Franklin County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Franklin County

Guide to Franklin 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: Winchester Organized: December 3, 1807 Parent County(s): Warren, White Neighboring Counties Coffee  • Grundy  • Jackson (AL)  • Lincoln  • Madison (AL)  • Marion  • Moore 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

Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Franklin County Courthouse
1 South Jefferson Street
Winchester, TN 37398
Franklin County Courthouse Phone: 931.967.2541
County Clerk Phone: 931-967-2541
Register of Deeds Phone: 931-967-2541
Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 931-967-2923

County Clerk has marriage records from 1838 and probate records from 1808
Register of Deeds has court records, land records

Franklin 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	1838	1881	1832	1807	1808	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

Lost censuses: 1810 Lack of marriage records: 1807 to 1837 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--Franklin County was created 3 December 1807 from Warren County. Just one week earlier, Warren County had been created from White County. County seat: Winchester 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
Cowan Decherd	Tullahoma	Winchester
Towns
Estill Springs	Huntland	Monteagle
Unincorporated communities
Alto Awalt Beech Hill Belvidere Broadview Capitol Hill Centennial	Center Grove Greenshaw Lexie Crossroads Liberty Maxwell Midway	Owl Hollow Pleasant Ridge Saint Andrews Shady Grove Sherwood Sinking Cove
Census-designated places
Sewanee

History Timeline

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Middle Tennessee county.

The county was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Resources

Biographies

• Family Biographies from The History of Franklin County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are availableon the My Genealogy Hound website.
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. 2004. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Includes Franklin County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Franklin 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.

• Tim’s Ford reservoir is on the Elk River, primarily in Moore, Franklin and Coffee Counties. Gravestones were moved from the area in 1970 when the state completed the Tim’s Ford Dam, submerging most of the old settlement of Awalt. Awalt was part of District 14, so if one has family from that area, it would be helpful to check out the following book which records all gravestones moved from the town of Awalt, to the New Awalt Cemetery. Douthat, James L. “Tims Ford reservoir : T.V.A. grave removals.” Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, 2007 FHL 976.8 V3djL

Census Records

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Franklin 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.

Franklin County was divided into 20 Districts in the census records up until at least 1920. It would often not list a town or city name and refer to the area as a District. PDF of TN Census

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

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

1810 Lost - 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

Enumeration listed alphabetically by first letter surname.

• Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. FHL 976.8 X22b 1820. Online at Ancestry ($).
• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," online at Free African Americans. Includes African Americans in this county.

1830

• Scanned census images in the USGenWeb Archives

1840

• Scanned census images in the USGenWeb Archives
• Phillips, Judy H. Franklin County, Tennessee in the Year 1840 Featuring the 1840 Census with Abstracts of the 1840 Court Minutes and Deeds. Tullahoma, Tennessee. 1985. FHL 976.863 P2p

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, Franklin County on page 155.

1850

• Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Franklin County, Tennessee. S.p., 1970. FHL 976.863 X2p 1850

1860

• Swenson, Helen S. Franklin County, Tennessee, 1860 Census with Head of Household Marriages. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1981. FHL 976.863 X2s

1870

• Phillips, Judy H. 1870 Census, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.H. Phillips, 1986. FHL 976.863 X2p

1880

• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Franklin County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler & Associates, 1994. FHL 976.863 X2s 1880

1890 - Lost. 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

Male Voters

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

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Baptist

• Primitive Baptist Church of Beans Creek 1822-1876. TSLA MF No. 1611 Franklin County Roll 1/1. Book lent to TSLA by George W. Scott. Church located on bank Beans Creek between Old Salem and Huntland. Some African American's are mentioned.
  

Church of Christ

Episcopal

• Otey Memorial Parish Records. Sewanee, 1942-1972. TSLA interlibrary loan.

Methodist

• Marble Plains Methodist Church Records. Franklin County, 1880-1960. TSLA interlibrary loan.

Court Records

A variety of courts serve Franklin county, Tennessee. Court types include: Chancery Court, Circuit Court, County Court and the court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Each of these courts have some common record types such as the Minute Books; but some have records unique to their court such as the deeds and wills found in the County Court. Information regarding deeds is found in the Land section of this page. Information regarding wills is found in the Probate section of this page.

