Davidson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Davidson County

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

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Nashville Organized: October 6, 1783 Parent County(s): Washington Neighboring Counties Cheatham  • Robertson  • Rutherford  • Sumner  • Williamson  • Wilson 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

Lake Watauga, Centennial Park, Davidson County, Nashville, TN.

County Information

Description

The County was named for William Lee Davidson, a North Carolina general who was killed opposing General Cornwallis and the British Army's crossing of the Catawba River on February 1, 1781. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Davidson County Courthouse
700 2nd Ave South
Nashville, TN 37210
Davidson County Website Phone: 615-862-5710
County Clerk Phone: 615-862-6050
Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 615-862-5181
Register of Deeds Phone: 615-862-6790
Clerk and Master Phone: 615-862-5710
Davidson Metropolitan Government Archives Phone: 615-862-5880

County Clerk has marriage records from 1789 and probate records from 1783.
Clerk of the Circuit Clerk has divorce and court records.
Register of Deeds and land records.

Davidson 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
1881	1789	1881	1783	1784	1783	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1856 Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810 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.

Boundary Changes

1783--Davidson County was created 6 October 1783 from Washington County. County seat: Nashville For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewedat 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
Belle Meade Berry Hill	Goodlettsville Nashville	Oak Hill Ridgetop
Unincorporated communities
Antioch Bakertown Bellevue Bellshire Bordeaux Donelson	Hermitage Inglewood Joelton Lakewood Madison Old Hickory	Pasquo Rosebank Smith Springs West Nashville Whites Creek Woodbine
Suburbs
Forest Hills

All of Davidson County is included in the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. In many cases if the municipalities were incorporated before consolidation they retained some autonomy as independent municipalities. For the purpose of U.S. Census, the portions of Davidson County that are outside the boundaries of the six independently incorporated municipalities are collectively treated as the Nashville-Davidson balance.

History Timeline

Additional Information
Davidson County was officially established in April of 1783 by an act of the North Carolina legislature. It was named for Gen. William Davidson, an officer of North Carolina in the Revolutionary war.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby Enacted by the authority of the same, that all that part of this State lying west of the Cumberland Mountain where the Virginia line crosses, extending westward along the said line to Tennessee River, thence up said river to the mouth of Duck River, thence up Duck River to where the line of marked trees run by the commissioners for laying off land granted the Continental Line of this State intersects said river (which said line is supposed to be in thirty-five degrees fifty minutes north latitude) thence east along said line to the top of Cumberland Mountain, thence northwardly along said mountain to the beginning, shall after the passing of this Act be and is hereby declared to be a distinct county by the name of Davidson.

In 1780, the Cumberland Compact referred to the settlement on the bluff above the Cumberland River as Nashborough. Nashborough was also the name used in the minutes of the Davidson County court which commenced in the fall of 1783. Although Nashborough was the formal name given to the fort, the pioneering settlers, by and large, referred to it as French Lick Station. (Eastin Morris' TENNESSEE GAZETTEER, 1834)

In April of 1784, the legislature of North Carolina passed an act that made the town official, changing the name to Nashville. The bill set aside "two hundred acres of land, situate on the south side of Cumberland River, at a place called the Bluff, adjacent to the French Lick, in which said Lick shall not be included, to be laid off in lots of one acre each, with convenient streets, lanes, and alleys, reserving four acres for the purpose of erecting public buildings, on which land, so laid off according to the directions of this act, is hereby constituted and erected, and established a town, and shall be known and called Nashville, in memory of the patriotic and brave Gen. Nash." Five Trustees were appointed to handle the business of the town and a treasurer was named. A plan of town lots of one acre each and a public square of four acres was surveyed. Proceeds from the sale of the lots were to be used to build a courthouse and a jail on the public square.

Middle Tennessee County. Davidson County was at the heart of the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

Resources

Biographies

• Pray, Carl Esek. John Bell of Tennessee : his career in the House of Representatives. University of Wisconsin, 1913. Free digital copy.
• Johnson, Susannah (Brooks) b. 1794; Johnson, Adam Clarke. Recollections of the Rev. John Johnson and his home: an autobiography. Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1869.
• History of Davidson County, Tennessee with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers Ancestry].com ($). May be usedat Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Davidson County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Davidson County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries BillionGraves
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.

