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	Tennessee Online Records

The county is named after Tennessee state legislator Edward Bradley.^[3]

Parent County

1836--Bradley County was created 10 February 1836 from Cherokee Indian Lands.
County seat: Cleveland ^[4]

County Pronunciation

1. Hear it spoken^[5] (female)
2. Hear it spoken^[6] (male)

Boundary Changes

"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

• Early will books and some early deeds have been lost
• Antebellum marriage records are lost

For help with burned counties, see:

• When the Records are Gone in Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog

Bradley County Tennessee Places / Localities

Populated Places 

For a list of locations in this county and information about each location online, through some helpful websites, please click on Populated Places Table for Bradley County

Neighboring Counties

• Catoosa County, Georgia
• Hamilton
• Meigs
• McMinn
• Murray County, Georgia
• Polk
• Whitfield County, Georgia

Bradley County Tennessee Genealogy Resources

Getting Started

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Bradley County biography, census, land, and tax records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You now have a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Bradley County at TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

African American

United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries

Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

The Tennessee Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online resources:

Bibliographies	Online Gravestone Transcriptions	Cemetery Gazetteers
FHLC	Find A Grave | national search | county list	ePodunk
WorldCat	TNGenWeb Cemetery Database
	USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
	Bradley Co., TNGenWeb Project

Published Bradley County cemetery records:

• Ross, Ernest Lafayette Historical Cemetery Records of Bradley County, Tennessee c1973 FHL US/CAN 976.887 V3r Free lookups available!

Individual cemeteries:

• Mount Olive Cemetery, Cleveland BillionGraves

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	7,385	—
1850	12,259	66.0%
1860	11,701	−4.6%
1870	11,652	−0.4%
1880	12,124	4.1%
1890	13,607	12.2%
1900	15,759	15.8%
1910	16,336	3.7%
1920	18,652	14.2%
1930	22,870	22.6%
1940	28,498	24.6%
1950	32,338	13.5%
1960	38,324	18.5%
1970	50,686	32.3%
1980	67,547	33.3%
1990	73,712	9.1%
2000	87,966	19.3%
Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Bradley County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide online indexes.

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

See Bradley County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project^®]

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Bradley County on page 152.]

1850

• Campbell, Ellen Ann Westerberg. Bradley County, Tennessee: 1850 Federal Census. Cleveland, Tenn.: E.A.W. Campbell, 1973. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X2c 1850.
• S-K Publications. "Bradley County, TN - Census - 1850 Census Index," available online through USGenWeb Archives.

1860

• Snell, William R. and Bradley County Historical Society. 1860 Federal Census, Bradley County, Tennessee. [Cleveland, Tenn.?]: W.R. Snell, 1983. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X22s 1860.

1870

• Lee College History students and Cleveland Public Library staff and volunteers. Bradley County, Tennessee, 1870 Census Index. [Cleveland, Tenn.: Lee College], 1987. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X2b index.

1880

• Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census - Tennessee: Transcription for Bradley County. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 198-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X2s.

1900

• Cleveland Public Library. Bradley County, Tennessee 1900 Census Index. [Cleveland, Tenn.]: Cleveland Public Library, 1989. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X22c 1900 index.

1920

• Cross, Nancy, Brenda Davis and Edna Wiefering. 1920 Bradley County, Tennessee, Census Index. Cleveland, Tenn.: [Cleveland Public Library], 1999. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 X28c 1920. [Typo on FHL Catalog reads Cenus Index.]

Church

Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration.  For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.

• Bradley County Church Records

- Family History Library Catalog - Bradley County Church Records

• Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.

- Family History Library Catalog - Bradley County Church History

• If the records you need are not through the Family History Library, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived.  Two sites that give information about churches in Bradley County are:

- List of Bradley County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)

- List of Bradley County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

Episcopal

• 1867-1888 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Cleveland, Baptism Index 1867-1888 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C710111.^[7]
• 1867-1908 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Cleveland, Marriage Index 1867-1908 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M710111.^[7]

Methodist Episcopal

• 1881-1885 - Methodist Episcopal Church South, Cleveland, Baptism Index 1881-1885. Batch C710101 at FamilySearch - free.^[7]
• 1880-1895 - Methodist Episcopal Church South, Cleveland, Marriage Index 1880-1895. Batch M710101 at FamilySearch - free.^[7]

Presbyterian

Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Cleveland

• 1817-1922 - Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Cleveland, Baptism Index 1817-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C710121.^[7]
• 1838-1929 - Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Cleveland, Marriage Index 1838-1929 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M710121.^[7]

Flint Spring Presbyterian Church

• 1866-1885 - Flint Spring Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1866-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C710081.^[7]
• 1850-1895 - Flint Spring Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1850-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M710081.^[7]

• In 1936, a helpful guide to early Bradley County church records was published by the Works Project Administration. ^[8]Use this guide to locate which church records exist and where they were housed in 1936. The Tennessee State Library and Archives has filmed some of these records. To locate which records are available at the TSLA, go to the appropriate "county fact sheet" on the TSLA Web site and scroll down to "selected manuscript material". All filmed church records at the TSLA for Bradley county are listed.

