Polk County History and Information

Acting on the petition of some 100 citizens, the Tennessee State Legislature created Polk County from parts of Bradley and McMinn counties on November 28, 1839. David Ragen, as acting sheriff, was authorized to hold the first election after the commissioners divided the county into seven civil districts. In the February 4, 1840, election, McKamy's stock stand, located on the Old Federal Road, was chosen for the permanent county seat and named Benton in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. senator from Missouri. The new town was surveyed and laid out by James McKamy and John F. Hannah into 223 lots, which were sold at auction for a total of $11,386, much of which was never collected.

Newspapers were published in Benton, Copperhill and Ducktown. Scattered early issues are available from 1858, and a complete run begins in 1890. See Extended History for More information. There were fires at the Polk County courthouse in 1895 and 1935.

Polk County is bordered by Monroe County (northeast), Cherokee County, North Carolina (east), Fannin County, Georgia (southeast), Murray County, Georgia (southwest), Bradley County (west) and McMinn County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Benton, Copperhill, Ducktown. The Official County Website is located at ?

Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Polk County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Polk 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.. Polk County, Tennessee History Books at Amazon.com.

• Search Historical Newspapers from Tennessee (1795 - 1929 ) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 125 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in more than 500,000 issues of over 2,500 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!
• Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
• Stories, Memories & Histories - Stories and histories compiled by others researching a person or area can be an amazing source of information about your ancestors. Not only do they generally contain dates and places of vital events like birth, marriage, and death, but they often relate stories and memories that help you really get to know the character of your ancestors.

Polk County Court Records

See Also Tennessee Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! 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.

Polk County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1894 and Probate Records from 1890 and is located at Courthouse, Hwy 411, P.O. Box 256, Benton, TN 37307-0256; Telephone: (423) 338-4522.

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.

Polk County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1840 and is located at Courthouse, Hwy 411, P.O. Box 256, Benton, TN 37307-0256; Telephone: (423) 338-4522.

The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Polk county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Polk County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1840 and is located at Courthouse, Hwy 411, P.O. Box 256, Benton, TN 37307-0256; Telephone: (423) 338-4524.
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 Polk County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Court Records by clicking the link below:

• Polk County, Tennessee Court Books at Amazon.com
• Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
• Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
• Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912
• Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records
• Tennessee Marriages to 1825
• Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
• Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900

Polk County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Tennessee

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Contact the Polk County Clerk For County Marriage Divorce Records (See Polk 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:

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• Birth Certificates: Records are available beginning with January 1914, for Nashville since June 1881, for Knoxville since July 1881, and for Chattanooga since January 1882. Records of some births that occurred in the major cities from 1881-1913 are also available. A certified photocopy of the original record may be obtained at a fee of $12.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. For persons born from 1949 to the present, a certified copy produced by computer is also available at a fee of $7.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.
• Death Certificates: Death records are available for the past 50 years (1957). The fee is $7.00 per certified copy. The cause of death is not normally included on a certified copy unless specifically requested and then is available only to certain family members or legal representatives. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
• Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage and divorce records are available for the past 50 years at a fee of $12.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificate. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.
• Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

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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.

Tennessee State Library and Archives have the following records:

• Birth Records & "Delayed" Birth Certificates: Tennessee began keeping birth records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide birth records for the years 1908-1912. To find a birth record, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier birth records: Nashville (beginning in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1879); and Memphis (beginning in 1874). Only the early Nashville birth records are indexed. For birth records after 1912 or for "delayed" birth certificates filed for persons born after 1903, contact the Office of Vital Records above.
  TSLA also has "delayed" birth certificates for persons born 1869 - 1903. These delayed certificates were filed at the request of the individual or that person's representative for legal reasons. To locate a delayed birth certificate, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). E-mail TSLA and they can check thier index to the "delayed" birth records for a specified name. Please specify that you are requesting a "delayed" birth certificate.
  
  There is a $20 fee to search for a birth record. If the record is found, they will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE].
  
