Shelby County Facts

Click HERE to see full size D.O.T. County Map    The Tennessee General Assembly established Shelby County on November 24, 1819, just a little over a year after the "Jackson Purchase" and Chickasaw treaty freed West Tennessee from Indian claims. The county is named in honor of Isaac Shelby (1750-1826), Revolutionary War troop commander at Kings Mountain, first governor of Kentucky, negotiator for the purchase of the western district from the Chickasaws. Although sparsely populated at the time, Shelby County began its existence as Tennessee's largest (784 square miles) in area and is now also the largest county in population (over 860,000 people).    From the beginning, Shelby County enjoyed a geographical advantage as a travel and trade center. The Chickasaws had already established trails from the fourth Chickasaw Bluff (future Memphis) to future northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi (now U.S. Highways 72 and 78 respectively) in order to gain access to early Mississippi River trade. Originally these trails followed ridge lines between river basins in order to facilitate all-weather travel. Later they would become the basic routes for early railroads, which would make Shelby County and its principal city, Memphis, the economic center of the region.    The first meeting of the Shelby County Quarterly Court was held on May 1, 1820, and authorized $125 for the construction of a log courthouse and jail along with a property tax of $6.25 per 100 acres of land. It also authorized the conduct of a county survey which officially reported three years later that the county contained only 625 acres, because of a state boundary error by James Winchester which had sliced a strip four miles wide and approximately thirty miles long off the bottom of Shelby County and recorded it as being in Mississippi. The error was not discovered until 1835, but is commemorated today by Winchester Road, which follows his state boundary survey line. Shelby County property in this strip is still neatly delineated by the Mississippi survey system of section and quarter sections while the northern 80% of the county uses the older Tennessee survey system of "metes and bounds."    In 1826 Memphis was incorporated as a town, but almost two years earlier, the county seat had been relocated to the village of Raleigh at Sanderlin's Bluff on the Wolf River, squarely in the center of the county. There it remained until after the Civil War, when in 1868 the clamor of lawyers and litigants brought it back to Memphis. Other early settlements include Big Creek (south of present Millington), which apparently was home to several families even before the Chickasaw treaty, and the log cabin which would expand into Davies Manor at Brunswick dates from 1807. Obviously, these early settlers had made their own arrangements with the Indians. Near Big Creek, further south towards Memphis, was the Egypt settlement, part of the exotic Egyptian-naming era which swept southern Illinois and West Tennessee from around 1818 to 1820.    Newspapers were published in Collierville, Frayser, Germantown, Memphis, Millington, Raleigh and Whitehaven..  A fairly complete run begins in 1843. See Extended History for More information.    Shelby County is bordered by Tipton County (north), Fayette County (east), Marshall County, Mississippi (southeast), DeSoto County, Mississippi (south) and Crittenden County, Arkansas (west). Cities and Towns include Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Cordova, Eads, Fisherville, Germantown, Lakeland, Memphis, Millington. The Official County Website is located at http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/    Tennessee State Library and Archives has Inventories of Shelby County Records on Microfilm. Click Here to Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels. Early Shelby 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.  . Shelby 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.

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Shelby 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.

  Shelby County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1819 and Probate Records from 1824 and is located at Courthouse, 160 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103; Telephone: (901) 576-4002.
    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.

   Shelby County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1821 and is located at Courthouse, 160 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103; Telephone: (901) 576-4002 .
    The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Shelby county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

   Shelby County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1828 and is located at Courthouse, 160 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103; Telephone: (901) 576-4040.
   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 Shelby County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Shelby County Court Records by clicking the link below:

• Shelby 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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Shelby 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!

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

• Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
• Shelby County, Tennessee Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
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Shelby County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, Tennessee are Industry and Agriculture Schedules available 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.

