The Cherokees and Chickasaws
ceded the land that comprises Lincoln
County in 1806. Settlers arrived
almost immediately, although surveyors
and prospective settlers came as
early as 1784 to establish boundaries
for Revolutionary War land warrants.
Some of the first settlers included
Drury Abbott; Ezekiel Norris; Joseph
Alexander and Andrew Greer; William
and Thomas Edmonson; Robert Farquharson;
and James Bright. The county, which
contains 520 square miles, was established
by an act of the general assembly
in 1809 from Bedford County and named in honor of Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810), American Revolutionary officer, U.S. secretary of war, commander of forces that suppressed Shay’s Rebellion in 1787 and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.
Commissioners John Whitaker Sr., Wright Williams, Eli Garrett, Littleton Duty,
and Jesse Woodruff were appointed to purchase 100 acres near the center of the
county to establish a county seat. Ezekiel Norris sold the land near the Elk
River that became the town of Fayetteville, and the commissioners laid off town
lots, which were sold in 1810. The first court was held in the home of Brice
Garner, the first county clerk. In 1811 the first courthouse was constructed
of logs. The present Colonial Revival-style courthouse was built in 1970 and
is the fourth one in the county's history.
Newspapers were published in Fayetteville. Scattered early issues are available from 1817, and a complete run begins in 1976. 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.
Lincoln County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1823 and Probate Records from 1809 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 577, 112 Main Street South,
Fayetteville, TN 37334;
(931) 433-1482. 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.
Lincoln County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1810 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, TN 37334; (931)
433-2454. The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Lincoln county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Lincoln County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1810 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 577, 112 Main Street South, Fayetteville, TN 37334; (931)
433-2334. 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.
[View
Criminal Records Instantly!] [View
Criminal Records] [Court
Record Searches]
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County for the years: 1829-1833, 1836, 1846-1850, 1865-1867, 1870-1889, 1892-1900 ; 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 Lincoln County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Lincoln County Archives, 1000-B Washington St. West,
Fayetteville , TN 37334;
Phone: (931) 732-4214
Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library,
400 Rocky Knob Lane, Fayetteville, TN 37334 931-433-3286
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 Lincoln County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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.
The "Town Spring," located on one of the lots, provided most of the town's water
until additional springs were discovered five miles south of Fayetteville at
Rainy Falls. In 1899 the Fayetteville Gravity Flow Water System, completed at
a cost of thirty-seven thousand dollars, brought fresh water to the town. This
unique gravitational flow system excited the interest of engineers from as far
away as New York and brought visitors to see the system in operation. Water flowed
into a large reservoir located on a hill above Fayetteville at a rate of 225,000
gallons daily. The system provided water for families and mills until the 1920s
when Fayetteville's needs surpassed the capacity of the springs.
Lincoln County provided twenty-one companies of volunteers to the Confederate
cause. Although no major battles were fought in Lincoln County, the area suffered
severely from troop movements and the bands of armed men who raided, abused,
robbed, and murdered defenseless people. Fortunately for the history of Lincoln
County, the courthouse was not burned, and the county records were safely hidden
by concerned citizens.
A number of small communities and villages dot the countryside. Most of the communities
developed around local post offices, schools, churches, or stores. Today, the
schools have been consolidated into the county system, the stores have closed,
and the post office is in Fayetteville, but many communities still maintain their
sense of pride and history. A few of the larger communities are Blanche, Taft,
Coldwater, Dellrose, Elora, Flintville, Kelso, and Mulberry.
From 1875 to 1920 the Lincoln County economy depended on railroads. Petersburg,
the county's second largest town, was once a thriving railroad village. Located
on the Marshall County line, Petersburg's access to the Nashville, Chattanooga
and St. Louis Railroad made it an important center for trade. It also was home
to Morgan School, a well-respected prep school from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth
century.
During the twentieth century Lincoln County has supported a number of industries.
Construction of the Elk Cotton Mills began in 1900, and the plant remained in
operation until 1997. The Borden Milk Plant moved to Lincoln County in 1927 and
is credited with the area's economic survival during the Great Depression. The
plant closed in 1962, and the National Register-listed facility now houses the
Lincoln County Museum. Fayetteville had an electric system long before the Tennessee
Valley Authority, and even some rural areas had electricity in the 1920s. Nevertheless,
the arrival of TVA in 1935 brought enormous change to the lives of most Lincoln
County residents. Textile mills once dominated the country's industry, but of
the four largest manufacturers (Amana, Frito-Lay, Lincoln County Manufacturing,
and Copperweld Corporation) in the county in 2000, only Lincoln County Manufacturing,
with 174 employees, produces textiles. Amana, a manufacturer of air conditioning
and heating systems, is the largest employer, with 1,110 workers.
From its origins, agriculture has played a vital role in the county's economy.
Its rich and varied soils are suitable for a variety of crops, including corn,
cotton, hay, tobacco, and Irish and sweet potatoes. In the 1930s and 1940s many
local farmers entered the dairy business and supplied milk to Borden and Kraft
Milk plants. Lincoln County now ranks among the top beef producers of the state.
Among Lincoln County's most notable citizens is Retired Admiral Frank Kelso,
who served as Commander and Chief of Naval Operations during the Persian Gulf
War. He, along with less notable Lincoln Countians, including many descendants
of early settlers, have made significant contributions to the state. According
to the 2000 census, Fayetteville had 6,994 residents and Lincoln County had 31,340
residents.
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:
.
Tennessee 