  
• Death Records: Tennessee began keeping death records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide death records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1955. To find a death record, we need the following information: name of individual, date of death (or three year range to search), county of death (if known) and name of spouse (if known). Please keep in mind that some deaths were not recorded, due to poor record-keeping by local officials. For death records from 1956 to the present, contact the Office of Vital Records above.
  The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier death records: Nashville (beginning in 1874); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1872); and Memphis (beginning in 1848). Only the early Nashville and Memphis death records are indexed. TSLA can search the unindexed records for one year only; you must provide us with the name of individual, date of death, the city, and the name of the spouse (if known).
  There is a $20 fee to search for a death record. If the record is found, they will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]

Below is a list of online resources for Polk County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

• VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
• Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
• Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
• Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912
• Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records
• Tennessee Marriages to 1825
• Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
• Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900
• Polk County, Tennessee Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
• Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.

Polk County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Tennessee

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 Polk County, Tennessee are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Polk 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 Polk County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Census Records by clicking the link below:

• Polk County, Tennessee Census Books at Amazon.com
• Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.

Polk County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

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 Polk County Maps. Email us with websites containing Polk County Maps by clicking the link below:

• Polk County, Tennessee Map Books at Amazon.com
• Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - 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.

Polk County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Tennessee

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 Polk County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Military Records by clicking the link below:

• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
• Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Tennessee units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
• Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67 from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): NARA M1003. View, Print Copy & Save Original Applications for pardon submitted to President Andrew Johnson, 1865-67, by former Confederates excluded from earlier amnesty proclamations.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Polk County, Tennessee Military Books at Amazon.com
• Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution
• Tennessee Society Sons of the Revolution
• Tennessee Civil War Regimental Histories
• Tennessee, Civil War Confederate Pension Applications Index
• Military - The men and women called to serve their country in military duty are a source of pride to their families and to their nation. Now, with databases containing more than 16 million names and thousands of government records available to search, researching your veteran ancestors has become easier than ever before.

Polk County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

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 Polk County for the years: 1861 (voter list), 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899-1900 ; 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 Polk County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

• Polk County, Tennessee Tax Books at Amazon.com

Polk County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Tennessee Genealogical Addresses

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 Polk County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Polk County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

• Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 636, Benton, TN 37307-0636
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243-0312; Phone: (615) 741-2764, Fax (615) 741-6471
• Tennessee Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3343, 9114 Davies Plantation Rd, Brunswick, TN 38014, (901) 381-1447; [EMAIL]
• Tennessee Historical Society, 300 Capital Boulevard, Nashville 37243
• Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
• Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.

Polk County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Tennessee

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 Polk County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Polk 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 Polk County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Polk County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
• Polk County, Tennessee Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Polk County, Tennessee Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

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 Polk County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Polk County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Search for Local Tennessee Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Tennessee Researcher!
• Polk County, Tennessee Family Books at Amazon.com
• Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons.
• Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
• Sites on USGenweb: [ Polk County ] [ Tennessee ] [ Main Page ]
• [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
• Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
• Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
• The Tennessee Family Group Sheet Project
• Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
• Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
• Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
• The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
• Polk County ALHN website

Extended History

 

The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture © Tennessee Historical Society

Established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1839, Polk County was named to honor newly elected Governor James K. Polk. It is located in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, bounded by North Carolina and Georgia. Most of the county's 436 square miles lie within the Chilhowee and Unaka mountain ranges and contain some of the most scenic beauty in the country, including Parksville, the Ocoee, Conasauga, and Hiwassee Rivers and 150,865 acres of Cherokee National Forest. The rapids of the Ocoee River are internationally known to white-water enthusiasts as the scene of the Twenty-fifth Olympic kayaking events.

Polk County's known Indian heritage extends back at least two thousand years to the early Woodland Indians. In 1540 the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto camped near Columbus, a thriving trading post on the banks of the Hiwassee River. The Treaty of 1819 opened the territory north of the Hiwassee to white settlement, and the 1835 Treaty of Removal forced the Cherokees to give up their final land claims in Tennessee.

Copper was first discovered at Ducktown in 1843, and within four years mule teams were carrying casks of ore south to a forge at Dalton, Georgia. Sustained development of the Copper Basin began in the late 1850s after transportation improvements and company consolidation. Julius E. Raht combined many individual mining claims into the Union Consolidated Mining Company and became superintendent of both the Polk County Copper Company and the Burra Burra Copper Company. From 1865 to 1878, 24 million pounds of copper were taken from the underground mines, and 50 square miles of the Copper Basin area were stripped of its timber to fuel smelters and build mines. After 1891 production by the open-roasting process of removing copper from the ore, an environmentally disastrous method, killed vegetation for miles and left the landscape open to erosion. By the early twentieth century, a barren moonscape of red hills surrounded Ducktown and Copperhill.

