Polk County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Polk County

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

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Benton Organized: November 28, 1839 Parent County(s): McMinn, Bradley Neighboring Counties Bradley  • Cherokee (NC)  • Fannin (GA)  • McMinn  • Monroe  • Murray (GA) 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

Polk County was named for then-governor and future president James K. Polk. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Polk County Courthouse
6239 Highway 411
Benton, TN 37307
County Courthouse Phone: 423-338-4522
County Clerk Phone: 423-338-4526
County Register of Deeds Phone: 423-338-3100
County Clerk of Court Phone: 423-338-4524

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

Polk 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	1894	1908	1840	1894	1873	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1895 and 1935 Fires damaged courthouse records. Lost deeds: 1839 to 1893 Lost marriage records: 1839 to 1893 Lost probate records: 1839 to 1872 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

1839--Polk County was established 28 November 1839 from McMinn and Bradley Counties. Early records may be found under McMinn and Bradley Counties. County seat: Benton 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
Copperhill	Ducktown
Towns
Benton
Unincorporated communities
Cherokee Hills Coalhill Conasauga Delano Dogtown	Farner Harbuck Isabella Ocoee Oldfort	Parksville Postelle Reliance Turtletown
Ghost towns
Alaculsy Apalachia Apalachia Station Bonnie Broad Shoals	Caney Creek Hidgon's Store McFarland McHarge	Old Dutch Settlement Probst Smith Creek Village Sylco

History Timeline

President James Knox Polk (1795-1849)

Additional Information
East Tennessee county.

The county is named after President James Knox Polk (1795-1849).

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 Polk County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Polk County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries Billion Graves
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.	%±
1840	3,570	—
1850	6,338	77.5%
1860	8,726	37.7%
1870	7,369	−15.6%
1880	7,269	−1.4%
1890	8,361	15.0%
1900	11,357	35.8%
1910	14,116	24.3%
1920	14,243	0.9%
1930	15,686	10.1%
1940	15,473	−1.4%
1950	14,074	−9.0%
1960	12,160	−13.6%
1970	11,669	−4.0%
1980	13,602	16.6%
1990	13,643	0.3%
2000	16,050	17.6%
2010	16,825	4.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

1810-1891

• Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry — index $

1840

• Snell, William R. and Bradley County Historical Society. 1840 Federal Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Cleveland, Tenn.: Mimeographed by Lee College Print Shop for Bradley County Historical Society, 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2s 1840. Free Lookups Available!

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, Polk County on page 154.

1850

• Adams, Terri, Waunetta Ledford and Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County 1850 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 199?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2a. Free Lookups Available!

1850 Agricultural Census

• Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2g v. 1 ff. Polk County is included in Vol. 1.

1860

• Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1860 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical Society, 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1860. Free Lookups Available!

1870

• Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County 1870 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1870. Free Lookups Available!

1880

• Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census, Polk County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1991. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2s 1880. Free Lookups Available!

1891 Male Voters

• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry — index $

1900

• Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1900 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1900.

1910

• Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County, Tennessee 1910 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1910.

1920

• Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society. Polk County 1920 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2000?. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1920. Free Lookups Available!

1930

• Presswood, Marian Bailey and Jo Ann Finnell. Polk County 1930 U.S. Census. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2003. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 X2p 1930.

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.

• Polk County Church Records

- FamilySearch Catalog - Polk 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 - Polk 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 Polk County are:

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

- List of Polk County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

Baptist

• 1879-1943 Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943.TSLA Reel #348 FHL 840019
• 1879-1900 Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. Nashville: Sitler and Associates, 1979. FHL 976.8 K29s vol.1 Index to original Old Friendship Baptist Church Records. Polk County, 1879-1943.

Court Records

• W.P.A. Polk County, Tennessee Court Minutes 1840-1843. Free Lookups Available!

Law and Legislation

• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. January 25, 2005. In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service. The TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Genealogies

General

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

• The Heritage of Polk County, Tennessee, 1839-1997. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society (Tennessee), 1997. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 H2h.

