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The Cherokees and Chickasaws ceded the land that comprises Lincoln County in 1806. Settlers arrived almost immediately, although surveyors and prospective settlers came as early as 1784 to establish boundaries for Revolutionary War land warrants.
Some of the first settlers included Drury Abbott; Ezekiel Norris; Joseph Alexander and Andrew Greer; William and Thomas Edmonson; Robert Farquharson; and James Bright. The county, which contains 520 square miles, was established by an act of the general assembly in 1809 from Bedford County and named in honor of Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810), American Revolutionary officer, U.S. secretary of war, commander of forces that suppressed Shay’s Rebellion in 1787 and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.
Commissioners John Whitaker Sr., Wright Williams, Eli Garrett, Littleton Duty, and Jesse Woodruff were appointed to purchase 100 acres near the center of the county to establish a county seat. Ezekiel Norris sold the land near the Elk River that became the town of Fayetteville, and the commissioners laid off town lots, which were sold in 1810. The first court was held in the home of Brice Garner, the first county clerk. In 1811 the first courthouse was constructed of logs. The present Colonial Revival-style courthouse was built in 1970 and is the fourth one in the county's history.
Newspapers were published in Fayetteville. Scattered early issues are available from 1817, and a complete run begins in 1976. See Extended History for More information.
Lincoln County is bordered by Bedford County (north), Moore County (northeast), Franklin County (east), Madison County, Alabama (south), Limestone County, Alabama (southwest), Giles County (west) and Marshall County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Fayetteville, Petersburg. The Official County Website is located at http://www.vallnet.com/lincolncounty/
Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Lincoln County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Lincoln 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.. Lincoln County, Tennessee History Books at Amazon.com.
Click Here to Search Tennessee Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records!
Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.
Lincoln County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1823 and Probate Records from 1809 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, TN 37334; (931) 433-1482.
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.
Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
Lincoln County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1810 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, TN 37334; (931) 433-2454.
The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Lincoln county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Lincoln County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1810 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, TN 37334; (931) 433-2334.
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.
There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912, Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records, Tennessee Marriages to 1825; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 and Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900.
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Tennessee Birth, Marriage & Death Records!
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Contact the Lincoln County Clerk For County Marriage Divorce Records (See Lincoln 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.
There are a few online marriage databases which include: Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912, Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records, Tennessee Marriages to 1825; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 and Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Tennessee Voter Lists & Census Records!
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 Lincoln County, Tennessee are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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 Lincoln County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Maps by clicking the link below:
Search Tennessee Military Records!
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 Lincoln County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County for the years: 1829-1833, 1836, 1846-1850, 1865-1867, 1870-1889, 1892-1900 ; 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 Lincoln County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Tennessee Obituary Records!
This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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 Lincoln County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Tennessee Family Tree Records!
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 Lincoln County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Lincoln County is located in southern Middle Tennessee, with most of the county in the Central Basin and the remainder on the Highland Rim. The Elk River runs through the county from the northeast to the southwest, dividing the county into two nearly equal parts.
The "Town Spring," located on one of the lots, provided most of the town's water until additional springs were discovered five miles south of Fayetteville at Rainy Falls. In 1899 the Fayetteville Gravity Flow Water System, completed at a cost of thirty-seven thousand dollars, brought fresh water to the town. This unique gravitational flow system excited the interest of engineers from as far away as New York and brought visitors to see the system in operation. Water flowed into a large reservoir located on a hill above Fayetteville at a rate of 225,000 gallons daily. The system provided water for families and mills until the 1920s when Fayetteville's needs surpassed the capacity of the springs.
Lincoln County provided twenty-one companies of volunteers to the Confederate cause. Although no major battles were fought in Lincoln County, the area suffered severely from troop movements and the bands of armed men who raided, abused, robbed, and murdered defenseless people. Fortunately for the history of Lincoln County, the courthouse was not burned, and the county records were safely hidden by concerned citizens.
A number of small communities and villages dot the countryside. Most of the communities developed around local post offices, schools, churches, or stores. Today, the schools have been consolidated into the county system, the stores have closed, and the post office is in Fayetteville, but many communities still maintain their sense of pride and history. A few of the larger communities are Blanche, Taft, Coldwater, Dellrose, Elora, Flintville, Kelso, and Mulberry.
From 1875 to 1920 the Lincoln County economy depended on railroads. Petersburg, the county's second largest town, was once a thriving railroad village. Located on the Marshall County line, Petersburg's access to the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad made it an important center for trade. It also was home to Morgan School, a well-respected prep school from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.
During the twentieth century Lincoln County has supported a number of industries. Construction of the Elk Cotton Mills began in 1900, and the plant remained in operation until 1997. The Borden Milk Plant moved to Lincoln County in 1927 and is credited with the area's economic survival during the Great Depression. The plant closed in 1962, and the National Register-listed facility now houses the Lincoln County Museum. Fayetteville had an electric system long before the Tennessee Valley Authority, and even some rural areas had electricity in the 1920s. Nevertheless, the arrival of TVA in 1935 brought enormous change to the lives of most Lincoln County residents. Textile mills once dominated the country's industry, but of the four largest manufacturers (Amana, Frito-Lay, Lincoln County Manufacturing, and Copperweld Corporation) in the county in 2000, only Lincoln County Manufacturing, with 174 employees, produces textiles. Amana, a manufacturer of air conditioning and heating systems, is the largest employer, with 1,110 workers.
From its origins, agriculture has played a vital role in the county's economy. Its rich and varied soils are suitable for a variety of crops, including corn, cotton, hay, tobacco, and Irish and sweet potatoes. In the 1930s and 1940s many local farmers entered the dairy business and supplied milk to Borden and Kraft Milk plants. Lincoln County now ranks among the top beef producers of the state.
Among Lincoln County's most notable citizens is Retired Admiral Frank Kelso, who served as Commander and Chief of Naval Operations during the Persian Gulf War. He, along with less notable Lincoln Countians, including many descendants of early settlers, have made significant contributions to the state. According to the 2000 census, Fayetteville had 6,994 residents and Lincoln County had 31,340 residents.