Court

• Wallace, Alexander; Herriford, Paul; Sherrill, Charles A. Circuit Court Abstracts 1836 - 1860 Cleveland, Tennessee : Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1988 FHL US/CAN 976.8873 P28 Free lookups available!

Family Histories

It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:

• Locate publications about direct ancestors
• Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
• Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Bradley, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 20,000 entries.

• Bradley County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Bradley County, Tennessee, 1836-1998. [Cleveland, Tennessee?] : Bradley County Heritage Book Committee, c1998 ; Waynesville, North Carolina: Don Mills (Salem, West Virginia : Walsowrth Pub. Co.). FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 H2t.
• Manly, Elizabeth Cate. Chatata Valley Families and Their Neighbors. [Tennessee: n.p., 198-]. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 D2m.
• Wooten, John Morgan. Brief Sketch of Pioneer Families of Bradley County, Tennessee. Chattanooga, Tenn.: n.p., 1934-1936. FHL US/CAN Film 966946 Item 5. [Includes families of Callaway, Clingen, Craigmiles, Day, Donohoo, Edwards, Gaut, Goodner, Hambright, Hughes, Jones, Julian, Lusk, Lea, McCarty, Parks, Still, Waterhouse, Weatherly, Ramsey, Shugart.]

Bibliography

• [Ball] Brown, Forrest D. and Dorothy Stivers Brown. The Ball--Stivers--McCroskey--Brown Family Lines. 2 vols. Lewisburg, Pa.: F.D. & D.S. Brown, 1976. FHL US/CAN Film 1036293 Items 8-9.
• [Carson] Stork, Dorla Jane White and Edward Baker Faust. Lincoln Collen and Mary McGovern Carson and Descendants. Bakersfield, Calif.: D.J.W. Stork, 2004. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C239s; digital version at {FSbook|67965}}
• [D'Armond, Deyarmon, DeArmond, d'Armand, DeArment, DeArmon, Dearmont, Deyarmond, DeArman] D'Armand, Roscoe Carlisle. DeArmond families of America. Knoxville, TN: Family Record Society, 1954. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 928601 Item 1. Digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [Day] Day, James Edward. Descendants of Christopher Day of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Los Angeles?: J.E. Day, 1958. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D33d; FHL US/CAN Film 978076; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [Elmore] Johnston, Leigh. The Paper Trail of the Elmore - Lawson - Pruett and Bolt - Calhoun - Johnston - Willis Families. 2 vols. Overland Park, Kansas: L. Johnston, 2003. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 EL64jL v. 1 ff.
• [Gaut] McWilliam, Judy L. and Roberta B. Pierson. Jones/Gaut: James & Jerusha: Arno, Wayland, Weber, Mabel. Sacramento, Calif.: J.L. McWilliams, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 J71mp.
• [Hedrick] Smith, Carol Holland Dillman. The Family of Amos Fremont Damon and Sarah Jane Hedrick Damon of Crawford, McLennan County, Texas. Boulder, Colo.: C.H. Smith, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D187s.
• [Hickman] Ross, Ernest Lafayette and William C. Carter. John Andrew Hickman, John Carter, Lewis Carter: Some Ancestors and Descendants. Cleveland, Tenn.: E.L. Ross & W.C. Carter, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C245r.
• [Jones] McWilliam, Judy L. and Roberta B. Pierson. Jones/Gaut: James & Jerusha: Arno, Wayland, Weber, Mabel. Sacramento, Calif.: J.L. McWilliams, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 J71mp.
• [Kelley] Smith, Paul and Alba Nannie Hickman Smith. Joel Kelley, ca 1775 - ca 1862. Alpharetta, Ga.: P. Smith, 1984. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K287sm.
• [Lauderdale] Lauderdale, Charles J. The Lauderdales of Scotland and America, 1056-1936. Joplin, MO: Gahagan Print. Co., 1937. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 1307515 Item 5, digital version available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [Loyd] Lloyd, Gary G. The Lloyd (Loyd) Families of Putnam County, Missouri. Kirksville, Mo.: G.G. Lloyd, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L775Lg.
• [McAndrew] Skeen, A.T. Clan McAndrew. Winston-Salem, N.C.:A.T. Skeen, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M118mc.
• [Richmond] Travis, Vaud Ancil. The Descendants of John Richmond of Virginia: Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma & West. Southern Pines, N.C.: V.A. Travis, 2004. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R414t; digital version at FamilySearch Books Online FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R414t supp. 1; digital version at FamilySearch Books Online
• [Ross] Ross, Ernest Lafayette. History of the Ross Family in Bradley County, Cleveland, Tennessee. Cleveland, Tenn.: E.L. Ross, 19--?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R733reL.
• [Smith] Smith, David Eugene. Pedigree, 1832-1978, of David Eugene Smith, and Smith Family Bible Records, 1832-1940. MSS., Microfilmed in 1989. FHL US/CAN Film 1320835 Item 38.
• [Smith] Smith, Paul and Alba Nannie Hickman Smith. Wm. B. Smith Descendants. Alpharetta, Ga.: P. Smith, 1990 (Canton, Georgia : Industrial Printing Service, Inc.). FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sm68sp.
• [Stivers] Brown, Forrest D. and Dorothy Stivers Brown. The Ball--Stivers--McCroskey--Brown Family Lines. 2 vols. Lewisburg, Pa.: F.D. & D.S. Brown, 1976. FHL US/CAN Film 1036293 Items 8-9.
• [Wolfe] Moore, Kenneth. Jeremiah Wolfe Family. Typescript. Microfilmed 2003. FHL US/CAN Film 1440545 Item 24.

