Benton County was created on December
19, 1835 from Humphreys County; named in honor of David Benton (1779-1860), member of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Militia in the Creek wars, early settler and farmer who was instrumental in establishing the county. The County seat is located at Camden .
Newspapers were published in Camden. Scattered early issues are available from 1876, and a complete run begins in 1915. See Extended History for More information.
Benton County is bordered by Stewart County (northeast), Houston County (northeast), Humphreys County (east), Perry County (southeast), Decatur County (south), Carroll County (west) and Henry County (northwest) . Cities and Towns include Big Sandy and Camden
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.
Benton County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1838 and Probate Records from 1836 and is located at 3
E Court Sq # 101,
Camden, TN 38320;
(901) 584-6053. 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.
Benton County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1836 and is located at Courthouse,
E. Court Square, Rm. 101,
Camden, TN 38320-0008; Telephone:
(901) 584-6053 . The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Benton county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Benton County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1836 and is located at Courthouse,
E. Court Square, Rm. 101, Camden, TN 38320-0008; Telephone:
(901) 584-6053 . 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 Benton County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County Maps. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County for the years: 1836-1874, 1876-1881 ; 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 Benton County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Benton County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Benton County Archives,
121 S. Forrest Avenue ,
Camden , TN 38320;
Phone: (731) 584-0778
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 Benton County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Benton 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 Benton County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Benton 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.
The Tennessee General
Assembly created Benton County on
December 19, 1835, from portions
of Humphreys and Henry Counties.
Officials organized the county in
February 1836 in a small log cabin at the site of a local post office in what
is now West Camden. Initially, the county name honored Thomas Hart Benton, a
leading Jacksonian Democrat, but in 1852 the state legislature approved an act
that retained the original name but honored "David Benton, an old and respected
citizen" of the county.
The county lies partially in the western valley of the Tennessee River and partially
in the plateau of West Tennessee. Its eastern boundary is the Tennessee River,
whose shoreline includes a part of Kentucky Lake. The northernmost section of
the county is hilly, with deep, broad valleys; numerous steep bluffs overlook
the river. Near the village of Eva is Pilot Knob, one of the highest elevations
in West Tennessee at some 650 feet above sea level. Otherwise the county is topographically
rolling and heavily forested.
The county has a considerable prehistory; at the time of its first settlement
by blacks and whites, the Chickasaws claimed the area as a hunting range and
maintained a few scattered habitations. Following the Jackson Purchase, settlers
from Virginia, the Carolinas, and other eastern states arrived. Black settlers
generally came as bondsmen of the whites, although several free blacks lived
in the county during the antebellum period.
Benton County remains essentially a rural entity with several small towns and
villages. Named for Camden, South Carolina, the site of a Revolutionary War battle,
the county seat of Camden was established in 1836 on the high ground above Cane
Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River. The courthouse occupies the center
of the public square, though in recent years businesses have moved to the west
and northwest sections of the town. Benton County's first banking institution,
the Camden Bank and Trust Company, opened in 1889. Benton County supports two
radio stations and an airport, and Camden has several churches, factories, and
financial institutions. U.S. Highway 70 and U.S. 641 provide transportation links
for Camden and Benton County. Located twenty miles south of the town, Interstate
40 can be reached via U.S. 641.
Big Sandy, named for the river on which it borders, owes its existence to local
railroad development from about 1860. Its present incorporation dates from 1903.
This prosperous rural town enjoyed considerable growth from the area's extensive
tourism. Within a radius of forty miles, there are thirty-five resorts, restaurants,
and boat docks.
Eva, a village named for Eva Steele, was originally known as Bartlett's Switch
and began as a result of railroad development. Eva faces Kentucky Lake and provides
a small river craft landing and a park. These attractions, along with the town's
proximity to Nathan B. Forrest State Historical Area and to Lakeshore, the United
Methodist campground, make it attractive to tourists and local citizens.
Locked in the hills of northern Benton County, the village of Faxon was established
in 1881 and named for its postmaster, George B. Faxon. It is located on the Bass
Bay Road, seven miles east of Big Sandy; several fishing facilities are located
nearby.