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

• The Nashville City Cemetery Association website is a comprehensive site for Nashville burial information. The earliest records of burials, between 1822–1846, were lost during the Civil War years. A project to transcribe all the data in the Interment Records (1846-1979) of the 20,000 people buried in the cemetery was completed.
  
• 1843-1962 - Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville City Cemetery Records, 1843-1962 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
• Davidson County Cemetery Survey Project - comprehensive survey of Davidson County cemeteries

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	3,459	—
1800	9,965	188.1%
1810	15,608	56.6%
1820	20,154	29.1%
1830	28,122	39.5%
1840	30,509	8.5%
1850	38,882	27.4%
1860	47,055	21.0%
1870	62,897	33.7%
1880	79,026	25.6%
1890	108,174	36.9%
1900	122,815	13.5%
1910	149,478	21.7%
1920	167,815	12.3%
1930	222,854	32.8%
1940	257,267	15.4%
1950	321,758	25.1%
1960	399,743	24.2%
1970	448,003	12.1%
1980	477,811	6.7%
1990	510,784	6.9%
2000	569,891	11.6%
2010	626,681	10.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Davidson 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 Davidson County, TN census assignments including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®

1790 Lost, only statistics survive , but substitutes are available:

• Eakle, Arlene. Tennessee Research. 2010. Purchase information at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog. Includes a reconstructed 1790 census, sources: "Contemporary lists–tax lists, militia rolls, land grants and deeds, claims for pre-emption lands, names recorded in diaries and journals. And numerous histories compiled by local historians from records that we have not seen or read ourselves."
• Fulcher, Richard Carlton, comp. 1770-1790 Census of the Cumberland Settlements: Davidson, Sumner and Tennessee Counties (In what is now Tennessee). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2f; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
• McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990. FHL US/CAN Films 1728882 Item 4 and 1683130 Item 3.

Lost

1800 Lost, but a substitute is available, see Davidson.

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.

1810-1891

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

1820

• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. Includes African Americans in this county.

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.

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

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, Middle District, Davidson County on page 155.

1850

• Porch, Deane. Davidson County, Tennessee, 1850 Census. Fort Worth Texas, American Reference Publishing Co., 1969. FHL 976.855 X2p 1850
• Tarpley, Sarah. The Fourth Civil District of Davidson County, Tennessee, 1850Located at Binkley Branches. .

1860

• Index and transcription of the 1860 Federel Census for Davidson, Tennessee. Located at the USGenWegb Census Project.

1890 Lost, but a substitute is available:

• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1978. FHL 976.8 X2s 1890

1891 Male Voters

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

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.

• Davidson County Church Records

- FamilySearch Catalog - Davdison 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 - Davidson 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 Davidson County are:

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

- List of Davidson County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

• In 1936, a helpful guide to early Davidson 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 Davidson County are listed. Many of these filmed records are also available at the Family History Library.

Baptist

• Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives
  The Southern Baptist Convention Building
  901 Commerce Street #400
  Nashville, TN 37203
  Telephone: 615-244-0344
  Internet: website

Disciples of Christ

• Disciples of Christ Historical Society
  1101 Nineteenth Avenue South
  Nashville, TN 37212-2196
  Telephone: 866-834-7563
  Internet: website

Episcopal

• 1858-1885 - St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Nashville, Marriage Index 1858-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M710331

Jewish

• Jewish Federation of Nashville Middle Tennessee Library and Archives
  801 Percy Warner Boulevard, Suite 102
  Nashville, TN 37205
  Telephone: 615-356-3242 x255
  Fax: 615-352-0056
  Internet: website
  

• 1881 - 1895 - Congregation Ohavai Sholom, Nashville, Marriage Index 1881-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M710341 .

Methodist Episcopal

• Tennessee Conference
  520 Commerce Street, Suite 205
  Nashville, TN 37203
  Telephone: 615-263-0518 (call to make an appointment)
  Internet: website
• Mathews, Reverend John D.D. Peeps into Life Autobiography. Methodist Episcopal Church Tennessee Conference, 1904. Free digital copy.
• The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South Nashville, Tenn. M.E. Church, South, Tenn., 1892. Digital version at Google Books.

