The
Tennessee General Assembly created
Henry County on November 7, 1821,
and named in honor of Patrick Henny (1736-1799), Virginia statesman, patriot and Revolutionary leader, member of the Virginia colonial and state legislatures and the Continental Congress, governor of Virginia. Henry County became the gateway
for the settlement of West Tennessee
and beyond. The Henry County Court
House was erected in 1823 in Paris,
West Tennessee's oldest incorporated
municipality. The county counted
31,115 residents in the 2000 census.
The County seat is Paris.
Newspapers were published in Lexington, Sardis and Scotts Hill. Scattered early issues are available from 1858, and a complete run begins in 1932. 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.
Rather
than go to the courthouse, you
might want to do all your research work
at the library. All available court
records have been microfilmed and
are available at the Rhea Public
Library. In addition to court records,
you will also find funeral home
records, church records, all the Henry
County census, Microfilmed Henry County
newspaper, and WPA records. There
is also a large collection of genealogy
books in the special genealogy room.
Henry County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1838 and Probate Records from 1822 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 24,
100 W Washington St.,
Paris, TN 38242;
(731) 642-4234 . 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.
Henry County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1822 and is located at Courthouse,
P.O. Box 24, 100 W Washington St., Paris, TN 38242; (731)
642-2412 . The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Henry county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Henry County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1822 and is located at Courthouse,
P.O. Box 24, 100 W Washington St., Paris, TN 38242; (731)
642-0461 . 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 Henry County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County, Tennessee are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Henry 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 Henry County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Maps. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County for the years: 1827-1837, 1840, 1843-1861, 1865-1873, 1875-1880, 1883-1885, 1887-1900 ; 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 Henry County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Henry County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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 Henry County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Henry 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.
During the Civil War, military units, including the Fifth Tennessee Infantry
Regiment, organized on the courthouse lawn. Henry County sent more than 2,500
volunteers to the Confederacy and earned the title "Volunteer County of the Volunteer
State." In March 1862 General Ulysses S. Grant ordered four companies and a battery
of artillery into Paris. The Union forces attacked an encampment of 400 Confederate
soldiers but retreated toward Paris Landing after a short engagement. In October
1864 General Nathan Bedford Forrest began his Johnsonville campaign at Paris
Landing, where he captured four Union gunboats, fourteen transports, twenty barges,
twenty-six pieces of artillery, $6,700,000 worth of property, and 150 prisoners.
Beginning with Isham Green Harris, Henry County provided Tennessee with three
governors. Born in Franklin County in 1818, Harris moved to Paris as a young
boy. He served in both state houses before his election as governor in 1859.
As Tennessee's only Confederate governor, Harris served as brigadier general
aide-de-camp to Generals Albert S. Johnston, Braxton Bragg, and Joseph E. Johnston.
In March 1864 Harris was involved in a brief skirmish with Union troops near
Mansfield in Henry County which left two Confederate soldiers wounded. After
the war, he served twenty years in the U.S. Senate and was president pro tempore
of the Senate at his death in 1897.
James Davis Porter, born in Paris in 1828, was elected to the state legislature
in 1859. He helped organize the Army of Tennessee and was General Benjamin F.
Cheatham's chief of staff. Porter was elected governor for two terms beginning
in 1874. He later served as assistant secretary of state, minister to Chile,
president of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, president of the
University of Nashville, and chancellor of Peabody College. Porter died at his
home in Paris in 1912.
Thomas Clarke Rye, born in Camden in 1863, moved to Paris in 1902. He was governor
during World War I, serving from 1915 to 1919. Rye became a chancery court judge
in 1919 and served twenty years. He died at his home in Paris in 1953.
Other political figures from Henry County include General J. D. C. Atkins, a
Confederate congressman and five-time member of the U.S. Congress, chair of the
House Committee on Appropriations, and later commissioner of Indian Affairs.
John Wesley Crockett, the eldest son of the legendary Davy Crockett, took his
father's old congressional seat in 1837. Justice Howell E. Jackson was a U.S.
senator before he became a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893.
Henry Countians who have had an impact on education include Dudley M. Clements,
who began the nation's first vocational agricultural program following the passage
of the Smith-Hughes Act. E. W. Grove-Henry County High School, Tennessee's first
privately endowed public high school, honored Edwin Wiley Grove, who headed the
Paris Medicine Company and Grove Laboratories, which produced "Grove's Tasteless
Chill Tonic." Henry County has produced a number of university presidents, including
Dr. C. C. "Sonny" Humphreys, Memphis State University; Dr. Thomas D. Jarrett,
Atlanta University; Dr. Mordecai Johnson, Howard University; and Dr. Joe Morgan,
Austin Peay State University.
Entertainers from Henry County include Rattlesnake Annie, country music singer;
Bobby Jones, award-winning gospel performer; Buster Jones, host of Soul Unlimited; Cherry
Jones, Tony Award-winning actress; Merle Kilgore, country music writer and manager;
Keith Lancaster, founder of the Acapella Music Group; Ula Love, Hollywood starlet
and member of the Ziegfield Follies; Harry Neal, member of the duo-piano team
of Nelson and Neal; Ricky Revel, country music singer; Jackie de Shannon, pop
music singer; and Hank Williams Jr., Country Music Association Entertainer of
the Year.
Other prominent Henry Countians include Vernon Jarrett, newspaper columnist and
social commentator; Virginia Weldon Kelly, syndicated columnist; Ethel McFadden,
the first Miss Tennessee; Christine Reynolds, the state's first female cabinet
member; "Miss Pearl" Routon, artist and one of those responsible for naming the
iris as Tennessee's official cultivated flower; and Dr. Henrietta Veltman, who
delivered over four thousand babies during her fifty years of practice.
Vernon McGarity received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in
the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Camp Tyson, built near Routon in
1941 and named for Brigadier General Lawrence D. Tyson, was the U.S. Army's only
barrage balloon training center during World War II.
Henry County's first tourist attraction, Sulphur Well, was created by accident
in 1821, when an artesian well of sulphur water was struck in an attempt to locate
a large salt bed on a former Chickasaw reservation. Eventually a summer resort
was erected at the site to accommodate the large numbers of people who came to
drink the water, which was believed to have health benefits. Many sought refuge
at Sulphur Well during the 1837 yellow fever epidemic.
In 1944 Sulphur Well was covered by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kentucky
Lake, the largest man-made lake in the United States and the second largest in
the world. After the creation of Paris Landing State Park in 1945, the lake soon
became a popular recreation destination. Paris acquired the name "Capital City
of Kentucky Lake," and tourism took an important role in the area's economy.
The World's Biggest Fish Fry at Paris emerged as one of Tennessee's premier festivals
and draws tens of thousands of visitors, and politicians, into Paris and Henry
County during the last full week of April.
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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Tennessee 