During the Civil War, Polk County provided five companies for the Confederacy and two for the Union army, as well as 90 percent of the copper for the Southern cause. No battles were fought within the county; however, a November 29, 1864 raid by the notorious bushwhacker and guerrilla John P. Gatewood resulted in at least sixteen deaths.

Polk County's remote Sylco Mountains became the site of Vineland, a unique experiment in social living by Rosine Parmentier. In the 1840s, with the aid of a New York associate, Parmentier purchased 50,000 acres of land and encouraged French, German, Italian, and Austrian colonization of the area. Their grandiose plans for a profitable winemaking industry apparently failed to materialize, and most of the colonists migrated elsewhere. Those who remained were quickly integrated into the local community, but the family names of Becklers, Miolin, Nocarina, Genollic, Sholtz, Pace, and Chable are indicators of this vanished settlement.

In 1858 W. P. Collins edited the county's first newspaper, the Ducktown Eagle. The Polk County News, edited and owned by Ingrid and Randolph Buehler, has served the county for over one hundred years. A recently reorganized Historical and Genealogical Society publishes a quarterly and oversees the preservation of the county's historic sites and heritage.

According to the 2000 federal census, Polk County had a population of 16,050. There are approximately fifty churches of Protestant denominations in the county. The largest denomination is Baptist, followed by Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of God, and Episcopal.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) operates three hydroelectric plants on the Ocoee River and one on the Hiwassee River; the TVA owns more than 3,000 acres of land in Polk County. The U.S. Forest Service controls in excess of 150,000 acres and operates several recreational sites which provide picnicking, camping, and swimming facilities for local citizens and thousands of visitors each year.

Agriculture continues to be a major factor in the economy of Polk County. The leading agricultural products include poultry, dairy products, cattle, hogs, soybeans, forestry products, and corn. Several small industries, employing approximately 400 people, produce clothing, furniture, lumber, and automobile mats.

Polk County Published Records

 

• 1840 Federal Census, Polk County, Tennessee (Snell, 1982)
• 1880 Census, Polk County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1990)
• Abstracts of Ocoee District Early Land Records-entries (McClure, 1990)
• Bradley County, Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications [includes pension applications for Polk County] (Wiefering & Sherrill, 1990)
• Cemetery Inscriptions of Polk County, Tennessee (Casada, 1988)
• Check List of Cemeteries and Graveyard (WPA, 19??)
• County court minutes, 1840-1843 (WPA, 1936)
• Court Minutes, 1844-1848 [vol.1 1844-1847; vol. 2 1844-1848] (WPA, 1936-1937)
• Higgins Funeral Home Records, 1928-1987, Benton, Tennessee Blankenship, 1993)
• Historical Listing of Cemeteries of Polk County, Tennessee (Blankenship, 1994)
• Index to the Ocoee District Early Land Records - entries (McClure, 1990)
• Polk County 1850 United States Census (Adams & Ledford, 1996)
• Polk County 1870 United States Census (Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, 1998)
• Polk County 1920 United States Census (Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, 1998)
• Polk County Tennessee 1860 U.S. Census (Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, 1998)
• Polk County, Tennessee, 1900 U. S. Census (Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, 2000)
• Polk County Tennessee 1910 U.S. Census (Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, 2000)
• Polk County Tennessee Marriage Records, 1894 through 1970 (Poteet-Pitts, 1995)
• Polk County Tennessee Marriages : Recorded in Vol. I, II, III, and IV, 1894 Through 1907 (Jones, 1986)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Minutes, Ocoee Baptist Church, 1836-74 (WPA, 1938)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1914 Through 1925 (Wiefering, 1993)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1926 Through 1930 (Wiefering, 1997)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics 1931 Through 1935 (Wiefering, 1997)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics 1936 Through 1941 (Wiefering, 1999)
• Polk County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics 1942 Through 1946 (Wiefering, 1999)
• Resting Places : Cemeteries of Polk County, Tennessee (Finnell, 2003)