All of my family, at least within the past few generations, have lived in Tennessee at one point. If you’re like me and researching your Tennessee roots, I have a list of free sites that can help in your research. I’ll add to this list as I find more useful links.
| Website & link | Resource(s) available | County |
| Metro Nashville Archives | Marriage Records from 1788 – 1838 with bondsman listed (very helpful!) | Nashville & Davidson County |
| Metro Nashville Archives | Misc. vital record indexes | Nashville & Davidson County |
| Shelby County Register of Deeds | Death Records Index 1949-2014** (So useful!) Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 |
All counties |
| Shelby County Register of Deeds | Birth Records 1874-1912 Chancery Court Divorce Index 1945-1997 Circuit Court Indexes 1893-2000 Death Records 1848-1965 Land Bank Properties For Sale Marriage Records 1820-2014 Memphis Census 1865 Memphis City Directories 1849-1943 Memphis Police Blotter 1858-1860 Memphis Provost Marshal 1863-1865 Naturalization Records 1856-1906 Occupant, Entry, and Survey Books 1819-1962 Probate Court Loose Paper Index 1820-1900 Probate Court Will Book Indexes/Images 1830-2000 Quarterly Court Loose Papers Index 1820-1865 |
Memphis & Shelby County |
| Chronicling America | Free newspapers, not a large selection from TN yet. Worth a try. | Some counties |
| Family Search | Census records, marriage records, and more! | All counties |
| Newspapers.com | NOT free, but has a 7-day-free trial. Various newspapers including the Tennessean. | Multiple counties |
| TEL (Tennessee Electronic Library) – Heritage Quest | Current TN residents can access Heritage Quest for free, which includes some Ancestry.com records. | All counties |
| TSLA – History | FAQs on how to find different records, links to photos | All counties |
| TeVA – TN Virtual Archives | Old maps | TN and various counties |
| Civil War – National Parks Service | Search for Civil War soldiers. A great place to start your search! | All counties |
| TNGenWeb Project, Inc. | One of my favs! Your county might have a goldmine of records, including land, court, newspapers, etc. | Most counties |
| TNGenWeb Project, Inc. – County Formation Map | See the changing county borders across the state. Useful when tracking relatives across census and land records. | All counties |
| FindAGrave | Search for Tennessee cemetery records or add your loved ones to the database. | All counties |
| Montgomery County TN Marriage Index | Marriage records 1838 – 1929 | Montgomery County |
| Tennessee State Library and Archives | Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records (1914 – 1933) | All counties |
| Tennessee State Library and Archives | Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 | All counties |
Last updated 4/20/17
Down Home Genealogy 
I will keep this post in mind in case I ever run into a Tennessee relative. Since I’ve had some in most states, I am sure that day will come!
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