Scott County, Tennessee Genealogical Records Information

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Scott County History and Information

Scott County Facts

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

Scott County was created in 1849 by the Tennessee General Assembly out of parts of Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan Counties and named for General Winfield Scott, whose military exploits in the Mexican War were fresh in the public's mind. The county seat is Huntsville, named in honor of an early hunter. The first election was held in March 1850 and the first court in July of that year. The courthouse was erected in 1851, but later courthouses replaced it, first in 1874 and then in this century. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the old Scott County Jail is the oldest extant building in Huntsville, and its distinctive fortress design is the work of architect J. G. Barnwell of Chattanooga. Huntsville was incorporated in 1965.

Newspapers were published in Helenwood, Huntsville, and Oneida. Scattered early issues are available from 1887, and a complete run begins in 1964. See Extended History for More information. There was a fire at the Scott County courthouse in 1946 and many court house records were lost.

Scott County is bordered by McCreary County, Kentucky (north), Campbell County (east), Anderson County (southeast), Morgan County (south), Fentress County (west) and Pickett County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Helenwood, Huntsville, Oneida, Winfield. The Official County Website is located at http://www.scottcounty.com/

Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Scott County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Scott 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. . Scott 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.

Scott 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.

Scott County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1854 and Probate Records from 1829 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 87, Huntsville, TN 37756-0087; Telephone: (423) 663-2618.
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.

Scott County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1850 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 87, Huntsville, TN 37756-0087; Telephone: (423) 663-2618 .
The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Scott county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Scott County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1850 and is located at Courthouse, P.O. Box 87, Huntsville, TN 37756-0087; Telephone: (423) 663-2440.
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 Scott County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Scott County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Scott 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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Scott 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 Scott County Clerk For County Marriage Divorce Records (See Scott 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.
[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]

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 Scott County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Scott County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Scott 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 Scott County for the years: 1875-1887, 1888-1900 ; 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 Scott County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Scott County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

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

Scott County Historical Society, P. O. Box 7, Huntsville, TN 37756; Phone: (423) 663-2317
Scott County Genealogy and Historical Societies
Oneida Public Library, 290 South Main Street, Oneida, TN 37841 423-569-8634
Scott County Historical Society, Woodland Ave., PO Box 7, Huntsville, TN 37756 423-663-3887
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.

Scott 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 Scott County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Scott 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 Scott County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Scott 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 Scott County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Scott County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Scott 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: [ Scott 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
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County History

The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture © Tennessee Historical Society
The location of Scott County on the Cumberland Plateau abutting the Tennessee-Kentucky state line makes for beautiful landscape, poor soil for farming, and a small population. The region is blanketed with forests and parks, both in neighboring counties and Scott County's westernmost section, where is found the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. This park extends into Morgan and Fentress Counties to the south and west and into McCreary County in Kentucky to the north. Attracting tourists, hikers, rafters, kayakers, and canoers, Big South Fork protects geological features of great age and prehistoric and historic resources as well as providing employment to local residents.

The largest municipality in the county, Oneida, was incorporated in 1913. Oneida served as a way station on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, built in the 1870s to connect Chattanooga and Cincinnati. Another line, between Oneida and Jamestown and called the Oneida and Western, prospered during the 1920s due to logging and mining work, but it and the county suffered greatly in the depression. The line was dismantled in 1953. Other towns in the county include Smoky Junction, Norma, Fairview, Winfield, Isham, Helenwood, Robbins, and Elgin. Robbins is home to Barton Chapel, which memorializes the social and humanitarian contributions of the Reverend William E. Barton, who established his ministry here in 1885.

Paleoindians during the last Ice Age visited the rock overhangs and shelters that wind and water erosion created from the area's sandstone and shale. Later Native American peoples also used these resources. Settlers in the early nineteenth century carved out small, self-sufficient farms from the wilderness. Perhaps because of the poor farming conditions, blacks as slaves and freemen did not factor at more than 2 percent of the county's antebellum population. In the mid-nineteenth century industry was limited to independent grist mills and whiskey production.

During the Civil War, Scott Countians were strongly Unionist in sentiment. U.S. Senator Andrew Johnson denounced secession at a courthouse speech in Huntsville on June 4, 1861, and the county voted against secession by the greatest percentage margin of any Tennessee county. In fact, local residents so opposed the Confederacy that later in 1861 the county court approved a protest resolution that announced the county's secession from the State of Tennessee and the creation of a "Free and Independent State of Scott." Guerrilla warfare occurred in the county during the Civil War, but no major battles occurred within the county's boundaries.

After the war, the construction of the Cincinnati Southern in the early 1880s opened the county to timber, mining, and New South industrial development. Extraction of natural resources served as the foundation for local urban and economic development until the Great Depression. Oneida served as a shipping point for timber, coal, farm products, and livestock, while Huntsville's chief activity was lumbering, and brick-making was the primary industry in Robbins. The construction of U.S. Highway 27 in the late 1920s opened new transportation alternatives for county residents.