Holladay, a village fifteen miles south of Camden in the rolling landscape of
Birdsong Valley, began as a small settlement in the 1840s but had its firm beginning
in 1887 with the establishment of a post office honoring the village's principal
merchant, John M. Holladay. One of the county's most notable schools, the Holladay
Independent Normal, operated there.
Principal county loyalty rested with the Confederacy during the Civil War, although
a firm, but subdued Unionist element existed in the county. Troops under General
Nathan Bedford Forrest destroyed the large supply depot at Johnsonville, across
the river from Pilot Knob, in November 1864 in a notable engagement. In the 1930s
the Civilian Conservation Corps expanded upon an earlier local historic park
at Pilot Knob to create the Nathan B. Forrest State Park.
Tennessee took a leading role among the southern states in the passage of woman
suffrage when the state legislature enacted a limited suffrage bill on April
17, 1919. Five days later, Mary Cordelia Beasley-Hudson of Benton County cast
the first female ballot in the state in the Camden municipal election.
Politically the county has been overwhelmingly Democratic throughout its history.
It was the birthplace of Thomas C. Rye, governor of Tennessee, 1914-18.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) changed the eastern landscape of the county
and improved cultural life. The TVA attracted a small, but consistent, industrial
development and boosted the local economy. Electrical power is distributed by
the Benton County Board of Public Utilities in Camden.
Benton County has always had a strong religious commitment. The earliest congregation
organized the Cypress Creek Baptist Church in November 1821. County denominations
include Baptist, United Methodist, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, and Roman Catholic.
The Camden Chronicle, established in 1890, embodies the best local
newspaper traditions, reporting county events and boosting economic development.
The Benton County Library organized in 1942. Led for three decades by Ruth Priestley
Lockhart, the library developed into one of the foremost small libraries in the
state. The Benton County Genealogical Society, chartered in July 1986, has been
active in the preservation of the county's heritage and its public and private
records. The county is well served by a general hospital in Camden and several
medical practitioners. Its 2000 population was 16,537.
1850 U.S. Census of Benton County, Tennessee (Brown, 1978)
880 Census Benton County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1990)
1880 U.S. Census of Benton County, Tennessee (Brown, 1978)
Abstract of the 1840 United States Census for Benton County, Tennessee (Smith, 1977)
Benton Co., Tennessee, Carroll Co., Tennessee, Henry Co., Tennessee, Houston Co., Tennessee, Stewart Co., Tennessee : Enumeration of Male Inhabitants [1891 enumeration of male voters] (Reed, 1989)
Benton County, Tenn. Deeds [June 1830-April 1843] (Willis, 1999)
Benton County, Tennessee, 1860 and 1870 Census (Brown, 1977)
Benton County, Tennessee : Administration, Guardian, Clerk, Trustees, Probate of Deeds, Records of Wills, Scholastic Population, 1836-1855 (James, 1991?)
Benton County, Tennessee, Cemetery Records (Daughters of the American Revolution. Tennessee. Glover's Trace Chapter, 1979)
Benton County, Tennessee, Heritage Notes (Smith, 1975)
Benton County, Tennessee Marriage Book #1, 1846-1850 (Douthat, 1981)
Benton County, Tennessee, Marriage Record Book [1846-1851] (WPA, 1937?)
Benton County, Tennessee Marriages, 1832-1957 (Hillis, 1962)
Cemetery Listings of Benton County, Tennessee (Benton County Genealogical Society, 1997)
Families and Histories, Benton County, Tennessee [vol. 1 1836-1986; vol. 2 1836-1992] (Benton County Genealogical Society, 1987-)
Family Bible Records of Benton County, Tennessee (Smith, 1976)
Genealogical Gleanings in Benton County, Tennessee (Smith, 1974)
Higgins Funeral Home Records, 1928-1987, Benton, Tennessee (Blankenship, 1993)
Index of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Miscellaneous Records of Benton County, Tennessee, 1836-1855 (Taylor, 1980)
Minutes of the County Court of Benton County : Book no. 2, 1842-1854 [2 vols.] (WPA, 1941)
Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 (Seventh Census) for Benton County, Tennessee (Embry, 1961)
Tombstone Inscriptions from Black Cemeteries in Benton County, Tennessee (Smith, 1995)
United States Direct Tax Commission, District of Tennessee, Benton County, 1865-1866 (Smith, 1992)
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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