Presbyterian

• The First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee: The Addresses Delivered in Connection with the Observance of the One Hundredth Anniversary, November 8-15, l9l4. Nashville, Tenn.: Foster & Parkes Company, 1915. Digital version at Google Books.
• 1861 - 1885 - Moore Memorial Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Baptism Index 1861-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C530311 .

Roman Catholic

• Diocese of Nashville
  The Catholic Center
  2400 Twenty-first Avenue, South
  Nashville, TN 37212-5387
  Telephone: 615-383-6393
  Fax: 615-292-8411
  Internet: website

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. 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.

Directories

Nashville City Directories are available for most years between 1853 and 1997 at the Tennessee State Archives. Digitized copies are available online for the following years:

• 1853
• 1855-56
• 1857
• 1859 ($)
• 1860
• 1865
• 1880
• 1881
• 1924
• 1855-1856 - Nashville Business Directory for The City of Nashville and Suburbs, Vol. 2, 1855-6. Digital version at Don's List

Emigration and Immigration

• During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 35 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Nashville and Davidson County. Ancestry ($)
  

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• Black Nashville: A Bibliography, available online, courtesy: Black Nashville Genealogy & History blog.
• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. Includes African Americans in this county.
• Daniel Graham Slave Records - site by Konnetta Alexander
• Employment Rolls and Nonpayment Rolls of Negroes Employed in the Defenses of Nashville, Tennessee, 1862-1863 Index On-line.
  

In 1862 Nashville built a series of forts around the city. The project was built by Union soldiers and impressed slaves and black workers in just five months. This site lists the laborers employed August 1, 1862 to April 1, 1863. The site gives the name of the slave, the slave owner and the file number.

For a case study of how to trace a slave family in early Nashville, study:

• Franklin, John Hope and Loren Schweninger. In Search of the Promised Land: A Slave Family in the Old South. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. FHL Book 929.273 T361f

Genealogies

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Davidson, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 65,000 entries. A query for persons born in Nashville, Tennessee results in more than 45,000 entries.

• East Tennessee Historical Society. First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early Settlers and Their Present-day Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 H2ff. Identifies families that had settled in Tennessee before it achieved statehood in 1796.

Bibliography

• Barkley - Fischer, Kathryn Barkley The Barkley brigade: the story of John Barkley of Smith County, Tennessee and his descendants, 1753-1994 Covington, Louisiana: Barkley-Symons Enterprises, 1994 FHL book 929.273 B246. Digital version available at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Bell - Lewis, Leroy Carlisle. Leander Bell of Henderson County, Tennessee: A Genealogical Survey and Historical Record of His Life and the Lives of His Descendants and His Ancestors. Searcy, Ark.: L.C. Lewis, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413L.
• Bell - Bell, Eldon Raymond. Bells History: of Shenandoah Valley, VA and Knox County, TN. Springdale, Arkansas: E.R. Bell, 1994. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413ber.
• Bishop - Gray, John W. The Life of Joseph Bishop, the Celebrated Old Pioneer in the First Settlements of Middle Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1858. Free digital copy.
• Branch - Ford, Ethel Taylor. Thomas Taylor and Benjamin Branch of Nashville, Tennessee, and Related Families. Amarillo, Tex.: E.T. Ford, 1972. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T218f; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Buchanan - Whitworth, M.C. and Whitworth Family Association. Malchiga Coffee Whitworth, III: Member No. 76, Whitworth Family Association. Nashville: M.C. Whitworth, (1998?). FHL US/CAN Film 1425148 Item 9.
• Burnett - Burnett, Paul H. Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1880. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
• Byrn - Turner, Mary Lalla Byrn The Byrn family: the ancestors and descendants of James Riley Byrn of middle Tennessee and western Kentucky and his wife, Emily Blackwell Oliver, from Virginia Paducah, Kentucky: M.L.B. Turner, (1985?). Utica, Kentucky: McDowell Publications. FHL book 929.273 B846. Digital version available at FSbook.
• Clupper - Clupper, Milford Lyon and Mona Atwill Clupper. Nine Generations from David Keith Clupper: Born in Nashville, Tenn. [Murfreesboro, Tenn.]: M. Clupper, 1992. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C628cm.
• Flournoy - Rivers, Flournoy. "The Flournoy Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):81-90; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):190-213; Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):318-327; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):437-447; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1895):67-79; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):414-416; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):97-101. Digitized by JSTOR
• Gambill - Brown, Louise G. and Jane C. Luna. The Descendants of Bradley Gambill. Columbia, Tenn.: P-Vine Press, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G143b.
• Hardeman - Burnett, Paul H. Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1880. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
• Harris - Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Lineage of Judith Gene Harris Doss, Nashville Tennessee: Includes Hodges, Randle, Hearn, Parker, Turner, Truitt, and Smith. Typescript, 1968. FHL US/CAN Film 875145 Item 2.
• Key - Key, Betty and Marcus M. Key. "John and Susannah Key of Old Amherst County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1985):117-122; Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1985):196-204. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29 (1985).
• McKinley - McKinley, Gay Martin and Ruth Carter McKinley. McKinley Memories: Descendants of Daniel Bell McKinley, Sr. and Mary Bonville. Wyandotte, Okla.: Gregath, 1997. FHL 929.273 M215mg
• Smith - Dyson, Dawn. A History of the Family of Herman Hampton and Julious Bonnie Holloway Smith of Nashville, Tennessee. Athens, Ga.: D. Dyson, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sm58d.
• Stephens - Stephens, Robert W. Stephens Family History: Ancestry and Descendants of Revolutionary Soldier Robert Stephens and His Wife, Sarah Farmer, of Virginia, Through Their Son Josiah Stephens. Dallas, Texas: R.W. Stephens, c1982. FHL Book 929.273 St45sr.
  