County Court

• 1832-1837 - W.P.A. Franklin County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, Vol. 2, 1832-1837. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1930s-1940s. FHL US/CAN Film 24648. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products - (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• 1832-1837 - Franklin County, County Court Minutes, Vol 2, Part 1, May Term 1832 and 1834-1837 Franklin County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1832-1837, Part 2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
• 1837-1843 - Franklin County Settlement Book, Vol 1. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Circuit Court

MINUTE BOOKS

• 1832-1907 - Circuit Court Minute Books. See FHL Film. For an index to the 1832-1837 books see Circuit Court Minute Book for Franklin County, Tennessee, 1832-1837 (Tenn. Tullahoma Chapter, DAR, 1990) Available at Allen Co Public Library or TSLA.

Chancery Court

MINUTE BOOKS

• 1834-1845 - Chancery Court Minute Books. See FHL films.
• 1846-1849 - Missing.
• 1850+ - Chancery Court Minute Books. See FHL films.

Pleas and Quarter Sessions

• 1832-1837 - Franklin County, County Court Minutes, Vol 2, Part 1, May Term 1832 and 1834-1837 Franklin County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1832-1837, Part 2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
• 1800-1899 - Loose Court Records 1800- 1899. Index search and copies available from Project Preservation. See also the FHL collection "Loose court records (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1800-1930".
  

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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [IncludesAfrican Americans in this county.]
• Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 Franklin County, Tennessee Census, available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?

Funeral Homes

• J.C. Moore & Sons Funeral Home Records, 1931-1966, Winchester. (TSLA interlibrary loan)

Genealogies

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Franklin, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 10,000 entries.

• Family Histories, Franklin County, Tennessee, 1807-1996. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 D3f.
• Thomas, Don M. Documentation History: of Some "Martins", "Jones", "Dials", "Stewarts", "Smiths", "Ragsdales", "Sanders", "Carlisles", "Morrows", and "Beans" of Johnson, Pope and Sebastian County, Arkansas, ... Franklin County, Tennessee, Marion County, Illinois and Parker County, Texas. 4 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: D.M. Thomas, (1993), 1995; Waldron, Arkansas Scott County Historical & Genealogical Society (Arkansas). FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M363t ff.

Bibliography

• Bennett - Morris, Lovell Jason. Bennett of Franklin County, Tennessee and Related Families. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: L.J. Morris, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B439mL.
• Burnett - Weston, Edgar Earl; Burnett, L.H. and Gladys The Burnett Family Pelham, Tennessee L.H. and G Burnett, c1983 FamilySearch Digital Library FHL book 929.273 B934w.
• Gipson - Phillips, Judy Henley. The Gipson Family of Franklin County, Tennessee: Their Ancestors and Descendants. Tullahoma, Tenn.: J.H. Phillips, 1995. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G44p.
• Hammontre - Strang, Vivia Hammontree. Fall Lick Creek and Hammontree Roots: Franklin County, Tennessee. Phoenix, Ariz.: V.H. Strang, 2004. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184sv.
• Lewis - McBride, Robert Martin. A Footnote to a History of the Lewis Family. Nashville, TN: Unknown, 1954. Digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• McGavock - Aiken, Leona Taylor. The Descendants of James McGavock Sr. and the McGavock Mansions, Fort Chiswell, Va. & Carnton, Franklin, Tenn. [Kingsport, Tenn.]: L.T. Aiken, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 5141; another copy: FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M172aL.
• Shelly - Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Shelly Family of Scott County, Virginia and Franklin County, Tennessee Data. Typescript, 1964. FHL US/CAN Film 875370 Item 9.
• Simpson - Miner, Ethel Nerim. Descendants of Rice and Rachael Simpson: of Franklin and Moore Counties, Tennessee. Fountain Hills, Arizona: Four Peaks Enterprise, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si58me.
• Wakefield - Wakefield, Gerald L. Nelson Wakefield and Bird Langford: A Genealogical Study. (S.I.): G.L. Wakefield, 2008. FamilySearch Digital Library FHL US/CAN Book 929.273 W137.
• Willis - Sherrill, Charles A. Peter Willis of Tennessee and His Descendants. Cleveland, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W679s.

