Bledsoe County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Bledsoe County

Guide to Bledsoe County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Pikeville Organized: November 30, 1807 Parent County(s): Roane Neighboring Counties Cumberland  • Hamilton  • Rhea  • Sequatchie  • Van Buren See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

Bledsoe County was named for Anthony Bledsoe (1739-1788), a soldier in the Revolutionary War and an early settler of Sumner County. The county is located in the eastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Bledsoe County Courthouse
3150 Main St Ste 100
Pikeville, TN 37367
Bledsoe County Courthouse Phone: 423-447-2451
County Clerk Phone: 423-447-2137
Register of Deeds Phone: 423-447-2020

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1908.
Register of Deeds has land records.

Bledsoe County, Tennessee Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1909	1908	1909	1836	1808	1908	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1882, 1895, and 1908 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. Deeds and court records escaped the fires The earliest deed books are lost Pre-1884 wills are lost Marriages recorded between 1807 and 1907 are lost For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1807--Bledsoe County was created 30 November 1807 from Roane County. County seat: Pikeville For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Pikeville
Unincorporated communities
Cold Spring Dill Lees Station Lusk	Melvine Mount Crest New Harmony Nine Mile	Pailo Summer City Tiptop

Neighboring Counties

Cumberland Hamilton

Rhea Sequatchie

Van Buren

Resources

Bible Records

• Family Bibles contain birth, marriage, and death information:
• Douthat, James L. Sequatchie Valley Bible Records. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1985. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A1 no. 103.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. 2000. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Bledsoe County.
• Tennessee Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. Coal Mines and Mining--Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: A.B. Travel, 1883. Free digital copy.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Bledsoe County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries Billiongraves.com
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Gravestones FamilySearch Places
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	4,005	—
1830	4,648	16.1%
1840	5,676	22.1%
1850	5,959	5.0%
1860	4,459	−25.2%
1870	4,870	9.2%
1880	5,617	15.3%
1890	6,134	9.2%
1900	6,626	8.0%
1910	6,329	−4.5%
1920	7,218	14.0%
1930	7,128	−1.2%
1940	8,358	17.3%
1950	8,561	2.4%
1960	7,811	−8.8%
1970	7,643	−2.2%
1980	9,478	24.0%
1990	9,669	2.0%
2000	12,367	27.9%
2010	12,876	4.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Bledsoe 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 Bledsoe County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®

Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 - Ancestry ($)

Voters

• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry($)

Lost

1810 Lost, but a substitute is available:

• Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820 Lost

Census and Census Substitutes Index

1810-1891 Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry ($)

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records.

• National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820.

1830

• Douthat, James L. 1830 Sequatchie Valley Census: Marion - Bledsoe Counties. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 X2d 1830.
• Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

1840

• Douthat, James L. 1840 Sequatchie Valley Census: Bledsoe - Marion Counties. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 X2d 1840.

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, Bledsoe County on page 152.

1850

• Hutcherson, Willis. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 for Bledsoe County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: Clinchdale Press, 1963. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2h 1850.
• Ries, Nancy. "Bledsoe County, TN-1850 U.S. Census," (9 parts) available online through USGenWeb Archives.

1860

• Hobbs, Norma Dennis and Sara Agee Goins. United States Census Bledsoe County, Tennessee, 1860. Dunlap, Tenn.: N. Hobbs and S. Goins, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2h 1860.

1870

The 1870 population schedules of Bledsoe County have been abstracted and/or indexed multiple times:

• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Jean Dennis Hobbs. 1870 Census, Bledsoe County, Tennessee. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2g 1870.
• Kirkeminde, Patricia Barclay. 1870 Census of Bledsoe County, Tennessee. Crossville, Tenn.: P.B. Kirkeminde, 1980. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2c 1870; FHL US/CAN Fiche 6048710.

1880

• Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census - Tennessee: Transcription for Bledsoe County. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 198-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2s 1880.

1910

• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Dennis Hobbs. Bledsoe County, Tennessee, 1910 Census. 198-?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2g 1910.

1920

• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Dennis Hobbs. United States Census, Bledsoe County, Tennessee, 1920. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Geneal. Service, 1994. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 X2g 1920.

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

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.

• Bledsoe County Church Records

- FamilySearch Catalog - Bledsoe County Church Records

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

- FamilySearch Catalog - Bledsoe 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 Bledsoe County are:

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

- List of Bledsoe County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

• In 1936, a helpful guide to early Bledsoe County church records was published by the Works Project Administration. 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 Bledsoe county are listed.

Methodist

• Stephens, Miriam R. Methodism in Bledsoe County, 1833-1976. 1976. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 K2m.

Court Records

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. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Emigration and Immigration

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 2 British aliens living in Bledsoe County. Ancestry $

Genealogies

More than 15 genealogies have been published about Bledsoe County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Bledsoe County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.

