Marshall County, Tennessee Genealogical Records Information

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Marshall County History and Information

Marshall County Facts

Click HERE to see full size D.O.T. County Map

Established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1836, Marshall County was formed from parts of Giles, Bedford, Lincoln and Maury Counties. Its name honors former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835), Revolutionary War soldier and Federalist leader, U.S. congressman, secretary of state, and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The members of the first county court, with William McClure as chairman and David McGahey as secretary, met at the home of Abner Houston, who had donated land for a county seat. James Osborne, William Williams, Joel Yowell, Aaron Boyd, and James C. Record then served as a committee to build a courthouse and jail, lay out the new town's streets, and sell lots.

The county seat was named Lewisburg in honor of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition, who died in adjacent Lewis County. Lewisburg today is an attractive rural town of 10,413. The town square is dominated by the Marshall County Courthouse (1929), a Colonial Revival-style building designed by the Nashville architectural firm of Hart Freeland Roberts and later modernized by the same firm in the mid-1970s. Other Lewisburg landmarks include the National Register-listed Adams House, a Queen Anne-style dwelling built by local civic capitalist and town mayor Joe C. Adams circa 1900; the Art Deco-style Dixie Theater; a Colonial Revival-style post office constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1935; and the Ladies Rest Room (1924), the first known independent building constructed in Tennessee for the sole purpose of providing a place for country women to relax, rest, and eat when they visited the town square in the early twentieth century. The National Register-listed Ladies Rest Room remained in service for visitors to the end of the century.

Newspapers were published in Lewisburg. Scattered early issues are available from 1838, and a complete run begins in 1945. See Extended History for More information. There were fires at the Marshall County courthouse in 1872 and 1927.

Marshall County is bordered by Rutherford County (northeast), Bedford County (east), Lincoln County (southeast), Giles County (southwest), Maury County (west) and Williamson County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Chapel Hill, Cornersville, Lewisburg. The Official County Website is located at http://www.marshallcountytn.com/

Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Marshall County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Marshall County Records. Newspaper Microfilms are loaned to Tennessee libraries. Individual reels may also be purchased. An Inventory of Newspapers on Microfilm at TSLA is available on our web site. . Marshall County, Tennessee History Books at Amazon.com.

Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Marshall County Court Records

See Also Tennessee Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

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.

Marshall County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1836 and Probate Records from 1836 and is located at 207 Marshall Courthouse, Lewisburg, TN 37091-2020; Telephone: (931) 359-2191.
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.

Marshall County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1836 and is located at 207 Marshall Courthouse, Lewisburg, TN 37091-2020; Telephone: (931) 359-1072 .
The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Marshall county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Marshall County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1836 and is located at 207 Marshall Courthouse, Lewisburg, TN 37091-2020; Telephone: (931) 359-1312 .
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.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912, Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records, Tennessee Marriages to 1825; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 and Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900.

Click Here to Search Tennessee Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Marshall County, Tennessee Court Books at Amazon.com
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.
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Marshall County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Tennessee

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.

Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

Contact the Marshall County Clerk For County Marriage Divorce Records (See Marshall County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where Certificate was granted.

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.
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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.
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There are a few online marriage databases which include: Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912, Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records, Tennessee Marriages to 1825; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 and Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900

Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Marshall County Census Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

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 Marshall County for the years: 1839-1843, 1860-1891, 1896-1900 ; 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.

Original tax schedules for most Tennessee counties for 1836 through 1839 are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

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 Marshall County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Marshall County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Tennessee Genealogical Addresses

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 Marshall County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Marshall County Historical Society, 224 Third Ave N., Lewisburg 37091
Local Tennessee Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Tennessee State Library and Archives, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243-0312; Phone: (615) 741-2764 , Fax (615) 741-6471
Tennessee Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3343, 9114 Davies Plantation Rd, Brunswick, TN 38014, (901) 381-1447; [EMAIL]
Tennessee Historical Society, 300 Capital Boulevard, Nashville 37243
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.

Marshall County Church & Cemeteries

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.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Marshall County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Marshall County Tombstone Transcription Project. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.

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 Marshall County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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 Marshall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Marshall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Marshall County, Tennessee Family Books at Amazon.com
Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
Sites on USGenweb: [ Marshall County ] [ Tennessee ] [ Main Page ]
[GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
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.
Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
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.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Bedford County Historical Society
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.
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County History

The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture © Tennessee Historical Society

Cornersville, the county's second largest town with 962 residents, is at the south end of Marshall County. It grew by almost 41 percent between 1990 and 2000. Several outstanding antebellum homes are nearby and the Cornersville United Methodist Church (1852), a Greek Revival-style brick building, is listed on the National Register. Chapel Hill, the county's third largest town with 943 residents, is at the north end of Marshall County. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was born at a nearby farm; the Forrest homeplace is currently under restoration by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Other villages in Marshall County include Belfast, Farmington, Verona, and Berlin, famous as a location for political stump speeches during the antebellum era.