Land

The original Bradley County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse. The TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to L (1839 to 1891) and an index and Trust Deed Books A to M (1864 to 1902). Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 966924-966933.

McClure, Lucille Abstracts of Ocoee District : early land records - entries Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, [1991] FHL US/CAN 976.8 R28m Free lookups available!

Law and Legislation

• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. January 25, 2005. [In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service.] The TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

• Hurlburt, J.S. History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee. Indianapolis [Downey and Brouse,printers?], 1866. Free digital copy
• Bradley County Heritage Book Committee The Heritage of Bradley County, Tennessee, 1836 -1998 Cleveland, Tennessee? : Bradley County Heritage Book Committee,c1998; Waynesville, North Carolina : Don Mills (Salem, West Virginia : Walsowrth Pub. Co.) FHL US/CAN book 976.8873 H2t Free lookups available!
• Bradley County Historical Society (Cleveland, Tennessee) Reflections past and present : a pictorial history of Bradley County Dallas, Texas : Taylor Pub., c1991 FHL US/CAN 976.8873 H2 To view index click here.

Maps

• Bradley County, Tennessee: Pre-Civil War Settlement Map. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1992. FHL US/CAN Map Case 976.8873 E7b. [Includes Indian settlements, mills, churches, cemeteries, schools.]

Military

Revolutionary War

The following Bradley County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:

1. 1835 Pension Roll
2. 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

Additional resources include:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Eastern District, Bradley County on page 152.]
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War (TNGenWeb).

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1960):13-16. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Bradley County pensioners (p. 15).]

Civil War

• Civl War Research Database $
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from Bradley County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Bradley County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Companies A and D.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) -  CSA - Company A.
• 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company A.
• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
• 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
• 36th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, C, D, E and G.
• 37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (7th Infantry) (1st East Tennessee Rifles) - CSA - Company G.
• 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennesse Volunteers) - CSA - Company I.
• 62nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Rowan's) (80th Infantry) - CSA - Companies A and E.