See Also Statewide Records that exist for Tennessee

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

• Shelby County, Tennessee Census Books at Amazon.com
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Shelby County Maps & Atlases

   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 Shelby County Maps. Email us with websites containing Shelby County Maps by clicking the link below:

• Shelby County, Tennessee Map Books at Amazon.com
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Shelby County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Tennessee

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.

Below is a list of online resources for Shelby County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Shelby 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.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (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.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
• Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Tennessee units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• 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.
• Shelby County, Tennessee Military Books at Amazon.com
• Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution
• Tennessee Society Sons of the Revolution
• Tennessee Civil War Regimental Histories
• Tennessee, Civil War Confederate Pension Applications Index
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Shelby County Tax 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 Shelby County for the years: 1837, 1838, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1850, 1852, 1856-1863, 1865, 1867-1880, 1883, 1891-1900 ; 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 Shelby County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Shelby County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

• Shelby County, Tennessee Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Shelby 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 Shelby County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Shelby County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

• Memphis & Shelby County Archives, 150 Washington Ave., Suite 205, Memphis , TN 38103; Phone: (901) 545-4356, Email: jdougan@co.shelby.tn.us
• City of Germantown Municipal Archives, 1930 S. Germantown Rd., Germantown , TN 38138
  Phone: (901) 757-7260
• History and Travel Department (Genealogy), 1850 Peabody Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104, (901) 725-8821, email: hisref@memphis.lib.tn.us
• Memphis-Shelby County Health Dept, Division of Vital Records, 814 Jefferson Ave., Memphis, TN 38105
• Memphis/Shelby County Public Library Archives
• West Tennessee Historical Society, PO Box 111046, Memphis, TN 38111 901-678-8242
• Bartlett Historical Society, Bartlett Museum, Gotten House
  2969 Court Street, Bartlett, TN 38134 901-373-8433
• Center for Southern Folklore, Archives
  119 S. Main Street, Suite 106, PO Box 226, Memphis, TN 38101 901-525-3655
• Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island, Mud Island Park, City of Memphis
  125 N. Front Street, Memphis, TN 38103 901-576-7230
• LeMoyne-Owen College, Hollis F. Price Library, 807 Walker Avenue, Memphis, TN 38126 901-942-7381
• Rhodes College, Burrow Library, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 901-323-9063
• 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.

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Shelby County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Tennessee

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 Shelby County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Shelby 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 Shelby County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Shelby County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Shelby County, Tennessee Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Shelby County, Tennessee Church Books at Amazon.com
• Christian Brothers University, Brother O'Donnell Archives
  2455 Avery Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 901-278-0100
• Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, 692 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105 901-476-7079
• Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
  1978 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104 901-276-8602
• Temple Israel Archives, (Jewish Historical Society of Memphis & Midsouth)
  1376 East Massey, Memphis, TN 38120 901-761-3130
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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 Shelby County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Shelby County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Shelby 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: [ Shelby 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

Other areas of Shelby County were also receiving attention. In 1825 an idealistic young Scotswoman named Frances Wright acquired 2,000 acres of wilderness property about four miles upstream of Raleigh on the Wolf River. There in early 1826 she and her younger sister, Camilla, began a noble experiment. They established a plantation named Nashoba upon which black slaves could work and earn sufficient credit to purchase their freedom. The surplus funds would be used to buy more slaves and repeat the cycle. However, there were no profits, and in 1829 Wright ended the project but kept the property, eventually leaving it to a niece who only parted with the last remaining acreage in 1900. Today it comprises the southeast quadrant of the Shelby County Penal farm (Shelby Farms) and the western subdivision of Germantown located north of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad (earlier the Memphis and Charleston Railroad). Germantown now has a population of nearly 32,000.

During the nineteenth century, lasting towns were also established at Bartlett (currently Shelby County's second most populated, with more than 40,543 people); Collierville (31,877) grew 120 percent between 1990 and 2000; Millington (10,443); and Arlington (2,568), which had a rate of 66.7 percent growth over the last ten years. Several twentieth-century incorporations have been attempted, but only one, Lakeland, has survived. Census officials place Memphis's population at 650,100 in 2000.