Little research has been undertaken about the county's black history. During the 1920s the Rosenwald Fund's school building program constructed new black schools at Farmington, Chapel Hill, and Lewisburg. This positive development, however, occurred within a context of four verified lynchings in the county from 1900-1931, one of the highest numbers in a Tennessee county for these years.

Agriculture has dominated the county's economic history, and specialized stock breeding has made a distinctive contribution to the modern history of Tennessee agriculture. In the late 1920s the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at the urging of several local government leaders and businessmen including future Governor Jim Nance McCord, established the U.S. Dairy Experiment Station on the highway between Lewisburg and Cornersville. The experiment station, now part of the University of Tennessee Extension Service, was extremely significant in assisting the county's rise to national prominence in production of Jersey cattle. By the late 1930s, for example, Marshall County was the nation's largest Jersey producer, and several dairy products companies established local factories. The WPA Guide for Tennessee noted: "one of the condenseries here has an annual capacity of 25 million gallons, and a cooperative creamery produces approximately 2 million pounds of cheese and 2 million pounds of butter each year." (1) The success of the Dairy Experiment Station further encouraged McCord and other local residents to establish the first official register for Tennessee Walking Horses in Lewisburg in the mid-1930s. That registry is still maintained at the Lewisburg headquarters of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association.

Henry Horton State Park, named in honor of a former Tennessee governor from Marshall County, was constructed in the 1960s along the Duck River near Chapel Hill. The park contains the first golf course specifically constructed for a Tennessee state park.

Besides former Governors Horton and McCord and General Nathan Bedford Forrest, other Marshall Countians of note include Governor Buford Ellington, who moved in 1941 to Verona, where he operated a farm, ran a general store, and began his political career, and Isaac Rainey (1763-1826), a Revolutionary War veteran from North Carolina who moved to the area in 1823 and died at his Duck River farm near Chapel Hill in 1826. Another Revolutionary War veteran was John Medearis, who lived near Belfast. John William Burgess (1844-1931) was a native of Cornersville who later, in 1890, became a dean at Columbia University, where he gained fame for his expertise in international law.

The county's population in 2000 was 26,767.

Marshall County Published Records

1880 Census, Marshall County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1999)
Cemetery Records of Marshall County, Tennessee (Marsh, 1981)
Cornersville Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Register, Cornersville, Tennessee (Platt, 2000)
First (1840) Census of Marshall County, Tennessee (Marshall County [Tenn.] Historical Society, 19??)
Land Deed Genealogy of Marshall County, Tennessee [vol. 1 1836-1840; *vol. 2 1840-1845] (Marsh, 1988)
Marriage Record(s), Marshall County, Tennessee, 1836-1870 (Porch, 1976)
Marshall County, Tennessee 1850 Census (Whitesell, 1967)
Marshall County, Tennessee Court Minutes, 1836-1845 (Marshall County Historical Society, 1980)
Marshall County, Tennessee Court Minutes, 1845-1848 (Marshall County Historical Society, 1980)
Marshall County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, vol.A, 1836-1840 (WPA, 1936)
Marshall County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, vol.1, 1838-1849 (WPA, 1936)
Marshall County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, vol.2, 1849-1865 (WPA, 1936)
Marshall County, Tennessee Tax Record, 1839-1841 (Porch, 1966)
Marshall County, Tennessee, Will Book, vol.A, 1835-1855 (WPA, 1936)
Marshall County, Tennessee Wills, 1835-1865 (Porch, 1978)
Maury County Neighbors; Records of Giles, Lewis, and Marshall Counties, Tennessee (Lightfoot & Shackelford, 1967)
Name Index to History of Tennessee ... : Together with ... Sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall Counties (Marsh, 1971)
New Hope Cemetery, Near Talley Station, Marshall County, Tennessee (Nicholas, 1977)
Private Acts of Marshall County, Tennessee (McIntyre, 1994)
Revolutionary War Patriots of Marshall County, Tennessee (Alford, 1976)
Service Record, World War I and II Marshall County, Tenn (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Bill Lowe Wheatley Post, 1948?)
South Central Tennessee Regional Polk City Directory : Including Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore Counties (R.L. Polk & Co., 1999)
Tombstone Inscriptions of Marshall County, Tennessee (Whitesell, 1968)

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