• Stumb - Saeger, Paul H. The Stumb Family of Nashville, Tennessee. Birmingham, Ala.: P.H. Saeger, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 St95sp.
• Swanson - McRaven, William Henry. Life and Times of Edward Swanson: One of the Original Pioneers Who with General James Robertson Founded Nashville, Tennessee, 1779; First Recorded Settler of Williamson County, Tennessee, March, 1780. Nashville, Tenn.: W.H. McRaven, 1937. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sw24m.
• Tate - Carpenter, Evelyn Yates. Tate and Allied Families of Robertson County, Tennessee: Includes the Nearby Tennessee Counties of Davidson, Sumner, and Wilson. Includes Virginia and North Carolina, the States of Tate Family Origin. Includes Counties in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Throughout the United States Where Many Tate Families Migrated. Clarksville, Tenn.: Jostens, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T187c.
• Taylor - Ford, Ethel Taylor. Thomas Taylor and Benjamin Branch of Nashville, Tennessee, and Related Families. Amarillo, Tex.: E.T. Ford, 1972. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 T218f; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Thomas - Franklin, John Hope and Loren Schweninger. In Search of the Promised Land: A Slave Family in the Old South. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. FHL Book 929.273 T361f
  
• Thurman - Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Thurman Lineage: Descent of Mrs. Helen Goodpasture of Nashville, Tennessee. Typescript, 1950. FHL US/CAN Film 1035575 Item 8; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Whiteley - Whiteley, Amos. This Brief History of the Whiteleys in America is Issued for the Purpose of Presenting Changes and Additions Since My Former Book was Issued ...: Also to Include Information Recently Procured in Regard to the Maryland Branch of the Whiteley Family. n.p.: A. Whiteley, 1922. FHL 929.273 W587wa; digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library and Internet Archive.
• Whitworth - Whitworth, M.C. and Whitworth Family Association. Malchiga Coffee Whitworth, III: Member No. 76, Whitworth Family Association. Nashville: M.C. Whitworth, (1998?). FHL US/CAN Film 1425148 Item 9.
• Wright - Wright, Samuel S. Wright Family. S. Wright, 1994. FHL 929.273 W93ws

Land and Property Records

Deeds

• Davidson County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1784. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries

• The Family History Library has microfilm copies of land records of deeds 1784-1940 with indexes 1784-1924; register books 1784-1789; and Davidson county land ownership maps from the Library of Congress Map division 1871-about 1900.
• The organization Strictly By Name provides online indexes to early Davidson County land records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:
• 1874-1787 - Deed Book A
• 1787-1791 - Deed Book B
• 1791-1796 - Deed Book C
• 1796-1798 - Deed Book D
• 1798-1802 - Deed Book E
• 1803-1806 - Deed Book F

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina
The original Davidson County land entries issued by North Carolina are kept at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. On their website, users can bring up a list of land entries issued in Davidson County, both before and after it became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1783-1824.

