Marion County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Marion County

Guide to Marion 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: Jasper Organized: November 20, 1817 Parent County(s): Cherokee Indian Lands Neighboring Counties Dade (GA)  • Franklin  • Grundy  • Hamilton  • Jackson (AL)  • Sequatchie 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

Marion County was named Francis Marion, also known as the Swamp Fox, a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. The county is located in the southeast-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Courthouse
1 Courthouse Square
Jasper, TN 37347
County Courthouse Phone: 423-942-2515
Clerk & Master Phone: 423-942-2601
Register Of Deeds Phone: 423 942 2573

Marion County Clerk
24 Courthouse Square, Room 101
Jasper, TN 37347
County Clerk Phone: 423-942-2515

County Clerk has marriage records from 1919 and probate records from 1874.
Register of Deeds has land records.

Marion 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
1908	1881	1908	1842	1819	1874	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1922 Courthouse was destroyed by fire in August 1922; only records from the registrar's office and the county court clerk's office were saved. Lost marriage records: 1817 to 1880 Lost probate records: 1817 to 1875 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

1817--Marion County was created 20 November 1817 from Cherokee Indian Lands. County seat: Jasper 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
New Hope	South Pittsburg	Whitwell
Towns
Jasper Kimball	Monteagle Orme	Powells Crossroads
Unincorporated communities
Griffith Creek Haletown	Mineral Springs Sequatchie	Whiteside

History Timeline

Additional Information

"The Swamp Fox" Brig. Gen. Francis Marion (c1732-1795)

Marion County is located in south-eastern Tennessee, and encompasses about five hundred square miles. It was established in 1817. The county borders both Georgia and Alabama.

The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (c1732-1795).

Resources

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Marion 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.

 

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	3,888	—
1830	5,508	41.7%
1840	6,070	10.2%
1850	6,314	4.0%
1860	6,190	−2.0%
1870	6,841	10.5%
1880	10,910	59.5%
1890	15,411	41.3%
1900	17,281	12.1%
1910	18,820	8.9%
1920	17,402	−7.5%
1930	17,549	0.8%
1940	19,140	9.1%
1950	20,520	7.2%
1960	21,036	2.5%
1970	20,577	−2.2%
1980	24,416	18.7%
1990	24,860	1.8%
2000	27,776	11.7%
2010	28,237	1.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

For a map of Marion County census districts see Marion County Census Districts.

1810-1891

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

1820 Lost

1820 Manufactures

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

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

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

1830

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

1840

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

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Marion County on page 154.

1850

• Douthat, James L. 1850, Marion County, Tennessee, Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X2d 1850.
• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Jean Dennis Hobbs. 1850 Census, Marion County, Tennessee. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X2g 1850.

1860

• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Jean Dennis Hobbs. 1860 Census, Marion County, Tennessee. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X2g 1860.

1870

• Goins, Sara Agee and Norma Jean Dennis Hobbs. 1870 Census, Marion County, Tennessee. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 1986. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X2g 1870.

1880

• Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Marion County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1995. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X29s 1880.

1891 Male Voters

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

1900

• United States Census, Marion County, Tennessee, 1900. Dunlap, Tenn.: Goins and Hobbs Genealogy Service, 19--?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 X2u 1900.

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

• Union/Sweetens Cove Primitive Baptist Church, 1821-1868 - 976.879 K2, FHL microfilm 1320888 Item 2

Court Records

The first court of Marion County was held in the house of John Shropshire in what is now Whitwell in 1817. After the Shropshire house, the court was held for one year in the old Cheek house, a two-story double log house located south of Whitwell in a place called Cheekville, later named Liberty, where court had been held while this county was still in North Carolina. In 1819 the county seat was moved to the town of Jasper.

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.

Genealogies

As of August 2010, a query for Search persons born in Marion (County), Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries.

• Douthat, James L. Sequatchie Families: Biographical Sketches of the Earlier Settlers of the Sequeatchie Valley of Tennessee. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: J.L. Douthat, 1983. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 D3d.
• Harris, Euline. Ancestor Charts: Marion County, Tennessee. 2 vols. Whitwell, Tenn.: E. Harris, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 D2h ff.
• Stewart - Blakemore, Mary Stewart. A Narrative Genealogy of the Stewarts of Sequatchie Valley, Tennessee, and Allied Families. Richmond, Va.: Dietz Press, 1960. FHL Book 929.273 St49b; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• Who's Who in TN courtesy of TNGenWeb

Land and Property Records

Sequatchie Valley

Marion County's original Deed Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1969, TSLA microfilmed Deed Books A to WW (1819-1915). FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 593422-593443.