Land and Property Records

• Franklin County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1807 and is located at Courthouse, 1 S Jefferson St, Winchester, TN 37398; (931) 967-2541. 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 deeds 1807-1882; land entry books 1824-1891; land records 1790-1924; records of stray livestock; survey books 1868-1879; various records listing names of slaves 1830-1871.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1808-1810 - W.P.A. Franklin County Record Book, Volume A, 1808-1810. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24649 Item 3. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• 1808-1810 - W.P.A. Franklin County Record Book, Vol A, TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Local Histories

• Fairbanks, George Rainsford.History of the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tennessee. H. and W.B. Drew Co., 1905. Free digital copy.
• Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore counties.Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Free digital copy.
• Franklin County Historical Society. “Family Histories, Franklin TN, 1807-1996.” Paducah, KY: Turner Publication Company, 1996. FHL 976.863 D3f
• Phillips, Judy Henley.” Franklin County, Tennessee in the year 1840 ; featuring the 1840 census with abstracts of the 1840 court minutes and deeds.” Tullahoma, TN: The Author, 1985. FHL 976.863 P2p

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• Map of 1888 Franklin County, Tennessee with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
• Map of Franklin County TN in 1840: Phillips, Judy Henley.” Franklin County, Tennessee in the year 1840 ; featuring the 1840 census with abstracts of the 1840 court minutes and deeds.” Tullahoma, TN: The Author, 1985.(Available at the FHL).
  
• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
• Select Franklin County, Tennessee Revolutionary War 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, Franklin 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.

• Sherrill, Charles A. Revolutionary War Pension Applications from Franklin County, Tennessee. Ohio: n.p., 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 M2r.

• Tennessee County Court (Franklin County) and Tennessee Circuit Court (Franklin County) Military records and pension applications (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1812-1994 Salt Lake City, Utah Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 2005. FHL US/CAN Film 1148880 item 2.

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 Franklin County pensioners (p. 44).
• Select Franklin County, Tennessee War of 1812 applicants Courtesy: TNGenWeb
• Military records and pension applications (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1812-1994, (Salt Lake City, Utah, Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2005) 1 Microfilm FHL Film 1148880 Item 2
  

Indian Wars

• Franklin County Men in the Indian WarsCourtesy: TNGenWeb

Civil War
Originally, Tennessee was very divided on the idea of seceding from the Nation, with those in East Tennessee against the notion because they had “minimal interest in cotton or tariffs, and their very choice of living in such self-sufficient isolation often indicated rejection and a resentment of planter society.” Franklin County was the most extreme confederate county in Tennessee. They even threatened to leave the state of Tennessee and join Alabama. Franklin’s County History echos this sentiment stating that, “Early in the spring of 1861 the most intense excitement prevailed and Franklin County companies began to form and drill for service in the Confederate interest."

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 Franklin 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 Franklin County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Turney's) - CSA - Company B, C, D, E, and F.
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McLemore's) - CSA
• 17th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies D, E, and I.
• 20th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
• 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
• 32nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
• 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA- Company C.
• 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies G and I.
• 44th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Franklin County:

• Franklin County, Tennessee Men in the 41st Tennessee Infantry.
• Franklin County, Tennessee men in the 44th Tennessee Infantry.
• USGenWeb Archives, Franklin County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Franklin 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. Franklin County, page 334.
• The Civil War in Franklin County, Tennessee, by Judy Henley Phillips, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). A variety of links for the Civil War.
  

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 Franklin County click on the following cities:

• Cowan
• Winchester

Franklin County strays are also mentioned in the Nashville Whig. ca 1816. See Newspapers.com holdings.

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

For deaths of Methodists in Franklin 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.

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.

• Franklin County Historical Review, discontinued as of 2005. Back issues at TNGenWeb. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 B2f

• 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 Franklin County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records and Indexes

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1808-1826 - Will Book 1: 1808-1826 by Strictly By Name - Index only
• 1808-1968 - Franklin County portion of Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
• 1827-1847 - Will Book 2: 1827-1847 by Strictly By Name - Index only

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1808-1861 - 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
• 1808-1875 - Ingmire, Frances T. Abstracts of Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills, 1808-1875. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1984. Indexed. (FHL book 976.863 P28i or interlibrary loan from TSLA.)
• 1808-1876 - W.P.A. Will Books, 1808-1876, Franklin County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24649 Item 4. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• 1808-1876 - W.P.A. Franklin County Will Book Vol. 1-2, TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
• 1808-1876 - W.P.A. Franklin County Will Book Vol. 1-2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
  
• 1808-1876 - Partlow, Thomas E. Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills 1808-1876 and Deeds 1801-1840. Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1991. Indexed. (FHL book 976.863 P2pt. or via interlibrary loan from TSLA.)
• 1808-1847 - Strictly by Name (see above).
• 1837-1843 - Franklin County, Tennessee, Settlement Book, Volume 1, 1837-1843. Free index by Steve Carson available online at GSC Associates Historical Record Products.
• USGenWeb's Franklin County page includes select will abstracts.
• 1876-1891 - Ingmire, Frances T. Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills, 1876-1891. St. Louis, Missouri: Ingmire, 1985. Indexed. (FHL book 976.8 A1 no. 107.)