The county government continued to be based upon the accepted statewide quarterly court pattern until the Civil War. During the years 1862-64 it neither met nor functioned. During Reconstruction it ran afoul of Governor William G. Brownlow, who used the coercive Metropolitan Police Act to abolish it and replace it with a five-member commission appointed by himself. When the state constitution was rewritten in 1870, a section of it was aimed directly at preventing a repeat of this practice by providing that county officials must either be elected by the people or the Quarterly Court.

However, by 1910 the Shelby County Quarterly Court with its unwieldy fifty members had grown too large and too democratic. Legendary political boss E. H. Crump superimposed control through a 1911 legislative act creating a three-member executive commission which could override the court on all items except the constitutionally protected power to set property taxes. Only after Crump's death in 1954 did this arrangement become unworkable.

Not until 1975 were governance problems solved when the people voted to ratify the Shelby County Restructure Act, creating a single executive with the title of mayor and a single eleven-member legislative body (now called the County Commission). The third mayor, Jim Rout, now holds office and the system works well.

The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1887

Shelby County was named in honor of Gen. Isaac Shelby of Kentucky. It was erected by an act of the General Assembly, passed at Murfreesboro, November 24, 1819. The act creating the county, directed Jacob Tipton, surveyor of the Eleventh Surveyor's District, to run the boundary line of the county.

This was done by William Lawrence, deputy surveyor, for which the county court allowed him the sum of $142.75. The work was completed July 30, 1823. The whole contained 625 square miles. A correct location of the thirty-fifth parallel added a fractional row of sections from the State of Mississippi.

On the third day of court $175 was set apart to Thomas D. Carr, with which to employ laborers and erect a temporary log courthouse, jury-room and jail on the public square. This house was ready for occupancy in August, 1821. In November, 1822, Lewis Williams received $72.50 for repairs on said courthouse. This house seems to have been wanting in capacity or comfort or both, as the courts frequently met at private houses. While sitting at Memphis, " Chickasaw Bluffs" was designated as the place of holding the first courts. In December, 1824, the commissioners, James Fentress, Benjamin Reynolds, William Martin and Robert Jetton, who had been selected by the General Assembly to choose sites for the various county seats for the counties of West Tennessee, selected Sanderlin's bluff, on the north side of Wolf River as the most suitable site for the county seat of Shelby County. The land embraced a little over fifty acres, twenty-nine of which was owned by Wilson Sanderlin and twenty-two by James Freeman. The town was laid out and the lots sold, the profits from which were to be used in the erection of public buildings. This new site was named Raleigh, in honor of Raleigh, N. C.. in deference to Joseph Graham, who was a native of that State. Raleigh was laid off by Frederick Christian, John B. Holmes, John R. Kent and Benj. Robins. In January, 1827, the commissioners of Raleigh were allowed to draw on the county for $180 to complete the public buildings; if found necessary they were allowed $370 more out of funds not otherwise appropriated. This house was a small frame building built by Joseph Coe. This was replaced by a good brick building in 1834-35, about 40x50 feet and two stories high. In 1836 the old house was sold for $231 and the money spent in building a fence around the new brick courthouse. This house served the county until the courts were brought back to Memphis. In July, 1860, a committee consisting of J. W. A. Pettit, A. H. Montgomery, J. S. Dickerson, J. H. Goodlet and W. H. Walker with the county judge and the justices of the peace, was appointed to consult with the municipal authorities of Memphis, on the question of erecting a new courthouse at that city for the common law and chancery court, and the criminal court. The committee was to report on the propriety or necessity of building a new house, the cost of grounds and building, the amount Memphis was willing to pay and the amount of rents that would have to be paid for buildings until new ones could be built. A lot was purchased of W. B. Richardson, and in April, 1861, a loan of $150,000 at 6 per cent, payable in two, three, four and five years, in bonds of Shelby County, was offered to raise money for the new courthouse. The war coming up about this time, the matter was delayed until after the reorganization after the war.