Local Histories

• Raulston, J. Leonard and James Weston Livingood. Sequatchie: A Story of the Southern Cumberlands. Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1974. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 H2r.
  
  
  

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

Military Records

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

Additional resources include:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Marion County on page 154.
• Rejected Pension Applicants, 1832, List, Searcher, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Mar. 1990).
• 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.

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. 1961):20-23. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Marion County pensioners (pp. 21-22).
• War of 1812 Veterans, Natchez Trace Traveler, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Nov. 1988).

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
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1891-1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Marion 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 Marion County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's) (10th or 11th Battalion) (Confederate) - CSA - Captain Allen Lea's company (the Lookout Rangers), Captain John F. Thomason's company, and Captain Peter T. Rankin's company.
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McLemore's) - CSA
• 36th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I.

Union Soldiers

• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company M.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Marion County:

• Blevins, Jerry. Sequatchie Valley Soldiers in the Civil War: Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion and Sequatchie Counties in Tennessee and Jackson County in Alabama. Huntsville, Ala.: J. Blevins, 1990. FHL US/CAN Book 976.87 M2b.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Marion 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. Marion County, page 362-363.
  CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Wauhatchie. Located in Hamilton County, Marion County, and Dade County.

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

• October 28-29, 1863 - Wauhatchie, also known as Brown's Ferry ]

Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee.

Newspapers

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

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.

• East Tennessee Roots: Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Marion County, Tennessee Genealogy records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots FHL Book 976.8 D25e.

• The Searcher: The Family History Library has Volume 2, no 3 (Dec 1990) - volume 15, no. 4 (winter 2003). FHL US/CAN 976.879 D25s This serial ceased publication on 15 February 2004. For further information see website: Marion County Genealogical Group. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index

Probate Records

Marion County's original will books are kept at the County Courthouse. Wills proved before 1875 do not survive. In 1969, TSLA microfilmed extant wills covering the years 1875 to 1968. FHL copy: FHL Film 593420.

Online Records and Indexes

• 1779-2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1842-1969 - Marion 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.

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

The original Marion County Tax Books, Assessment Roll, 1875, and Tax Duplicate 1903-1904 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1969, TSLA microfilmed these records. FHL copy: FHL US/CAN Film 593446.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1836 Harris, Euline. 1836 Tax List for Marion County, Tennessee. Whitwell, Tenn.: E. Harris, n.d. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 R4h.
• 1836 Douthat, James L. Marion County, Tennessee, 1836 Tennessee Civil District and Tax Lists. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1993. FHL US/CAN Book 976.879 R4d; online: index and purchase details.
• 1836 "Taxpayers, by District, 1836," Southern Roots & Shoots, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1996).
• 1836 Harris, Euline. "1836 Marion County Tax List," available online, courtesy: RootsWeb. Source: TSLA microfilm; links to online 1836 Civil District Map.
• 1853 "Revenue Docket, Claims, Licenses, 1853," Searcher, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Winter 1995).
• 1854 "District One Tax List, 1854," Searcher, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring 2001).
• 1856-1859 - "Revenue and Execution Docket, 1856-59," Searcher, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Winter 1999).
• 1891 "Poll Tax, 1891," Searcher, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Summer 1995); Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall 1995).

Vital Records

Birth

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

Note that no birth records were recorded in Marion County in 1913.

Marriage

• 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 - 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
• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1881-1888 - Marion County Marriage Index 1881-1888 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org.
• 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Death

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

Note that no death records were recorded in Marion County in 1913.

Divorce

Online Records

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

Online Titles

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

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Marion 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

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

Libraries

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

Jasper Public Library
14 West Second St.
Jasper, TN 37347
Phone: 423-942-3369
Fax: 423-942-6383
Website
Facebook

Beene-Pearson Public Library
208 Elm Ave.
South Pittsburg, TN 37380
Phone: 423-837-6513

Orena Humphreys Public Library
900 Main Street, Suite 1
Whitwell, TN 37397
Phone: 423-658-6134

Societies

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

Marion County Genealogical Group
6611 Old Dunlap Rd.
Whitwell, TN 37397
Phone: 423-658-5770
Website

South Pittsburg Historic Preservation Society
P.O. Box 175
South Pittsburg, TN 37380
Phone: 423-837-8327
Email: ckmillhiser@gmail.com
Website

Websites

• Marion County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Marion County, Tennessee History & Genealogy (American Local History Network) Resources to help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
• Marion County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
• 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: Marion County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library

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