Created
in 1836 from Rhea County, Meigs County
is named for Return Jonathan Meigs
(1740-1823), a colonel in the American
Revolutionary War and later an Indian
agent from 1801 until his death in
1823.
The only incorporated town in the county, Decatur, was laid out as the county
seat in 1836 on fifty acres donated by James Lillard and Leonard Brooks. Named
for Stephen Decatur, a War of 1812 naval hero, the present historic courthouse,
listed on the National Register, was built in 1905.
Newspapers were published in Decatur. Scattered early issues are available from 1898. See Extended History for More information. There were fires at the Meigs County courthouse
in 1904 and 1964.
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.
Meigs County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1838 and Probate Records from 1836 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 205,
Decatur, TN 37322; Telephone:
(423) 334-5243 . 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.
Meigs County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1840 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 205, Decatur, TN 37322; Telephone:
(423) 334-5243. The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Meigs county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
Meigs County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1836 and is located at Courthouse, P.O.
Box 205, Decatur, TN 37322; Telephone:
(423) 334-5821. 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Meigs County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs 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 Meigs 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 Meigs County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Maps. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County for the years: 1836, 1839-1863, 1872-1883, 1886, 1890, 1891, 1896-1898 ; 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 Meigs County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 Meigs County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Meigs 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 River Valley was first inhabited by generations of Native Americans,
and Meigs County contains many prehistoric and Cherokee sites. Hiwassee Island,
at the mouth of the Hiwassee River, is the site of a large Mississippian Period
town dating from the eleventh century A.D. and includes several temple mounds
surrounding a plaza. The Cherokees later occupied the island. In 1809-10 Sam
Houston lived with Oolootek (John Jolly), leader of three hundred Cherokees living
on Hiwassee Island, also called Jolly's Island. Today the area is Hiwassee Island
Wildlife Refuge, noted for its use by migrating sand hill cranes.
In the Hiwassee Treaty of 1817 and the Calhoun Agreement of 1819, the Cherokees
ceded the land on the east bank of the Tennessee River north of the Hiwassee
to Tennessee. The first settlements in the Meigs County area were in the Ten
Mile Valley in the north, while later families settled near the site of Decatur.
The territory south of the Hiwassee remained in the Ocoee District of the Cherokee
nation and was not opened to white settlement until 1836. Most of the Cherokee
residents were removed as part of the Trail of Tears in 1838, crossing the Tennessee
in Meigs County at Blythe's Ferry. A few Cherokee residents remained, notably
John Miller, Richard Taylor, Colonel Gideon Morgan, and John Jolly. The Meigs
County government, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Park Service, and Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency have planned a monument near the Hiwassee inscribed
with names of the Cherokees removed in 1838, as well as a walking trail along
part of a removal route. Construction of the memorial and surrounding park at
the former site of Blythe Ferry began in 1998, and parts of the park are already
open to the public.
Decatur Academy, a secondary
school, opened in the 1840s, and a school for African American children was established
in 1869. When the academy closed in 1890, the Holston Conference of the Methodist
Church set up a high school that operated until 1910, when Meigs County High
School was built. The Meigs County High School's girls' basketball team won state
AA championships in 1994 and 1995. County schools consolidated in 1997 into two
elementary, one middle, and one high school. Other communities in the county
include Ten Mile, Big Spring, Peakland, Union Grove, Sewee, Goodfield, and East
View.
Meigs County is covered by a series of ridges and valleys running southwest to
northeast, with the valleys filled with family farms. In antebellum times, commerce
was linked to riverboats at landings such as Cottonport, Pinhook, and Breedenton.
Several ferries were also established: the Blythe, Washington, and Free ferries
on the Tennessee, and the Russell and Kincannon ferries on the Hiwassee. (In
the 1990s, two bridges replaced the Blythe and Washington ferries, the last ferries
in the eastern Tennessee River Valley.) Although a railroad was expected in the
1840s and 1850s, one would never cross the county. There were 598 farms in 1850,
chiefly raising hogs (twenty thousand head), wheat, oats, corn, and potatoes.
In 1850 Meigs County's population consisted of 4,480 whites and 395 slaves with
4 free African Americans. By 1860 there were 4,021 whites, and the number of
slaves had increased to 638, with 7 free blacks. When Tennessee voted on secession
in June 1861, Meigs voted 481 for secession and 267 for the Union. The district
south of the Hiwassee had the fewest slaveholders and sent most of its men to
the Union. In 1864 Owen Soloman, acting under the order of Military Governor
Andrew Johnson, organized a new county court loyal to the Union.
Following the war, farmers in the county resumed their lives, adding apples and
peaches, beef cattle and milk cows to the production of grains. In the 1880s
Meigs farmers turned increasingly to tobacco as a cash crop--4,159 pounds were
raised in 1880, growing to 136,791 pounds by 1940. Timber became increasingly
important to the county's economy and was sent by river to Chattanooga until
1900 when the pine and poplar trees were virtually logged out. Although Meigs
County contained 814 freedmen in 1870, the African American population found
little opportunity; their numbers fell after the Civil War to less than 2 percent
by 1990. As late as 1940 Meigs County had only one industrial plant, the Decatur
Hosiery Mills, established in the late 1930s.
The Tennessee Valley Authority brought changes to the county with the construction
of Chickamauga Lake in 1940 and Watts Bar in 1942. Although Meigs's most productive
acres were flooded by the lakes, 225 miles of shoreline were created within the
county on the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers. The lakes brought tourist use for
fishing, hunting, boating, and photography. The TVA's construction of Sequoyah
and Watts Bar plants south and north of the county in the 1970s added residential
growth. Several industries were established by the 1970s, when nine companies
employed 432 workers.
In the late 1990s tobacco and vegetables top the Meigs County market crops, although
beef cattle and dairy herds are still raised. The county contains neither railroads
nor a U.S. highway, but seven motor freight companies serve the county. Shaw
Industries, a yarn spinning mill, is the largest manufacturer, with over 400
employees; none of the county's other manufacturers have more than 80 workers.
The largest public sector employer is the Meigs County School System. In 2000
Decatur's population was 1,395, while the Meigs County population stood at 11,086
in 2000.
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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