• Secretary of State Land Grant Search Instructions on the Discover Online Catalog (DOC)

Land Grants

• Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d.

Local Histories

• Albright, Edward. Early History of Middle Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Brandon Printing Co., 1909. Free digitized copy.
• Beard, W.E. It Happened in Nashville, Tennessee: A Collection of Historical Incidents which Occurred in Nashville, are Commemorated There, or in Which Nashville People were Actors. Davie Printing Co., 1912. Digital version at Google Books.
• Clarke, Ida Clyde Gallagher. All About Nashville: A Complete Historical Guide Book to the City. Marshall & Bruce Co., 1912. Digital version at Google Books.
• Clayton, W. W. History of Davidson County, Tennessee: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis, 1886. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 541321. Indexed in FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 H22w. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); Heritage Quest Online ($); and World Vital Records ($).
• McRaven, William Henry. Nashville: "Athens of the South". Chapel Hill: Published for the Tennessee Book Co. by Scheer & Jervis, 1949. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Nashville Tennessee Centennial Album. Nashville, Tennessee: J. Prousnitzer & Co., 1896. Free digital version. Includes pictures of local public buildings and churches, private residences, and representative citizens.
• Putnam, Albigence Waldo. History of Middle Tennessee: or, Life and Times of Gen. James Robertson. Nashville, Tenn.: A.A. Stitt, Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1859. Digital version at Google Books.
• Snyder, Ann E. On the Watauga and the Cumberland Nashville, Tennessee: Methodist Espiscopal South Publishing House, 1884. Free digital copy. Early Davidson County history and settlers.
• Tennessee State Fair. Official Souvenir Progam and Guide, Tennessee State Fair, September 23rd to 28th, 1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Folk-Keelin Print Co., 1907. Free digital copy. Includes pictures of local buildings and prominent citizens.
• The Wayne Hand-Book of Nashville and the Tennessee Centennial Exposition Illustrated - a complete guide book for tourists, with maps, plans, etc. Wayne Publishing Company, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 1897. Free digital copy.
• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Pioneers of Davidson County, Tennessee. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., c1996. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 H2wh; digital versions are available at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
• History Of Tennessee (Nashville, Tennessee) Ancestry].com. ($) May be usedat Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.
• Pioneers of Davidson County, Tennessee Ancestry].com. ($) May be usedat Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

The TSLA (TSLA) is in the beginning stages of posting digital copies of historical maps on their website through the Tennessee Virtual Archives (TEVA). Among the collection is a 1907 historical map showing Davidson County civil districts and the plotted residences of families living within those districts.

Additional Nashville and Davidson County historical maps include:

• 1783 Reeves, Charles A. Davidson & Greene Counties (Tennessee) - Created in 1783. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1855 General View of Nashville. Published 1855. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1860's - Map of Nashville, Tennessee. Published 1860s. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1871 Map of Davidson County, TN. Published 1871. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1872 Ruger. Bird's Eye View of Nashville. Originally published 1872. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1880s Wellege. Nashville, Tennessee in the 1880s. Originally published 1872. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1894 A City Map of Nashville, Tennessee. Published 1894. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee. Originally published 1897. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• 1939 A Map of Nashville. Published 1939. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.
• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this couinty - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Revolutionary War
The following Davidson 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, Middle District, Davidson County on page 155.
• 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 ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.
• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogical Records, Davidson County Pioneers: Revolutionary and War of 1812 Soldiers. 1965. FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 M23w.
• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Pioneers of Davidson County, Tennessee. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., c1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 H2wh; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. Includes Cocke County pensioners (pp. 41-42)
• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogical Records, Davidson County Pioneers: Revolutionary and War of 1812 Soldiers. 1965. FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 M23w.

Civil War

Online Records

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

Regiments. Men in Davidson 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 Davidson County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company D
• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery - CSA - Company A
• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McNairy's) - CSA - Companies A, B, and D
• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Feild's) - CSA - Companies A,B, C, E, F, and L.
• 1st/27th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A, B, C, E, and F.
• 2nd Tennessee Cavalry - First Battalion consisting of five companies - organized at Nashville.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies C and G.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Robison's) (Walker Legion) - CSA
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Murray's) - CSA - Company H. organized July 22, 1861 at Nashville, Davidson County as Q. C. Sanders' Company.
• 6th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Wheeler's)- CSA- Companies C and D.
  
