County Clerk maintains Marriage & Divorce records. It also has jurisdiction over probate cases. Wills, administrations, and all other records pertaining to probate are recorded in the respective county clerk's office. If the will or administration was contested, the records of these actions may be filed in the circuit court or chancery court.
Decatur County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1849 and is located at P.O. Box 488, Decaturville, TN 38329-0488; Telephone: 731-852-3712, [EMAIL] .
The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Decatur county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Decatur County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1868 and is located at P.O. Box 488, Decaturville, TN 38329-0488; Telephone: 731-852-3125, [EMAIL] .
Circuit Court Clerks serve an important role in the operation of the court system in Tennessee. Chancery courts have jurisdiction over property disputes, and circuit courts oversee criminal cases, divorces, and adoptions. Early courts included courts of common pleas and quarter sessions.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
Contact the Decatur County Clerk For County Marriage Divorce Records (See Decatur County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where Certificate was granted.
Tennessee State Vital Records, is located at Central Services Building, 1st Floor, 421 5th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37243; Phone (615) 741-1763, FAX (615) 741-9860. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records registers and maintains the original certificates of births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occur in Tennessee. They have the following records:
Make certified checks and money orders should be made payable to "Tennessee Vital Records". Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services. Please do not send cash or checks. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Tennessee State Vital Records, Central Services Building, 1st Floor, 421 5th Avenue North, Nashville, TN, 37243.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Decatur County, Tennessee are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Decatur County, Tennessee are Industry and Agriculture Schedules available for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Census Records by clicking the link below:

Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Tennessee and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Tennessee showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Tennessee showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Maps. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Maps by clicking the link below:

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Tennessee tax lists can be used to locate families, document historic properties and study community history. Early tax lists generally include all white males over 21 and indicate whether they owned land or slaves. They usually do not provide other personal information.
The tax lists enumerated for Decatur County for the years: 1888, 1889, 1896-1898 ; are available on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. They are generally filed with each county's records, but some early lists are in a separate collection. To order a search of the records by mail, follow this link [EMAIL]
The 1796 Constitution levied taxes on every freeman of the age of twenty-one years and upward possessing a freehold in the county wherein he may vote, and being an inhabitant of this State, and every freeman being an inhabitant of any one county in the State six months immediately preceding the day of the election, shall be entitled to vote....
Many early surviving tax records were published in an effort to replace the missing federal censuses. Original extant tax records are preserved in the respective county courthouse as well as in the Tennessee State Library and Archives, where a card index exists for tax records in its collection pre-dating 1835, arranged by county, date, and district.
Original tax schedules for most Tennessee counties for 1836 through 1839 are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
The 1891 tax lists of male inhabitant voters in each county were recently found. Available on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, these nine reels are arranged alphabetically within each district in each county. Tax records from trustees office in counties are available on microfilm as well.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
There are many churches and cemeteries in Decatur County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Decatur County Tombstone Transcription Project. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.
Although few histories for Tennessee churches have been published, there are church records for almost every county in the state. Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist were the principal religions of early settlers in the state, and documents from these groups make up the largest number of records available. Other representative religions include Lutheran, Church of Christ, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Jewish. Most early Tennessee churches only kept minutes and membership records. Church records could, however, include records of baptism, marriage, burial, membership, or removal, but it is rare to find all or several of these categories maintained by one church.
A large collection of transcripts of Tennessee cemetery records has been compiled by members of chapters of the DAR. Records collection available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives and through the FHL. The state library and archives has notebooks containing listings of cemetery records.
County genealogical and historical societies and local citizens have collected, compiled, and published numerous volumes of cemetery records.
Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Decatur County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Decatur County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Decatur County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

The county's largest town, Parsons, like many nineteenth-century communities in West Tennessee, developed around newly laid railroad tracks. In 1889 local entrepreneur Henry Myracle encouraged area settlement by donating 143 acres to the Tennessee Midland Railroad Company. Initially called Parsons Flat after Myracle's son-in-law Dock Parsons, the town gained its charter in 1913.
Perryville (1825) is the county's oldest community. The mid-twentieth-century construction of the Gilbertsville Dam (Kentucky Dam and Lake), however, flooded the old town and forced many of its residents into Parsons. In 1971 Perryville's post office officially closed, changing its status from town to village. Other communities in Decatur County include Bible Hill, Sugar Tree, Bath Springs, Scotts Hill, Tie Whop, Lick Skillet, Beacon, and Jeanette.
Agriculture continues to provide the primary economic base in Decatur County; cotton and corn were the earliest staple crops. In the 1970s, as many farmers began dividing their time between the factory and the fields, soy beans, a less demanding crop, gained in popularity. Livestock, particularly hogs, also have been an important source of income in the county, with the principal markets in Decaturville and Scotts Hill. Since the 1960s area lakes have supported catfish farms and musseling businesses.
Decatur County's abundant resources have attracted several businesses. In 1846 Brownsport Iron Company established iron-smelting furnaces on 12,000 acres near Decaturville, where it continued operations until 1878. Limestone, which is plentiful throughout the county, supports a variety of gravel industries, and phosphate is found along the Beech River. The county is also rich in timber. Native hardwoods such as white and red oak, hickory, and tulip poplar supply local sawmills.
Decatur County gained its first manufacturing plant in 1938, when Salant & Salant, makers of men's work shirts, opened a factory in Parsons. It expanded from five to fifty operators in the first nine months, and by 1979 employed nearly seven hundred workers. Industrial development accelerated in the post-World War II era. By the late 1970s industries in Parsons included Kaddis Manufacturing Corporation, makers of machine parts; Decaturville Sportswear Company; and Thermo Dynamics, which manufactured refrigerators. A commercial refrigerator company, Kol-pak Industries, operates in Decaturville, as does Karlyn Manufacturers, an apparel producer. Kol-pak is now the county's largest employer, while the textile companies have greatly decreased their operations.
Transportation provided the key factor to Decatur County's economic development. The railroad promoted settlement and initial development of the area. Trains made their first stops in Perryville in 1889 but had suspended service to the county by 1936. In the early twentieth-century road construction opened the county to industry. In 1930 the Alvin C. York Memorial Bridge opened at Perryville. The one-mile span over the Tennessee River made the county more accessible to automobile and truck traffic. The construction of a municipal airport, Scott Field, in Parsons, brought Decatur County into the age of air transportation in 1959.