Union Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies I, K and L.
• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies A, D, E and I.
• 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies E, G and I.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Bradley County:

• 1831-1850 Civil War Pension Applications for Bradley County. Free Lookups Available!
• Carter, William Randolph. History of the First regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry in the Great war of the Rebellion, with the Armies of the Ohio and Cumberland, under Generals Morgan, Rosecrans, Thomas, Stanley and Wilson. Knoxville, Tennessee: Gaut-Ogden Co. Printers, 1902. Free digital copy at Internet Archive.  Union.
• Confederate Pension Applications. Free Lookups Available!
• Hurlburt, J.S. History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee Bethesda, Maryland : Univeristy Publications of America, c1990 FHL US/CAN Fiche 6082656.  Also available online at Internet Archive. 
• Index of Union and Rebels in Bradley County Free lookups available!
• Tennesseans in the Civil War Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, Nashville, TN, 1987.  Free lookups available.
• Wiefering, Edna et al. Tennessee Union Soldiers: of Bradley, McMinn and Polk Counties Serving in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th TN Cavalry 5th TN Infantry and 5th TN Mounted Infantry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 M28tus. Confederate.
• TNGenWeb, Military Records, Bradley County, Tennessee, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  Links to Jessie Blalock's The 4th (East) Tennessee Cavalry (USA), Bradley Countians with Connections to Co. A 4th TN Cav (USA), Bradley County, TN Union Soldiers and Tennessee Colored Pension Applications for CSA Service.   Civil War resources available at the Cleveland Public Library, (accessed 26 Feb 2012).  These resources include Military Records of Union and Confederate Soldiers from Bradley County (microfilm) Confederate Regiments and Federal Regiments.
• USGenWeb Archives, Bradley County Tennessee Military Records, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  Civil War History and Pensions.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Bradley County, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Includes soldier's name, county, pension #, unit or widow.
• United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883: Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for ... (Washington Printing Office; 1883), (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Online at Internet Archive. Bradley County, page 319-321.
• Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Civil War Places of Interest in Bradley County, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  Civil War 150th Commemoration.

Newspapers

Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at TSLA. Most of these newspapers may be accessed by interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee, although there are some newspapers which are not available in or outside of Tennessee. For further information regarding interlibrary loan policies and newspapers not available for interlibrary loan click here. For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Bradley County click on the following cities:

• Charleston

• Cleveland

The following Bradley County newspapers have been abstracted:

• Snell, William R.; Taylor, Virginia Faye; Bradley County Historical Society. Death and Marriage Notices in the Cleveland Banner (Tennessee), 1865-1883. Bradley County Historical Society: Cleveland, TN. Free digital copy available online at Internet Archive.

Occupations

• Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Bradley County.]

Periodicals

Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:

Ansearchin' News

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Bradley County, Tennessee records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly FHL Book 976.8 B2a.

Bradley Branches

Family History Library has Volume 6, no. 2 (summer 1993). FHL US/CAN 976.8873 B2b
Bradley Branches is indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Chronicles of Bradley

Prisons

Learn if your Bradley County, Tennessee ancestors went to prison!

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online through TSLA.
• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online through TSLA.

Probate

Some of Bradley County's original Will Books have been destroyed. Those that survive are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed Will Books 1 to 2 (1859 to 1905). FHL copies: FHL Films 464077 Item 3 and 966923 Items 2-3.

FamilySearch has placed scans of the following records online in the Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 collection. These are browse-only collections. Handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes:

• Wills, 1859-1905 (3 vols.)
• Bonds, 1871-1886
• Bonds, Letters, 1887-1931 (2 vols.)
• Inheritance tax, 1895-1906
• Insolvent estate records, 1889-1947 (2 vols.)
• Settlements, 1865-1908 (Vols. 1-3)

The following Bradley County probate records have been indexed and/or abstracted:

• [1859-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's wills.] Free Lookups Available!
• [1864-1883] Fagen, Barbara Bradley County Will Book, 1864-1883, index [S.I. : s.n., 198-?] FHL US/CAN book 976.8873 P2b Free lookups available!

Taxation

The TSLA microfilmed the original Bradley County Tax Books 1865-1890. Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 966935-966937.  Free lookups available for some early east Tennessee tax records.

The following Bradley County tax records have been abstracted:^[9]