In 1874 the large building known as the Overton Hotel was purchased at a total cost of building and repairs of nearly $150,000, and in September, 1874, all the courts were moved into that building. The federal courts, with their officers and effects, were moved into the same building in 1875.

At the August term, 1820, the court appointed Wm. A. Davis and Marcus B. Winchester commissioners to build a jail, and appropriated $125 for that purpose. They reported the completion of their work on November 6, 1821, and were paid $125 for the same. On the following day the court fixed prison bounds as follows: "Beginning and running so as to include the public square on which the courthouse now stands, and the two lots on which Sam'l R. Brown now keeps entertainment, and the street intervening between the two." On the removal of the county seat to Raleigh, a new jail had to be built. A permanent jail was built about the time of building the brick courthouse. This building stood east of the court square on the Somerville road. For the erection of these buildings a tax of 184 cents on each 100 acres of land, 37 1/2 cents. on each town lot, 18 3/4 cents on each white poll and 37 1/2 cents on each black poll was levied. On July 4, 1842, prison bounds one mile square in extent were established, the court square being in the center. In 1866 the present large, expensive jail was begun. J. B. Cook was the architect, and J. J. Powers the builder. The contract price was $144,000, but the total cost was largely in excess of that amount.

The first county court levied a tax of 64 cents on each 100 acres of land, also 64 cents on each white and each black poll for a jury and poor tax. The first official expenditure for the poor was the appropriation of $13 on February 7, 1821, for the support of Phillip H. Friend, a pauper of the county. The first commissioners of the poor were T. D. Carr, William Irvine and Jacob Tipton. The poor were kept by allowances made by the county court through the commissioners of the poor till 1836 when steps were taken to have them all kept at one place instead of farming them out individually to different ones throughout the county. No permanent asylum, however, was built till 1873—74 when the present asylum was erected. The county now owns forty acres of land on which stand the asylum buildings. These are mainly brick and are well kept. The farm lies about seven miles from Memphis on the old Raleigh road.

The asylum contains about 200 inmates, including all classes. The superintendent is Dr. G. K. Duncan, under whose management the institution has been remarkably successful. A comparison of the number of inmates and the expense of keeping the same will illustrate this point. In 1875 with eighty-five inmates, the expense of the institution was over $29,000; with 200 inmates in 1886, the expense of the institution was but little over $9,000. This amount includes salary of superintendent and all other expenses.

Public roads being a public necessity, early attention was given to them. On May 3, 1820, the county court ordered Thomas H. Persons, Charles Holman, Joshua Fletcher, M. B. Winchester, J. C. McLemore and William Irvine to mark out a road from Memphis to the county line in the direction of Taylor's Mill settlement on Forked Deer River. This was the first public road in the county. The second road in the county was established in May, 1821, by Jessee Benton, John Ralston, Nat. Kimbrough, John Kimbrough, E. Deason, Edward Bradley, D. C. Tradewell, Robert Mickberry and John Reeves. This road led from Memphis to the settlement on Big Creek and Loosahatchie, thence to Forked Deer River. Joseph Graham was appointed overseer to cut out a road from Memphis to the east line of the county in the direction of the old Cherokee trace and Colbert's wagon road. In 1829 post-roads were established leading from Memphis by way of Raleigh, Somerville, Bolivar and Jackson; also one from Memphis by way of Randolph, Covington, Brownsville and Jackson. The Memphis & La Grange Railroad was chartered in December, 1835. The road was to be about fifty miles in length, connecting Memphis and La Grange. The capital stock amounted to $250,000 individual subscriptions and $125,000 furnished by the State. The work was not begun till 1838 and it was not till 1842 that six miles of the road was completed. The road came into the city on Washington Street, and where said street crosses Main Street the cut was so deep as to require a bridge. The track or rails were of bar iron laid on streamers which rested on cross-ties. A few passenger coaches were run over the road and some cord-wood hauled from Col. Eppy White's plantation, the terminus of the road. The funds of the company having become exhausted the road was soon abandoned.

