Carter
County is located in the northeast
corner of Tennessee. It was created
from Washington County in 1796 and
named in honor of Landon Carter,
treasurer of the Washington and Hamilton
Districts of North Carolina and the
State of Franklin's Speaker of the
Senate and Secretary of State. Carter
County's 348 square miles blend mountains,
the Watauga and Doe Rivers, and beautiful
valleys into an inspiring Appalachian
landscape.
Carter County is extremely significant in Tennessee's settlement history. Permanent
settlers arrived along the Watauga River in the late 1760s; William Bean was
one of the earliest, and his farm was eight miles west of the Sycamore Shoals
of the Watauga River. James Robertson established a river valley farm in 1770
and stayed there until moving to the Cumberland River in 1779. Valentine Sevier
Sr., the father of John Sevier, lived near Sycamore Shoals. Also in the early
1770s John Carter established his plantation just north of present-day Elizabethton.
This notable Revolutionary War patriot was the father of Landon Carter, for whom
the county is named. In 1772 the settlers along the Watauga River established
the Watauga Association, and three years later, in 1775, land speculator Richard
Henderson and Cherokee leaders met at Sycamore Shoals to negotiate the Transylvania
Purchase. During the American Revolution Fort Watauga provided refuge from attacks
by Old Abram and other Cherokee warriors. In 1780 approximately eleven hundred
Overmountain Men gathered at Sycamore Shoals before marching to Kings Mountain.
The Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area preserves key historical places, including
the Overmountain Men muster ground, the Shoals, the reconstructed Fort Watauga,
and the John and Landon Carter Mansion.
Elizabethton, the county seat, was established in 1797 and remained a small rural
village until the railroad and industrial age. William G. "Parson" Brownlow established
a newspaper there in 1839. Duffield Academy, founded in 1809, was the town's
leading antebellum school. During the Civil War the town and county were equally
divided in their support of the Union and Confederate causes. The county's most
famous soldier was Samuel P. Carter (1819-1891), a Naval Academy graduate who
was appointed brigadier general of the U.S. Volunteers in May 1862 and led an
East Tennessee cavalry raid that same year. He later returned to the navy as
a commander and after his retirement in 1881, Carter was named a rear admiral
on the retired list.
Newspapers were published in Elizabethton. Scattered early issues are available from 1838, and a complete run begins in 1947. See Extended History for More information.
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.
Carter County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1790 and Probate Records from 1794 and is located at Courthouse, 801
East Elk Avenue,
Elizabethton, TN 37643;
(423) 542-1814. 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.
Carter County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1796 and is located at Courthouse,
801 East Elk Avenue, Elizabethton, TN 37643; (423) 542-1814. The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Carter county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Carter County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1804 and is located at Courthouse,
801 East Elk Avenue, Elizabethton, TN 37643; (423) 542-1814. 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 Carter County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County Maps. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County for the years: 1796-1800, 1860-1872, 1875-1886 ; 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 Carter County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Carter County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Carter
County & It's People 1796-1993,
P.O. Box 176,
Elizabethton 37643
Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library,
201 North Sycamore Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643 423-547-6360
Milligan College,
Welshimer Memorial Library,
Blowers Blvd., PO Box 600, Milligan College, TN 37682 423-461-8703
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 Carter County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Carter County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Carter 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 Doe River Covered Bridge, built in 1882, allowed for commercial and residential
expansion. Educational opportunities increased with Milligan College, established
in 1882, which grew out of the earlier Buffalo Male and Female Institute (1866).
Two leading late nineteenth-century Tennessee politicians came from Carter County:
brothers Robert Love Taylor and Alfred A. Taylor waged the famous "War of the
Roses" in 1886. Bob Taylor was governor from 1887-91 and 1897-99; Alf served
as governor from 1921 to 1923.
Carter County's modern history began with the arrival of the East Tennessee and
Western North Carolina Railroad in the late 1880s. The county's first major industry,
Line and Twine, came in 1892. Although the depression of 1893-94, followed by
a disastrous flood in May 1901, dampened rapid economic growth, investors did
not forget about the county's industrial potential. In the mid-1920s German capitalists
located the Bemberg and Glanzstoff rayon plants between Elizabethton and Sycamore
Shoals. The massive factories thrust local residents, and hundreds of other Appalachian
families, into the industrial age. When hundreds of employees, mostly women,
struck the companies in 1929, it was "the first concrete sign of Southern disenchantment
with a textile industry financed by Northern capital and operated in an exploitative
manner." (1) The strike failed, however, and rayon companies remained the town's
key industries until the late twentieth century.