• 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's) - CSA
• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ward's) - CSA - Companies I and K.
• 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (DeMoss') - CSA - Company D
• 10th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, C, D, F, G, H, and K.
• 11th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Gordon's) - CSA - Companies C, D, and E.
• 11th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, D, and G.
• 18th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B and G.
• 20th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and C.
• 21st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's), Company A
• 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Barteau's), Companies A and B.
• 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company F.
• 44th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company E.
• 54th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and B.
• 55th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (McKoin's) - CSA - Companies H and I.
• 44th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company E.
• 50th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company G.
• Douglas' Battalion, Tennessee Partisan Rangers, Companies of Felix H. Blackman, Nathan W. Carter, and Thomas F. Perkins.
• Napier's Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry, Company A

Union Soldiers

• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery - organized at Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.
• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company I
• 12th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - USA - Company E.
• 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - USA - Organized at Strawberry Plains, Nashville and Gallatin, Tennessee.
• 14th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - USA - enlisted on duty on Nashville Northwestern Railroad.
• 12th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company E.
• 26th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry - Companies A, B, C, D, E, and G

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Davidson County:

• McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.
• Quintard, Charles Todd. Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Sewanee, Tennessee: The University Press, 1905. Free digital copy. Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment.
• TNGenWeb, Davidson County, Civil War. Includes a variety of links.
• Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Civil War in Davidson County.
• Davidson County, Tennessee Genealogy Page,Civil War. Includes links to 18th Tennessee Infantry, Map of the Nashville Battlefield, Roster of Company A, First Tennessee Artillery and Tennessee Colored Pension Applications for CSA Service.
• Tennessee Civil War Historical Markers: Davidson County.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Davidson 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. Davidson County, page 328-331.
• CWSAC Battle Summaries, Nashville. Located in Davidson County.
• American Memory, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Davidson County:

• December 15-16, 1864 - Nashville. Heritage Preservation Services.

Map showing Civil War battles fought in Tennessee.

Spanish American War

• Hale, Will T. The First Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. Nashville, 1899. Free digital copy.

World War I
Gilmore, Rose Long. Davidson County Women in the World War 1914-1919. Nashville, Tennessee: Foster and Parkes, 1923.

Naturalization and Citizenship

United States Passport Applications are available from 1796-1925 - indexed at Family Search

Newspapers

Nashville Retrospect - The Nashville Retrospect is amonthly newspaper devoted to Nashville nostalgia and history. It features reprints of long-forgotten news, articles by local historians, and remembrances by older Nashvillians. Also available by subscription if you are not local.

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 Davidson County click on the following cities:

• Brentwood
• Donelson
• Goodlettsville
• Hermitage
• Madison
• Nashville
• Old Hickory

• 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL 976.8 V2L.
• 1876 Smith, Jonathan K.T. Nashville Daily American, 1876, a Genealogical Scrapbook. Jackson, Tennessee: J.K.T. Smith, 2003. FHL 976.855 V4s

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

• 1847-1914 - 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

Photographs

• Historic Nashville Photographs ~ About.com
• South Nashville History
• Historic Nashville ~ Nashville Web Review
  

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
  

Private Papers

• Baldock, Margaret. Bible Records of James Carothers, Born 30 January 1792, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee: and Allied Families: Barfield, Goodloe, Carter, Crutcher, McMillian, Jarman. Clovis, N.M.: M. Baldock, 1990. FHL US/CAN Film 1597826 Item 11.
• Family Bible of P. W. Duke and Mollie E. Moore: Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee. Microfilmed in 1963. FHL US/CAN Film 301101 Item 15.
• Francis McGavock Papers ~ TSLA Manuscripts
• McGavock Family Papers ~ Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library
• McGavock Family Papers ~ Special Collections William and Mary College
• Rachel Jackson Manuscripts ~ Listing
• Andrew Jackson Donelson Papers ~ University of Tennessee Knoxville Collection
• A Guide to Andrew Jackson Donelson ~ Briscoe Center for American History
• The Papers of Andrew Jackson ~ University of Tennessee Knoxville Collection
• Papers of Andrew Jackson ~ The Avalon Project

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.
• Harpeth Gleanings: Covers Bellevue and the Harpeth River Valley in southwest Davidson county. Family History Library US/CAN Book 976.855 H25h
• The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History: Quarterly magazine of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society. For surnames, use the volume-by-volume index, or do a keyword search of the Article Index. FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Probate Records

The Davidson County Court and the County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records, most available at the Metropolitan Government Archives.