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

• 1812 - Moore, Betty Givens. "Index to the Franklin County, Tennessee Tax and Voter List, 1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):157-162. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Franklin.
• 1812 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 1812 tax list.
• 1812 Taxable Inhabitants, Voters, 1812, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: 1988. Vol. 19 Iss. 1.
• 1812 Phillips, Judy Henley. "1812 Franklin County, Tennessee Tax List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
• 1812 - Gant, Wanda. "Franklin County, TN - Census-1812 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
• 1816 List of Taxes Due in 1816, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: Jul 1977. Vol. 8 Iss. 2.This list was for taxes due in Warren, Franklin, White and Overston counties.
  
• 1861 Tax Roll, 1861, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Jul 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 3; Oct 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 4; Feb 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 1; Apr 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 2; Jul 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 3; Oct 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 4; Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1.
• 1865 Tax List, 1865, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1; Jul 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 3; Oct 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 4; Feb 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 1; Apr 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 2; Jul 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 3; Oct 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 4; Feb 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 1; Apr 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 2.
• 1890 Stovall, Cora, Jeanne Bigger and Lona Koltick. Franklin County, Tennessee 1890 Tax List. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.R. Bigger, 1984. FHL 976.863 R4b

The following Franklin County tax records are on microfilm:

• 1812, 1816, 1852-1857, 1860-1863, 1865-1900 - Available at Tennessee State Archives.
• 1852-1859 - Trustee's Office Tax Book, 1852-1859. FHL US/CAN Film 1,011,409 item 1. This is not a traditional tax list. No districts. It may be that only one district was represented many times as different revenue reports were generated. List includes names and dollar amounts. Lists of Grand Jurors and Constables containing names and dollar amonts are among this records.
• 1861-1871 - Trustee's Office Tax Book, 1861-1871. FHL US/CAN Film 1,011,409. "Traditional" tax lists. For 1861 Districts 1-6, 11-16 represented. Sorted alphabetically by first letter of surname.

Additional sources for tax lists:

• 1814 - John Tedder papers, 1814-1857. Tedder appointed as Deputy Collector of Revenue for the Third Collection District of Tennessee in 1814 by Thomas Brown, Collector of Revenue for his district. Includes Franklin county. See TSLA on-line catalog.
  

For missing years, alternative resource to consider is Tennessee Legislative Petitions.

Vital Records

Birth

• 1881-1885 - Franklin County Birth Index 1881-1885. Batch C710434 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1881-1885 - Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk. FHL 576318
• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 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 ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1790-1962 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1838-1875 - Franklin County Tennessee, Marriages, 1838 - 1875 WPA Index
• 1838-1917 - Franklin County Marriage Index 1838-1917 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1783-1870 - 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. FHL Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff.
• 1789-1873 - Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff.
• 1838-1874 - Franklin County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1874 FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 V2 ff
• 1838-1875 - Marriage Records of Franklin County, Tennessee 1838-1875. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 V2
• 1884-1903 - Franklin County, marriages, 1884-1903. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 V2 ff.

Death

• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1885 - Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk. FHL 576318
• 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

• 1800-1965 - Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Available at Ancestry ($)
• Some Franklin County Divorces. S.l.: s.n., 198-? FHL 976.863 V2s
• 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 Franklin 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

• Fayetteville Tennessee Family History Center
• McMinnville Tennessee Family History Center
• Tullahoma Tennessee Family History Center
• Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Franklin County Library
105 South Porter Street
Winchester, TN 37398
Phone: 931-967-3706
Email: franklincountylibrary@comcast.net
Website

Societies

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

Franklin County Historical Society
P.O. Box 130
Winchester, TN 37398
Phone: 931-962-1476
Email: historicalfc@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

• 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.
• Franklin County TN Genealogy
• Franklin County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Franklin County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
• "Franklin County Research," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Spring 1992). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Franklin.

Family History Library

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

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