In 1850 the charter of this road was purchased by the Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company. In this the State gave 2,202 bonds of ,$1,000 each or $2,202,000, and in the same year the city of Memphis subscribed $500,000 stock in the same road. This road was completed and opened for traffic in May, 1857. The road was originally chartered by the State of Tennessee, February 2, 1846. The capital stock of the company, of which Samuel Tate was

president, was $800,000. This company now owns 272 miles of road and operates 310 more under lease. The freight handled within the last year amounted to 68,000,000 tons moved one mile, and 18,000,000 passengers carried one mile. The earnings of ten months, ending November 30, 1886, was $1,228,851. The Memphis & Tennessee Railroad was chartered February 2, 1846. In April, 1852, the city of Memphis voted $250,000 stock to aid this road, and the State of Tennessee made it a loan of $97,500. This road connects Memphis with Grenada, Miss., a distance of 100 miles. At Grenada it intersects with the Illinois Central. The earnings of this road for the year 1886 were $425,718.

The charter to the Memphis & Ohio Railroad was granted February 4, 1842, and rechartered January 29, 1858. It was intended to run to the Kentucky State line in the direction of Cairo; work was not begun on this road till 1869, but was soon suspended. In 1871 it was consolidated with the Paducah & Gulf Railroad, and took the name of Memphis & Paducah Road. It was afterward sold under mortgage, and was reorganized as the Memphis, Paducah & Northern. It is now known as the Chesapeake, Ohio & Southwestern. It extends a distance of 345 miles. The last report shows the net earnings to be $301,806. The original cost of this road was estimated at $30,000 per mile. Shelby County voted $250,000 stock to aid this road at its first organization. The Memphis & Little Rock Railroad was incorporated January 11, 1853. Besides the individual stock, and the stock owned by the city of Little Rock, also the contractor's stock, the city of Memphis took $350,000 stock, and the Government donated 487,000 acres of public land. This road, however, was not completed until a few years since. The first president of this road was J. M. Williamson; the present president is R. S. Hays, of St. Louis. The general offices of this road are in St. Louis and Little Rock. The road extends a distance of 135 miles, and is a great cotton route. The Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railway Company was organized in 1882 with Maj. R. T. Wilson, of New York, as president. This company purchased the interests of the Tennessee Southern, the Memphis & Vicksburg, the New Orleans & Baton Rouge, the Vicksburg & Memphis, and the New Orleans & Mississippi Valley Railway, and they were consolidated in 1884 under the name of Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Rail-way. This forms a connecting link between the Chesapeake & Ohio and the Southern Pacific, these making a continuous line of 4,070 miles, said to be the longest line in the world—the main line with its branches, an aggregate of 6,354 miles of line. This company also owns 4,255 miles of steamship line. The company owns 750,000 acres of Yazoo delta lands, which have been reclaimed.

The yearly tonnage of this line is 380,000 tons, and the number of passengers carried is 500,000 persons. The Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis, one of the new roads centering into Memphis, is one of the great systems of road belting the country. G. H. Nettleton is president of the road. The general offices of the company are in Kansas City. The gross earnings of this road, for the ten months ending November 30, 1886, were $1,338,831. This company purchased, in November, 1886, $50,000 worth of additional ground in Memphis. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, which has a branch into Memphis, shows, by its report for the ten months ending November 30, 1880, gross earnings to the amount of $12,718,144 for the whole system of its roads, which amounts to 3,281 miles. There are two other important roads to the city, the Memphis, Birmingham & Atlantic Road, of which George H. Nettleton is president, and the Newport News & Mississippi Valley (C. and O. route), of which C. P. Huntington is president. The Iron Mountain Railroad Company also has purchased, in the city of Memphis, $80,000 worth of grounds for depot and other purposes. A charter has just been filed for the Baltimore, Memphis & Nashville Railroad. The incorporators are E. W. Cole, Jas. M. Head, Wm. Morrow, B. F. Wilson, A. S. Colyar and J. C. Neely. It is intended to build the road across the State, from Memphis to Bristol.