Online Records

• 1779-2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1784-1792; 1792-1804 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Images of Wills, Estates, Deeds ($)
• 1784-1940 - Davidson County portion of Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 at FamilySearch - images only; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.- How to Use this Collection
• 1805-1809; 1805-1816 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Images of Wills ($)

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Davidson County probate records. They offer a research service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:

• 1784-1794 - Will Book 1: 1784-1794
• 1794-1804 - Will Book 2: 1794-1804
• 1805-1809 - Will Book 3: 1805-1809
• 1809-1816 - Will Book 4: 1809-1816

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1783-1830 - Marsh, Helen C. and Timothy R. Marsh. Davidson County, Tennessee, Wills and Inventories. Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1990. Indexed. Contains Vol. 1, 1783-1816, and Vol. 2, 1816-1830. (FHL book 976.855 P2m.)
  
• 1784-1861 - 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 probate records.
• 1784-1816 - Strictly By Name (see above).

School Records

• Roger Williams 1884-1885 School Catalog
• Fisk University: History, Building and Site, and Services of Dedication, at Nashville, Tennessee, January 1st, 1876. New York: Published for the Trustees of Fisk University, 1876. Digital version at Google Books.
• Stearns, Eben S. Historical Sketch of the Normal College, at Nashville, Tenn: An Address Before Its Officers and Students on Its Ninth Anniversary, Dec. 1, 1884. Cincinnati: Elm Street Printing Company, 1885. Digital version at Google Books.

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

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1787 "Davidson County Tax List for 1787," available online, courtesy: Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN.
• 1787, 1812 Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Pioneers of Davidson County, Tennessee. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., c1996. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 H2wh; digital versions are available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).
• 1787 First Tax List, 1787, Brief, Krefeld Immigrants and Their Descendants. Sacramento CA: Fall 2003. Vol. 20 Iss. 2.
• 1788, 1805, 1811 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. & B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. Includes 1788, 1805, 1811 tax lists.
• 1789 Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• 1798 Duncan, Ruth Henley. "List of Taxable Property, Davidson County, Tennessee, October 1, 1798" and "List of Slaves Owned in Davidson County, Tennessee, October 1, 1798," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 3 (July 1961):78-86. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• 1805 - West, Betsy F. "Davidson County, Tennessee, Tax List-1805," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Spring 1979):80-85; Vol. 26, No. 3 (Fall 1979):128-132; Vol. 26, No. 4 (Winter 1979). For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• 1805 Davidson County 1805 Tax List Annotated, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Summer 2007); Vol. 21, No. 2 (Fall 2007); Vol. 21, No. 3 (Winter 2008); Vol. 22, No. 2 (Fall 2008); Vol. 22, No. 3 (Winter 2009); Vol. 22, No. 4 (Spring 2009). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• 1811 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. Cites Davidson County Tax List, 1811, Early Tax Lists microfilm reel #3, TSLA, Nashville as source.
• 1812 - West, Betsy F. "Davidson County, Tennessee, Tax List-1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Winter 1979):164-173. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• 1812 Douthat, James L. 1812 Davidson County, Tennessee, Tax List: Taken from the Microfilm Copy Found in the Tennessee State Archives. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, (2000?). FHL US/CAN Book 976.855 R4d; online: index and purchase details.
• 1812 "Enumeration of the Free Male Inhabitants of Davidson County Taken in the Year 1812," Alphabetical Arrangement available online, courtesy: Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN.
• 1812 "Enumeration of the Free Male Inhabitants of Davidson County Taken in the Year 1812." Arranged by company. Available online, courtesy: Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN.
• 1812 Davidson County Tax List 1812, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Winter 2003); Vol. 16, No. 4 (Spring 2003); Vol. 17, No. 1 (Summer 2003). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Trousdale.
• 1814 - "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3(Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson. Includes Davidson County.
• 1817 "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson. [Includes Davidson County.]
• 1826 Release of Taxes, 1826, Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History. Nashville TN: Summer 1996. Vol. 10 Iss. 1.
• 1829 - "Davidson County, Tennessee 1829 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer 1985):63-68; Vol. 32, No. 3 (Fall 1985):123-130; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter 1985):179-182. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.
• ca.1865 Tennessee Tax Lists Holdings, ca.1865, Southern Genealogists Exchange Quarterly. Jacksonville FL: Summer 1965. Vol. 6 Iss. 34.