Another significant development in modern Carter County history was the Tennessee
Valley Authority's construction of Watauga Dam and Lake in the 1940s. Completed
in 1948, the lake created by the earth-filled dam covers approximately 6,430
acres.
The career of Judge Ben Allen (1891-1977) is closely associated with the main
themes of the county's modern history. A veteran of the 117th Infantry in World
War I and a graduate of the Cumberland School of Law in Lebanon, Allen began
his political career with his election as district attorney general in 1926.
In the 1930s he was a founding member of the Mountain Breeders Co-op, which aimed
to enhance the county's livestock industry. In 1934 he was elected circuit court
judge of the First Judicial District, a position Allen held until 1942, when
he resigned to become the general manager and vice-president of the Bemberg and
North American Rayon plants. The U.S. government seized control of the German-owned
factories as a wartime measure, and officials selected Allen because of his reputation
for honesty and fairness. Allen remained manager of the two factories until 1956,
when he began an active retirement and became a founding member of the Watauga
Historical Association, which eventually created the Sycamore Shoals State Historic
Park. Allen's historic Renfro-Allen Farm has been listed on the National Register
of Historic Places.
1870 Census, Tennessee, Transcription for Carter County (Bishop, 1983)
1880 Census, Tennessee, Transcription for Carter County (Sistler, 1978?)
1900 Federal Census of Carter County, Tennessee (Nikazy, 1994)
Abstracts of Tennessee Death Records for Carter County, Tennessee, 1908-1925 (Nikazy, 1992)
Abstracts of the Deeds of Carter County, Tennessee, 1796-1825 (McIver, 1995)
Carter Co., Tennessee, Greene Co., Tennessee, Hawkins Co., Tennessee, Johnson Co., Tennessee, Sullivan Co., Tennessee, Unicoi Co., Tennessee [1891 enumeration of male voters] (Reed, 1992)
Carter County, 1796-1850: Being Transcriptions from the Original Bonds and Licenses at the County Courthouse, Elizabethton [marriage records] (Creekmore & Nave, 1958)
Carter County, Tennessee 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists (Douthat, 1993)
Carter County, Tennessee, 1850 Census (Treadway, 1994)
Carter County, Tennessee, 1860 Census (Treadway, 1994)
Carter County, Tennessee, Cemetery and Church Records (WPA, 1938)
Carter County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, 1834-1835 (WPA, 1940?)
Carter County, Tennessee Death Record Abstracts (1926-1934) (Nikazy, 1994)
Carter County, Tennessee Deeds [July 1796 - October 1815] (Hutchings, 2002-)
Carter County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1796-1870 (Burgner, 1987)
Carter County, Tennessee Marriages, 1871-1920 (Nikazy, 1993)
Carter County, Tennessee, Minutes, Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions [vol. 1 1804-1805; vol. 2 1819-1820; vol. 3 1821-1826; *vol. 4 1826-1829] (WPA, 1939-1942)
Carter County, Tennessee, Minutes of the County Court, 1826-1829 (Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1992?)
Carter County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1914 Through 1925 (Wiefering, 1993)
Carter County, Tennessee, Wills & Inventories, 1794-1847 (Douthat, 1985)
Carter County, Tennessee, Wills and Inventories, 1794-1847 (WPA, 1938)
*Carter County, TN, Marriages, 1850-1876 (Sistler, 1987)
*Cemeteries of Carter County Tennessee (Fields, 1976)
*Deed book ... Carter County, Tennessee [vol. 1 1796-1806; vol. 2 1806-1815; vol. 3 1814-1825; vol. 4 1825-1836] (Crumpton, 2001)
Miscellaneous Records, Sinking Creek Baptist Church, Carter County, Tennessee, 1773-1890 (1991)
Private Acts of Carter County, Tennessee (McIntyre, 1994)
Sketch of Sinking Creek Baptist Church (WPA, 1938)
Sinking Creek Baptist Church, 1783-1905 (WPA, 199?)
Watauga Reservoir Cemeteries : TVA Grave Removal Records (Douthat, 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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