Land and Property Records

Sequatchie Valley

The original Bledsoe Deed Books are held at the Bledsoe. In 1969, the TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to R (1808 to 1885) and indexes. Copies of their microfilms are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 593009-593015.

The organization Strictly By Name provides online indexes to early Bledsoe County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Here are the indexes:

1. Deeds Vol. A: 1808-1811
2. Deeds Vol. B: 1812-1817
3. Deeds Vol. C: 1817-1821
4. Deeds Vol. D: 1821-1826

Local Histories

• Bledsoe County Historical and Genealogical Society. Bledsoe County, Tennessee: A Pictorial History. Humboldt, Tenn.: Rose Pub., 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 H2b.
• Raulston, J. Leonard and James Weston Livingood. Sequatchie: A Story of the Southern Cumberlands. Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1974. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 H2r.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 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, Bledsoe 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).
• Bledsoe Countians and the Revolutionary War Revolutionary War Veterans who lived in Bledsoe County (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 Bledsoe County pensioners (p. 14).
• Regiments of TN Militia, 1808-15, Searcher, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Mar. 1990).

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1891-1965 Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Civl War Research Database
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Bledsoe County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Bledsoe County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Company D.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company F.
• 4th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Branner's) - CSA - Company F.
• 22nd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Murray's) - CSA - Companies C, F and G.
• 35th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (5th Infantry) (1st Mountain Rifle Regiment) - CSA - Company I.
• 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company C.
  

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Bledsoe County:

• Blevins, Jerry. Sequatchie Valley Soldiers in the Civil War: Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion and Sequatchie Counties in Tennessee and Jackson County in Alabama. Huntsville, Ala.: J. Blevins, 1990. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 M2b.
• TNGenWeb, Bledsoe in the Civil War. Includes links to The United States 1890 Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Bledsoe County, Tennessee and a partial list of Civil War Soldiers.
• USGenWeb Archives, Bledsoe County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Pensions.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Bledsoe County. 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). Online at Internet Archive. Bledsoe County, page 317 and 318.

Newspapers

Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the 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 Bledsoe County click on the following city:

• Pikeville

The following publications, based on early newspapers, may serve as a substitute:

• 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
• 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

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

• 1847-1851 - 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.

Other Records

Prisons

• 1831-1850 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

• 1851-1870 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

Genealogical periodicals can contain unique sources and can be local, regional, or statewide. The following periodicals cover this county:

• Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website; FHL Book 976.8 B2a.

Probate Records

Online Records

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)

Most of the original Bledsoe County Will Books were destroyed. Those that survived are held at the Bledsoe. In 1969, the TSLA microfilmed extant wills and inventories covering the years 1884 to 1931. A copy of their microfilm is also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Film 593008.

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.

• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

TSLA microfilmed Bledsoe County Tax Books 1888-1889 (TSLA Roll 104).

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1815 Curtis, Mary Barnett. Early East Tennessee Tax Lists. Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4c. [Includes two 1815 petitions.]
• 1815 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. and B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1815 tax list.]
• 1815 Robnett, Elizabeth Parham. "Bledsoe County, TN 1815 Tax List Alphabetically Arranged," 1989. Available online at USGenWeb Archives.
• 1836 Douthat, James L. Bledsoe County, Tennessee 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists. Spring Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.876 R4d 1836; online: surname index and publication details.
• 1862 Tarriff of Fees, 1862, Tennessee Genealogy and History. Signal Mountain TN: Apr 1999. Vol. 3 Iss. 1.

Vital Records

Birth

Online Records

• 1828-1939 Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1912 Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

Bledsoe County's early marriage records were lost in courthouse fires.

Online Indexes and Records

• 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1790-1962 Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1796-1950 Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1838-1888 Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

Online Records

• 1874-1955 Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1912 Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1933 Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1966 Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce

Online Records

• 1796-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Online Titles

• W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Bledsoe County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Cookeville Tennessee Family History Center
• Crossville Tennessee Family History Center
• McMinnville Tennessee Family History Center
• Art Circle Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Bledsoe County. For state-wide library facilities, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Bledsoe County Public Library
478 Cumberland Ave/
P.O. Box 465
Pikeville, TN 37367
Phone: 423-447-2817
Website
Facebook
Genealogical resources include family histories, the Cherokee and Melungeon books and files, the Soldiers’ Pension Lists of 1792-1795, 1812, 1820 and 1890 as well as research materials for the Sequatchie Valley and adjoining counties.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Bledsoe County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Tennessee Societies.

Bledsoe County Historical and Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 465
Pikeville, TN 37367
Phone: 423-447-2817
Website

Websites

• Bledsoe County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Bledsoe County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Bledsoe County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb) - county website, transcriptions and other information on the local level.
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

Research Guides

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

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.