Vital Records

Birth

• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1854-1902 - Davidson County Guardian Receipts and Settlements 1854-1902 - Nashville Metro Archives
• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
• 1881-1891 - Nashville Birth Index 1881-1913 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1881-1913 - Nashville Birth Records 1881-1913 - Nashville Metro Archives
• 1908-1912 - Davidson County Birth Records: 1908-1912 - Nashville Metro Archives
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch
  - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

Online Indexes and Records

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. at Ancestry ($)
• 1788-1830 - Marriage records for Davidson County: 1788-1839 Metro Archives
• 1789-1837; 1838-1847; 1848-1849 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Marriages ($)
• 1789-1932 - Davidson County Marriage Index 1789-1932 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1789-1837 - Davidson County, Tennessee Marriage Digital record book I, January 2, 1789 - December 13, 1837 Click on view all pages
• 1790-1962 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.- How to Use this Collection
• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1838-1847 - Marriage Records, 1838-1847, Davidson County, Tennessee. Typescript. FHL|24631|film (Item 2) +++
• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1864-1905 - Marriages Recorded in Nashville, 1864-1905. Metro Archives Index courtesy of the Nashville.
• 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1789-1847 - Marriages of Davidson County, Tennessee, 1789 - 1847. Two volumes. FHL|976.855 V2w
• 1789-1870 - 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. FHL 976.8 V2t v. 1. Includes names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for specified years.
• 1789-1873 - Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff.

Death

• 1780-1805 - Meier, Oveda. Tennessee Ancestors: The Brave and the Dead, Probate and Death Records of Early Middle Tennessee, 1780–1805. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1990. (Family History Library book 976.8 P2m; film 1697372.) This source contains abstracts of probate, Bible, and court records, county histories, and military death records for Davidson and Sumner counties. It includes a surname index.
• 1874-1913 - Nashville Death Index 1874-1913 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1900-1923 - Davidson County Death Index 1900-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 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
• 1855-1955 - Death Notices in Nashville Newspapers 1855-1907,online index, courtesy: TSLA.
• 1908-1812 - Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 Online index from TSLA.
• 1913 Nashville Obituaries & Death Notices for 1913 > Part 1: Introduction,online index, courtesy: TSLA.
• 1914 -1930 - Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records 1914-1930. Online index from TSLA.
• 1900-1913 - Davidson County Death Records 1900-1913 Online index from TSLA. Many of these records do not appear in the Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912.
• 1949-2009 - Tennessee Statewide Death Index, 1949-2009 - searchable database from the Shelby County Register of Deeds. Includes data from all over the state.
• 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
• 1800-1965 - Tennessee, Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 at Ancestry - ($), selected counties: Anderson, Carroll, Cheatham, Dickson, Franklin, Haywood, Henderson, Obion, Tipton, Williamson
• 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 Davidson County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.
Metropolitan Government Archives
3801 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: 615-862-5880
Website Metropolitan Government Archives, a division of the Nashville Public Library, contains historical records of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
3801 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: 615-862-5880
Website
Website includes links to records including cemetery records, census, tax lists, church records, court records, vital records, military records and more.

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

• Madison Tennessee Family History Center
• Nashville Tennessee Family History Center
• Brentwood Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Nashville Public Library
615 Church St.
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615-862-5800
Website
Houses a significant collection of Davidson County records. They have posted an online index to Nashville marriages 1864-1905 and Nashville obituaries 1964 to the present. Obituaries from 2006 are available in full text with a Nashville Library card. Copies of obituaries can be accessed at the library or at the TSLA.

Societies

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

Metro Nashville Archives
615 Church St.
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615-862-5880
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
• Davidson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Cyndi's List - A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.
• Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County Online Records
• 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

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Davidson County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
• "Genealogical Research in Davidson County," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Spring 1993). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Davidson.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library

To view online images that are "locked" (as indicated by a key over the camera), you must visit a Family History Center or an Affiliate library. Go to the Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map for locations.

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