Bedford County was December
7, 1807 from Rutherford County
and Indian Lands; named in honor of Thomas Bedford, Jr. (? - 1804), Revolutionary War officer, middle Tennessee land owner of Jefferson Springs in Rutherford County who contributed to the development of that area. The County seat is located at Shelbyville .
Newspapers were published in Shelbyville. Scattered early issues are available from 1826, and a complete run begins in 1948. See Extended History for More information.
Bedford County is bordered by Rutherford County (north), Coffee County (east), Moore County (southeast), Lincoln County (south) and Marshall County (west) . Cities and Towns include Bell Buckle, Normandy, Shelbyville, Wartrace. There were fires at the Bedford County courthouse in 1863 & 1934. There was a tornado at the courthouse in 1830. Most records were destroyed in 1863.
PLEASE READ!! 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.
Bedford County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1861 and Probate Records from 1861 and is located at Courthouse, 104
Northside Sq,
Shelbyville, TN 37160;
(931) 684-1921. 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.
Bedford County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1808 and is located atCourthouse,
104 Northside Sq, Shelbyville, TN 37160;
(931) 684-1921 . The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Bedford county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Bedford County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1840 and is located at Courthouse,
104 Northside Sq, Shelbyville, TN 37160; (931) 684-1921. 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.
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Below is a list of online resources for Bedford County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Tennessee Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
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.
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:
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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. 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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. 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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. For Earlier Records See Tennessee
State Library and Archives Below.
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 theOffice 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 Bedford County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County, Tennessee are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible 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 Bedford County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford 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 Bedford County Maps. Email us with websites containing Bedford County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to 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. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Bedford County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford 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.
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.
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 Bedford County for the years: 1812, 1814, 1836-1839, 1875-1900 ; 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.
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 Bedford County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford 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 Bedford County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Bedford County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Bedford County Archives,
Courthouse, #1 Public Square,
Shelbyville , TN 37160;
Phone: (931) 684-7944
Tennessee Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
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.
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. .
As with cemetery records, the DAR has collected church records
for Tennessee, available at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C.,
and through the FHL.
Many compilations of church records have been compiled and/or
published for the state. The Tennessee
State Library and Archives has records of over one hundred churches that pre-date 1900.
There is a online Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records which contains over 25,000 records for the state of Tennessee for the years approximately 1720-1890. This includes marriages, births, deaths, and wills, etc., has been obtained from family bibles, church, court, and county records.
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 Bedford County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Bedford 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 Bedford County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Bedford County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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.
Tennessee Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Chestnut Ridge Cousins Chestnut Ridge Cousins is a genealogical organization, formed in 2002, committed to sharing family history with all our cousins. The Chestnut Ridge area is located in Middle Tennessee where the current Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore counties all come together.
Shelbyville, the county seat, was established in 1810 from land donated by Clement
Cannon, an early resident and the operator of the first grist mill. Shelbyville
was ideally suited as a trading center, with fords on the southern and eastern
ends of the town. In 1852 the commercial value of the town increased with the
construction of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. In the antebellum period,
Shelbyville experienced its share of tragedy. A tornado swept through the town
on May 31, 1830, destroying the courthouse and inflicting five casualties. Three
years later an Asiatic cholera epidemic caused great panic and many deaths. Cholera
outbreaks would recur in 1866 and 1873 with similar results. In 1934 the Bedford
County Courthouse was destroyed a second time when a lynch mob burned it. Several
days of threatened violence preceded the act of arson. One hundred national guardsmen
were called to the scene to protect a young black man, E. K. Harris, accused
of assault. Disguised as a guardsman, the accused man was removed from the jail
and sent to Nashville for safekeeping. The mob burned the courthouse in retaliation
for the removal of Harris.
In the early twentieth century, Shelbyville was a thriving industrial center.
In 1923 Shelbyville had a population of 2,912 and boasted an electric light plant,
water works, a textile factory, a hub and spoke factory, a foundry, saw mills,
and planing mills, in addition to banks, churches, schools, and two newspapers.
Shelbyville Mills was a large textile factory and company town, complete with
a school and church. The Musgrave Pencil Company is one of the world's largest
pencil manufacturers. On the factory grounds is the historic Turner Institute
Building, a former African American private school designed by Nashville architect
Moses McKissack. Shelbyville achieved worldwide prominence in the twentieth century
through the promotion of the Tennessee Walker. In 1939 Shelbyville became the
home of the Walking Horse National Celebration, earning the designation as the "Walking
Horse Capital of the World."