The first telegraph line into Memphis was chartered October 18, 1847, and built soon after. The capital stock of the company was $28,000. The president of the company was Thomas Allen; secretary, James Coleman; treasurer, J. W. Smith.

The telegraphic interests have grown wonderfully. There are now located the offices of the American District Telegraph Company, the Gold & Stock Telegraph Company, and the Western Union Telegraph Company, in the Cotton Exchange Building. The system of which this i's a part has connection with nearly all the great cities. It sends over 1,000,000 messages yearly, and uses 3,000 cells of battery, and has invested $80,000,000 capital, and owns 75,000 miles of line. At this point are employed twenty-two skilled operators and thirty-three other persons.

The principal express company operating in Tennessee is the Southern Express Company, of which H. B. Plant, Augusta, Ga., and New York, is president; M. J. O'Brien, general superintendent; Geo. H. Tilley, secretary; Hon. W. S. Chisholm, general counsel, and C. L. Loop, general auditor. The accounting department is divided into two divisions, the eastern and the western. The western division is located at Memphis. Of this division Mr. F. J. Virgin is auditor, and Mr. A. J. Signaigo is cashier. The operating department is divided into five divisions, of which the southwestern division is located at Memphis, under the superintendence of H. C. Fisher.

The general accounting department at Memphis employs about forty clerks. There are purchased and distributed from the same headquarters supplies to the value of $25,000 annually.

From about 1845 to 1860 great attention was paid to the building of turnpikes and plank roads through Shelby County. The first road chartered was the Memphis & Somerville Road. This road was chartered on January 28, 1846, and rechartered February 17, 1854. The Pigeon Roost & Chulahoma Road was incorporated on October 31, 1853, with a capital stock of $41,000. It was chartered by Thomas Holman, F. A. Owen and thirty-five others for a period of ninety-nine years. The Memphis & Horn Lake Road was chartered by W. L. Lundy, John Arnold, W. Mathews, H. D. Small and S. Bailey on January 28, 1854, with a capital stock of $50,000. Owing to the peculiarity of this soil, rendering it difficult to keep up these roads, and the disorganization caused by the war, these roads were allowed to fall into decay, and in 1866 the charters of most of them were dissolved. The Memphis & Wolf River Pike Road was chartered in December, 1866, by D. Pearson, W. M. James and others. Several roads were subsequently chartered, but all have been allowed to fall into decay. Under a general law of 1875, counties are allowed to build turnpikes and employ workhouse convicts in their construction. This law has worked very successfully in Hamilton and Shelby Counties and possibly a few others. Under the act of March 23, 1883, Shelby County began work on her roads. The levy of 10 cents on each $100 yielded about $20,000; to this may be added one-half the privilege tax, and a subscription of about one-half is usually obtained without difficulty along the line of the road from the property holders. This money is expended under the direction of the turnpike commissioners. These commissioners consist of the chairman of the county court, who is ex officio chairman of the commission, and two other commissioners, who are appointed by the county court. In this county the convicts are hired at 10 cents per day. Under this law from two to three miles of good pike have been built on each of the various public roads leading into the city. The average number of convict laborers is about fifty-five. The salary of the chairman of the committee is fixed by law at $1,000 per annum; that of the others at $250 per annum. Squire Thomas is the present superintendent. The county owns forty acres of ground in connection with the present workhouse building. It also owns twenty head of mules, wagons, farming implements and other supplies. The buildings are of brick, and are comfortable and substantially built. They are kept scrupulously clean and the inmates are furnished three good meals per day during the work season, and two while not at work.

