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Tennessee Societies and Archives
Tennessee Genealogical Archives | Tennessee Historical & Genealogical Societies | Tennessee Genealogical Publications |
Tennessee Newspapers |

 

Tennessee Genealogical Archives - It is wise to acquaint yourself with any repository which you might visit by writing to the appropriate archive or library in advance. Every repository has published materials that introduce its collections and research policy. State archives and historical agencies also have Internet sites that provide the same information. Some even have downloadable databases for some or parts of their collections.

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   "Genealogists are generally positive and energetic, and most are ready to share their findings or research experience with anyone they can help. There are hundreds of genealogical societies at the grass-roots level. Knowledge of the genealogical community will place you in the midst of much activity, increase your productivity, and alert you to the importance of research standards and etiquette."
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, Editor of FGS Forum,
Co-editor of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy

Tennessee Historical & Genealogical Societies - Because family history research relies greatly upon records found at the county level, many local societies represent counties. Organizations also form around shared interests. Ethnic or religious origins account for many groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and P.O.I.N.T. (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together). Societies also form around common locales of origin for members’ ancestors; hence, the Palatines to America and Germans from Russia societies. To locate these and other societies, consult Juliana Szucs Smith’s The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book. It lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet addresses of thousands of organizations throughout the United States.
For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both. In addition to their own work, state-level groups sometimes help coordinate the efforts of local societies within the state. Their publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those produced by the local societies.

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Tennessee Genealogical Publications - Major periodicals for Tennessee that publish source material from most categories include these:
 [ see specific county page for individual county list ]

  • Search The PERiodical Source Index
  • Ansearchin' News (1954–present). A publication of the Tennessee Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 12124, Dept. AN, Memphis, Tennessee 38112.
  • Bulletin (1972–present). A publication of the Watauga Association of Genealogists, Johnson City, Tennessee 37605.
  • Chattanews. Published by the Chattanooga Area Historical Association, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402.
  • East Tennessee Roots. Published by Tennessee Valley Publications, Paula Gammell, ed., 1345 Oak Ridge Turnpike #318, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830.
  • Echoes (1955–1984). The East Tennessee Historical Society ceased its publication but replaced it with Tennessee Ancestors (see below).
  • Family Findings (1969–present). A publication of the Midwest Tennessee Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3343, Jackson, Tennessee 38303.
  • Pellissippian (1980–present). A publication of the Pellissippian Genealogical and Historical Society, 118 Hicks, Clinton, Tennessee 38303.
  • The River Counties Quarterly (1972–present). Published by Jill Garrett, 610 Terrace, Columbia, Tennessee 38401.
  • Tennessee Ancestors (1985–present). This publication replaced Echoes for the East Tennessee Historical Society, 500 West Church Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-2505.
  • The Tennessee Historical Quarterly (1942–present). Published by the Tennessee Historical Commission, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.
  • Nashville Historical Newsletter
    A new newsletter, the Nashville Historical Newsletter, will publish genealogical information and queries, especially those related to the genealogies of historic Nashvillians. The NHN is constantly searching for short historical essays related to Nashville. Genealogical essays, especially those related to historically prominent Nashvillians, would be very welcome. In addition, a limited number of genealogical queries can be published in our modest newsletter. There is no charge to subscribe. Write to:Mike Slate, Editor,NHN ,2707 Lakeland Drive ,Nashville, TN 37214

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Tennessee Newspapers - The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a large collection of newspapers and an incomplete card index to marriage and death notices published in Nashville newspapers. One published compilation of data extracted from eight Tennessee newspapers is Sherida K. Eddlemon, comp., Genealogical Abstracts from Tennessee Newspapers, 1791–1808 (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1988).

   A guide to newspaper collections is Tennessee Newspapers: A Cumulative List of Microfilmed Tennessee Newspapers in the Tennessee State Library, 1978 Progress Report. Nashville, Tenn.: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1978. 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.  

   While records of birth, marriage, and death are the most commonly sought and the most consistently helpful records, only the genealogist’s imagination and resourcefulness limit newspapers’ usefulness in supplying clues about historical events, local history, probate court and legal notices, real estate transactions, political biographies, announcements, notices of new and terminated partnerships, business advertisements, and notices for settling debts.

Newspapers can provide at least a partial substitute for nonexistent civil records. For example, a person’s obituary may have appeared in a newspaper even when civil death records for that person do not exist. And newspapers are an important source of marriage records, particularly in those states where civil recording of marriages was essentially nonexistent until the twentieth century.

Unlike official records, newspapers are not limited to a particular geographical area. They often include reports of the weddings of local citizens (even those that occurred in a neighboring county or another state), and they sometimes report visits of geographically distant relatives or the visits of former local residents. They often published death notices of individuals who had left the area long before but who still had local family or friends as well. In each case the newspaper account can identify the date and place of an event, thus opening the possibility of turning up additional documentation in other sources.

The first step in searching a newspaper is to identify those which served the area of interest and which have survived. The three most necessary tools are bibliographies (What was published?), inventories of library and depository holdings (Where is it?), and indexes (How do I find what I want in it?).

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