• [1836] Douthat, James L. Bradley County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 R4d 1836.  Free lookups available!  Purchase details.
• [1837] Snell, William R. 1837 Tax List, Bradley County, Tennessee. 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 R4t.
• [1837-1839] Nichols, Elizabeth Riggins. "Bradley County, Tennessee Tax Lists 1837 - 1838 - 1839," Vol. 33, No. 1 (Spring 1986):9-14; Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer 1986):69-72; Vol. 33, No. 3 (Fall 1986):119-122, 126. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. Free lookups available!
• [1837] Map from Tax List, 1837, Bradley Branches. Cleveland TN: Summer 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 2.
• [1837-1839] Tax Lists, Dist. 4 & 5, 1837-39, Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly and Newsletter. Benton TN: May 2000. Vol. 6 Iss. 1.
• [1837] Tax List, 1837, Bradley Branches. Cleveland TN: 2001. Vol. 14 Iss. 3-4.
• [1838] Snell, William R. 1838 Tax List, Bradley County, Tennessee. 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 R4L.
• [1839] Jones, Rena and Kent Hawkins. 1839 Tax List, Bradley County, Tennessee. 197-. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 R4b.
• [1849] Petition for Amendment of Revenue Law, 1849, Bradley Branches. Cleveland TN: Spring 1997. Vol. 10 Iss. 1.
• [1862] Cleveland Public Library. "1862 Assessment List: Bradley County, Tennessee," available online through TNGenWeb.
• [1890] Johnson, David S. and Patsy A. Johnson. Tax List 1890, Bradley County, Tennessee. n.p.: D.S. Johnson, 1985. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8873 R4j.
• [1890] Tax List, 1890, Districts 1-13, Chronicles of Bradley. Cleveland TN: 1985-1987, Vols. 5-8. Free lookups available!
• [1909] Langheld, Susan. "Delinquent Tax Notices: Bradley County, Tennessee June 1909," available online through TNGenWeb. (Source: Journal & Banner, Cleveland, Tenn., May 21, 1909.)

Vital Records

Birth

• Tennessee Birth Certificates 1908-1912. Free Lookups Available!

Marriage

Early Bradley County marriage records were lost in courthouse fires. The following publication, based on early newspapers that survived such disasters, may serve as a substitute:

• Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

The following Bradley County marriage records have been abstracted:

• 1864-1896 - Bradley County Marriage Index 1864-1896 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.^[7]
• 1864-1887 - Manley, Elizabeth Cate Bradley County Marriage Book 1 1864-1887. Free Lookups Available!

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Bradley County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, see:

• W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death

• Tennessee Death Certificates 1908-1954. Free lookups available!

For deaths of Methodists in Bradley County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:

• Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Nashville Christian Advocate. [1847-1914] 10 vols. [Jackson, Tenn.]: J.K.T. Smith, 1997-2003. FHL US/CAN Books 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851 ff; digital versions at David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository. [Website expands upon the publications and includes deaths from the 1830s, 1840s, 1910s and 1920s.]

Bradley County Tennessee Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Bradley County Historical Society
P. O. Box 4845
Cleveland, TN 37320-4845

Bradley County Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 1384
Cleveland, TN 37364-1384

East Tennessee Historical Society
601 S. Gay St.
P.O. Box 1629
Knoxville, TN 37901-1629
Phone: 1-865-215-8824
E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Bradley County Public Library
795 Church Street NE
Cleveland, TN 37311
Phone: 1-423-472-2163
Email: info@clevelandlibrary.org
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun. 1-5 p.m.

The History Branch and Archives of the Cleveland Bradley County Library
833 Ocoee Street NE
Cleveland, TN 37311
Phone: 1-423-479-8367
Hours: Mon. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-8 p.m.
Tues. and Wed. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Thurs. 1 p.m.-8 p.m.
Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sun. 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Genealogy resources: Vital records, family, city and county histories, court records, local newspapers from 1854 - 1970, Civil War sources, special collections including the Mayfield Papers, James F. Corn Papers (Cherokee Indians) and the William R. Snell Papers. (per website) To see what is included in the manuscript collection see: http://www.clevelandlibrary.org/services/manuscript_collection.php

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Bradley County Tennessee Genealogy Websites

• Bradley County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Bradley County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Bradley County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
• Bradley County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Bradley County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)
• Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
• Mailing List: TNBRADLE-L (Bradley County, Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
• Mailing List: ETN-L (East Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)
• Mailing List: ETN-OZ-L (East Tennessee Migrants to Ozarks Region List) (RootsWeb)
• Mailing List: SE-TN-L (Southeast Tennessee List) (RootsWeb)

Bradley County Tennessee Genealogy References

1. ↑ Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.), 1941; "Earliest County Records," Tennessee State Library and Archives.
2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Bradley County, Tennessee page 638, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
3. ↑ "List of counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 638. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
5. ↑ Voice of Lynnae Weller, Kingsport, Tenn. (2010).
6. ↑ Voice of Gene Black, FamilySearch employee, former resident of Bristol, Tenn. (2010).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8} Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/6/60/Igitennesseea.pdf.
8. ↑ WPA. Guide to Church Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville: Tennessee State Planning Commission, 1942. FHL 976.8 K23w
9. ↑ The Heritage Quest Online version of PERSI aided in the compilation of this list.

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