The convicts are worked on the county roads and on the farm, the product of which goes toward the support of the institution. The female inmates are employed mainly in the laundry and in cooking. The average cost of the institution is between $7,000 and $8.000. The labor of the convicts amounts to about $2 per day as estimated by railroad work. It will be seen that the profits of the institution almost equal the expenses. The following is a list of the county officers:

• Sheriffs : Thomas Taylor, pro tem.; Samuel R. Brown, 1833 ; J. K. Balch, 1835; John W. Fowler, 1842; L. P. Hardaway, 1846; J. B. Moseley, 1852; W. D. Gilmore, 1856; J. E. Felts, 1862; P. M. Winters, 1864-66; A. P. Curry, 1870; M. J. Wright, 1871; W. J. P. Doyle, 1872; C. L. Anderson, 1875: W. L. Anderson, 1878; P. R. Athey, 1881; W. D. Cannon, incumbent.
• County court clerks: John Read, pro tem.; Wm. Lawrence, 1823; Robert Lawrence, 1831; John W. Fuller, 1848; W. L. Dewoody, 1852; J. P. Trezevant, 1862; John Teague, 1872; James Reiley, 1878; Owen Dwyer, 1882; H. B. Cullen, 1886; P. J. Quigley, incumbent.
• Circuit clerks : Joseph Graham, 1832; S. R. Brown, 1848; M. D. L. Stewart, 1870; Frank Taft, 1876; B. F. Coleman, 1878; Joseph Uhl, 1886; D. Schloss, incumbent.
  Registers: Thomas Taylor, 1820; M. B. Winchester, 1831; Joseph Graham, 1836; A. B. Taylor, 1842; W. P. Reaves, 1852; Henry Lake, 1862; J. W. King, 1862; C. W. Johnston, 1868; G. M. Greeley, 1870; John Brown, 1877; H. W. Grible, 1879; F. R. Hunt, 1883; John Mc-Callum, 1886; N. F. Harrison.
• Rangers: Alexander Ferguson, 1823; Tilman Bettes, 1825; L. Bostick, 1826; James Weaver, 1831; J. C. Cody, 1842; Hugh McAdam, 1848; J. A. Rudisill, 1854; A. S. Thomas, 1860; J. R. King, 1862.
• Chairmen: William Irvine, 1823; M. B. Winchester, 1825; Isaac Rawlings, 1832; John Pope, 1838; J. S. Edwards, 1848; J. B. Hodges, 1854; Sylvester Bailey, 1858; J. W. A. Pettit, 1862; J. W. Smith, 1866; Thomas Leonard, 1870; T. C. Blackley, 1874; Thomas Holeman, 1880; C. E. Smith, 1885; D. C. Slaughter, incumbent.
• Attorney-generals: James P. Perkins, 1822; Alex. B. Bradford, 1824; V. D. Barry, 1832; T. J. Turley, 1836; E. W. King, 1843; J. P. Caruthers, 1848; D. M. Leatherman, 1852; J. L. T. Sneed, 1855; G. M. Hardin, 1856; B. J. McFadden, 1858; J. L. Harris, 1860; W. F. Talley, 1862; George W. Reeves, 1868; Walker Woods, 1870; Luke E. Wright, 1878; G. P. M. Turner, 1886; Geo. B. Peters, incumbent.
• Circuit judges: Joshua Haskell, 1826; Parry W. Humphreys, 1832; William B. Turley, 1834; L. M. Bramblett, 1840; W. C. Dunlap, 1850; William R. Harris, 1858 ; William Reeves, 1866–68 ; George W. Reeves, 1870; C. W. Heiskell, 1878; James O. Pierce, 1$86; L. H. Estes, incumbent.
• Commercial and circuit judges: E. W. M. King, 1846-50; J. C. Humpheys, 1862.