• Baily - Baily Family Bible Records, ca. 1838-1958. MSS., FHL US/CAN Film 1697633 Item 8.
• Barnes - See Longley.
• Cantrell - See Longley.
• Curd
• Hildebrand - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962. FHL US/CAN Film 908921 Item 7.
• Hood - Hood, Dellmann Osborne. The Tunis Hood Family. Portland, OR: Metropolitan Press, 1960. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H761h; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• Land - Land, Barbara and Gary Land. The Land's & the Staige's. 2 vols. Ukiah, Calif.: B. & G. Land, 1994. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 L299L ff.
• Langley - See Longley.
• Longley - Matthews, Addah Longley. Genealogy, Curd-Longley, Cantrell-Barnes. North Newton, KS: Mennonite Press, 1966. Available at [https:www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/280859-genealogy-curd-longley-cantrell-barnes?offset=1 FamilySearch]; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• Quintrell - Quintrell: Family Bible Records, 1830-1941. MSS., FHL US/CAN Film 1307616 Item 61.
• Ward - Bell, Annie W.B. Military and Genealogical Records of the Famous Indian Woman Nancy Ward. Typescript, 1961. FHL US/CAN Film 875418 Item 2.
• Ward - Clemmer, Sudie, J.D. Clemmer, and George F. Mellen. Nancy Ward and the Hildebrand Family of Polk County, Tennessee: Reprinted Newspaper Clippings from the J.D. Clemmer Scrapbooks. Benton, Tenn.: Polk County News, 1962. FHL US/CAN Film 908921 Item 7.
• Ward - Holland, Hubert G. Nancy Ward A/K/A Cherokee Rose and Beloved Woman. Typescript, FHL US/CAN Film 1750757 Item 14.
• Whitson - McDuffee, Ted Ransom. Duff to McDuffee on One Leaf: The Family History James H. Duff-McDuffee and Nancy Ann Whitson with Ancestors and Descendants. Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Pub., 1999. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D873m.
• Young - Stein, Carl F. Some Descendents of James Pickens Young 1815: of Polk, Rhea, Hamilton, Blount, & Knox Counties, Tenn., Cherokee, & Gaston Counties, North Carolina. Family Group Sheets. FHL US/CAN Film 2055385 Item 2.

Land and Property Records

Early Polk County Deed Books are lost. In 1970, TSLA microfilmed surviving Deed Books 1 to 10 (1897 to 1911), Trust Deed Books 1 to 4 (1894-1911) and a General Index (1897-1938). FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1012141-1012149.

Local Histories

• History of Polk County 1839-1999. TNGenWeb

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 Polk County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
• Pension Applications Pertaining to Polk County, Tennessee Residents

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, Polk County on page 154.
• 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. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Polk County pensioners (p. 50).

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 — index (free)
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 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 Polk 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 Polk County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby's) - CSA - Company A.
• 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C and D.
• 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Lillard's) - CSA - Companies C and D.
• 5th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McClellan's) - CSA - Company A.
• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McKenzie's) - CSA
• 19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company F.
• 29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
• 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Gillespie's) (5th East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company A.
• 59th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Cooke's) (Eakin's 1st Battalion) - CSA - Company K.
• 62nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Rowan's) (80th Infantry) - CSA - Company E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Polk County:

• Wiefering, Edna et al. Tennessee Union Soldiers: of Bradley, McMinn and Polk Counties Serving in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th TN Cavalry 5th TN Infantry and 5th TN Mounted Infantry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cleveland Public Library (Tennessee), 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 M28tus.
• Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
• Genealogy Trails History Group, Polk County Tennessee Military Page.
• USGenWeb Archives, Polk County Tennessee Archives.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications Polk 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. Polk County, page 368-369.
• Civil War Research From the Robert B. Barker Papers. The collection contains information on both Union and Confederate soldiers who have a Polk County connection.
• Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Civil War in Polk County.

Newspapers

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

• Benton
• Copperhill
• Ducktown

• 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:

• Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly and Newsletter: website. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 D25p.

Probate Records

• Index to Polk County Wills 1894-1970, available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project.

Online Records and Indexes

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry — index and images $
• 1873-1965 Polk 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 Polk County Tax Books 1893-1902 were microfilmed by TSLA in 1970. Copies of their films are also available at the Family History Library: FHL US/CAN Films 1012150-1012151.

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

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 - 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 $
• 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1894-1907 - Marriage Records, Polk County, Tennessee, 1894 through 1907: Volumes 1, 2, 3. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 V2j. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, along with marriage dates.
• 1894-1907 - Polk County Marriages: Vol. 4 Sept. 1894 - Sept. 1907, v. 1 - 4. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 V28b. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, officiators, and bondsmen, dates of marriage, with vol. and pg numbers and "extra" information.
• 1894-1970 - Polk County, Tennessee Marriages 1894 through 1970. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8875 V28p. Free Lookups Available! Abstracts names of brides, grooms, officiators, with marriage dates for early marriages; more detail with recent marriages, includes vol. and pg. numbers.

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

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 Books Online

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Polk 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
• Loudon Tennessee Family History Center
• Maryville Tennessee Family History Center
• Blount County Library - an affiliate library.
• Chattanooga Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Cleveland Bradley County Public Library History Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Benton Public Library
126 Polk Street
Benton, TN 37307
Phone: 423-338-4536
Facebook
Website

Societies

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

Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 636
Benton, TN 37307
Phone: 423-338-4506
Email: presswood@comcast.net
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Polk County, Tennessee: "A Hidden Treasure" (American Local History Network & Tennessee Local History Network) Resources that will help you place your ancestors within the context of their local history.
• Polk County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Polk County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Polk 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: Polk 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.