In the 1990s the county government, its school system, and the ninety-nine-bed Scott County Hospital employed the largest numbers of nonmanufacturing workers. The county's biggest employers include American Bag Corporation (automobile air bags); Hartco/Tibbals Flooring Company (wood flooring); Tennier Industries (military coats); Denim Processing, Inc.; and Wabash National Corporation (trailer platforms). The county's population in 2000 was 21,127.

Perhaps the most recognized name from Scott County is that of Howard Baker Jr., who, like his father, represented his region and state in the United States Congress for many years. Howard Baker Sr. was in the House of Representatives for seven terms, and his wife Irene succeeded him. Baker Jr. was a Republican senator for Tennessee for more than twenty years and chief of staff for President Ronald Reagan. Other political leaders from Scott County include Millard Caldwell, a congressman who later was governor of Florida, and John Duncan, who served in Congress from 1964 until his death in 1988.

Scott County Published Records

1850 Scott County, Tennessee Census : Annotated Population, Mortailtiy [sic], Slave & Agricultural Schedules (Bailey, 1994)
1860 Census, Scott County, Tennessee (Scott County Historical Society, 1985?)
1860 Scott County, Tennessee, Census (Douthat, 1985)
1870 Census, Scott County, Tennessee (Scott County Historical Society, 1986?)
1880 Census Scott County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1994)
1880 Census, Scott County, Tennessee (Scott County Historical Society, 1986?)
1900 Census, Scott County, Tennessee (Reed, 1987)
1910 Census, Scott County, Tennessee (Carson, Mabe & Jeffers, 1994)
1920 census, Scott County, Tennessee (Lemasters, 1994)
Cooper Funeral Home Records : Oneida (Scott County), Tennessee [vol. 1 1932-1942 & 1948-1953; vol. 2 1927-1932 & 1943-1947)] (Bailey, 1994-)
Cumberland Co., Tennessee, Fentress Co., Tennessee, Jackson Co., Tennessee, Loudon Co., Tennessee, Morgan Co., Tennessee, Overton Co., [1891 enumeration of male voters -- includes Scott County] (Reed, 1990)
Index to Dusty Bits of the Forgotten Past : A History of Scott County (Smith, 1985)
Marriages, Scott County, Tennessee : 1880-1893 (Lemasters, 1991)
Marriages, Scott County, Tennessee, 1893-1904 (Lemasters, 1991)
Minutes of the First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Tennessee, June, 1894 to November, 1945 (19??)
Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 (seventh census) for Scott County, Tennessee (Creekmore, 1980)
Private Acts of Scott County, Tennessee (McIntyre, 1985)
Profiles of Scott Countians (Sanderson, 1990)
Scott Co., Tenn., Court Minutes, 1850-55 (WPA, 1940)
[Scott County Cemeteries] [Bk. 1 Cotton Cemetery (High Point) and others; Bk. 2 Black Creek Cemetery, Black Creek Crossroads and others; Bk. 3 Acres Cemetery and others] (Rader, 1983?-)
Scott County Cemetery Records [vol. 2] (Lemasters, 1985)
Scott County County Court minutes, 1850-1855 (Scott County Historical Society, 1988?)
Scott County Death Records, 1901-1968, Kept by Alta Presley, Oneida, Tennessee (Presley & Reed, 198?)
Scott County, Tennessee and its Families (Scott County Historical Society, 1988)
Scott County, Tennessee County Court Clerk Professional License Registers, Physicians, May 1905-June 1968 (2003?)
Scott County, Tennessee Deeds of Conveyance, 1863-1866 (2003)
Scott County, Tennessee, Divorces, 1850-1910 (Lemasters, 1993)
Scott County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, Vol. A, B, & c, 1854-1880 (WPA, 1938)
Scott County, Tennessee Marriages, 1854-1880 (Sistler, 1988)
Scott County, Tennessee, Marriages, 1904-1912 (Lemasters, 1995)
Scott County, Tennessee, Minute Book Deeds, vol. C, 1859-1861 (WPA, 1938)
Scott County, Tennessee, Obituaries, 1926-1930 (Lemasters, 1997)
Scott County, Tennessee, Original Wills, Estates, Guardian Bonds, Administrators Bonds, Executors Bonds, 1850-1900 (Lemasters, 1996)
Scott County, Tennessee, Some Original Marriage Licenses & Bonds [vol. 1 1850-1919; vol. 2 1850-1933] (Lemasters, 1991-)
Scott County, Tennessee Surveyor's Book 1 (1850-1867) & surveyor's book 2 (1868-1887) (Lemasters, 1992)
Scott County, Tennessee, Vital Statistics, 1914 through 1925 (Wiefering, 1994)
Scott County, TN Deputy Sheriff's Bond Records [vol. 1 Sept. 1911 - Nov. 1925; vol. 2 Nov. 1925- Jan 1947] (2003?)
Scott County, TN Record of Countersigned Licenses (Business Licenses), Jan. 1921-May 1931 (2003?)
Tennessee Records of Scott County :Minute Book (deeds) [1859-1861] (WPA, 1938)
West-Murley Funeral Home Records, Oneida (Scott County), Tennessee (1949-1964) (Bailey, 1996)
Wills, Scott County, Tennessee : 1850-1927 (Lemasters, 1991)

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