The main line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad created the towns of
Bell Buckle, Normandy, and Wartrace. Now one of the most visited railroad towns
in Tennessee, Bell Buckle is the home of Webb School. Founded in 1886 by Sawney
Webb, the school has a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading preparatory
institutions in the South. The establishment of Normandy as a railroad town brought
about the demise of the village of Rowesville (Roseville). Despite enthusiastic
expectations for the growth of Normandy, it remained a village, attaining its
largest population of 250 in 1917. Wartrace, established in 1852, benefited from
the rise of the walking horse industry in the county. Wartrace's historic railroad
hotel has become a virtual museum to the Tennessee Walking Horse, and the champion
of the first Celebration, "Strolling Jim," is buried on the grounds.
Bedford County has furnished soldiers for every war since the War of 1812. During
the Civil War Bedford County was divided in its loyalties and supplied nearly
equal numbers of troops to the armies of both the North and the South. Though
the pro-Union stance of Shelbyville earned that city the title of "Little Boston," one
of the Confederacy's best-known generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was born in
Bedford County in 1821 and took his middle name from his birthplace.
Bedford County has been the birthplace of two Tennessee governors and an Arkansas
governor and the residence of a third Tennessee governor. Shelbyville native
William Prentice Cooper served three consecutive terms as governor of Tennessee
from 1938 to 1945. His marriage to Hortense Powell Cooper produced three sons,
one of whom, Jim Cooper, represented the fourth district in the U.S. Congress,
1982-92. Jim Nance McCord, who succeeded Cooper as governor 1945 and served until
1949, was born in Unionville. His most important accomplishment was the institution
of the sales tax to fund education. Archibald Yell, the second governor of Arkansas,
grew to manhood in Bedford County as well and practiced law in Shelbyville. A
friend of Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, he was killed at the battle of Buena
Vista during the Mexican War in 1847. Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist (1995-2003)
and his wife Martha Swanson Sundquist were residents of Shelbyville from 1962
to 1970.
Two other Bedford Countians of note are George DeForest Brush and James L. Bomar.
Brush (1855-1941) was a Shelbyville native who achieved prominence as a painter.
Bomar, born at Raus in Bedford County, became a Shelbyville attorney before serving
in both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, where he was Speaker of the
House and lieutenant governor. He is the former president of Rotary International.
The county's 2000 population was 37,586.
Couch-Patton Cemetery : A Project (East Middle School [Tullahoma, Tenn.], Eighth Grade Class, 1992?)
Death Records of Bedford County, Tennessee (Lynch, 1984)
Earliest County Court Records of Bedford County, Tennessee (Marsh, 1986)
Frosts and Related Families of Bedford County, Tennessee (Frost, 1962)
Generations of Francis Brothers (1779-1845) : A History of Francis Brothers who Settled in Rutherford County, Tennessee About 1815, and his Descendants [Bedford County cemeteries] (Brothers, 1986)
Historical Summary and Church Directory of First Baptist Church, Shelbyville, Tennessee from 1843-1928 (First Baptist Church, 1928)
Hoover Funeral and Burial Records of Bedford County, Tennessee (Marsh, 1989)
Jennings-Phillips Collection of Early Bedford County, Tennessee Records (Phillips & Jackson, 1998)
Keller Cemetery of Bedford County (East Middle School [Tullahoma, Tenn.], Eighth Grade Class, 1994)
Land Deed Genealogy of Bedford County, Tennessee, 1807-1852 (Marsh, 1998)
Minutes of Wm. Frierson Bivouac, no.8, Shelbyville, Tenn. (United Confederate Veterans, Tennessee Division, William Frierson Bivouac, 1974)
New Providence Presbyterian Church Minutes of Bedford County, Tennessee, 1826-1860 (Crouthers, 1997)
Newspaper Vital Records of Bedford County, Tennessee (Marsh, 1984)
Obituaries of our Ancestors as Transcribed from the Shelbyville Gazette, Bedford County, Tennessee (Cook, 1990)
Official Marriages of Bedford County, Tennessee [vol. 1 1861-1880; vol. 2 1880-1898] (Marsh, 1996)
One Hundredth Anniversary of the Thompson Creek Baptist Church House, 1889-1989 (Stephens, 1989)
Records of the Church of Christ at Flat Creek, Bedford County, Tennessee, 1868-1981 (1981)
The following companies are currently offering free trials on their subscriptions from 7 to 14 days. You can receive more information by clicking the links below:
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