White County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    White County Middle Tennessee county. Established 1806.

Quick Dates
White County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
White County Courthouse 1 East Brockman Way Sparta, TN 38583 Phone: 1-931-836-3203

White County Clerk Marriage, probate and land records 1 East Brockman Way Sparta, TN 38583 Phone: 1-931-836-3712

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-noon

History
The county is named after "John White, Revolutionary War soldier and the first European-American settler in the county."

Parent County
1806--White County was established 11 September 1806 from Smith County. Early records may be found under Smith County. County seat: Sparta

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken (female)
 * 2) Hear it spoken (male)

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

 * Census loss: 1810, 1890
 * Marriage record loss: Records starting in 1809, but incomplete.
 * Probate record loss: Records starting in 1806, but incomplete.

Although these are not burned records, applying strategies used for burned counties may aid in compensating for their loss. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Arlene Eakle, When the Records are Gone in Tennessee Genealogy Blog
 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Getting Started
Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published White County biography and court records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: White County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

African American
United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans


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

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

The Tennessee Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online resources:

Cemetery Map and Book


 * -Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of White County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.


 * -Williamson County Historical Society (Tenn.) Directory, Williamson County Tennessee:burials, Volume 1 The Society, 1975. Free Lookups Available!

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of White 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 White County, Tennessee census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned images of census microfilm. [The USGenWeb Census Project®].

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..

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free 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:.

The following book is a useful aid for finding the original records. A free online index, provided by Lineages, will help researchers determine if this resource can be of assistance:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. ; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1870


 * McComb, Joyce B. White County, Tennessee, 1870 Federal Census. Lexington, South Carolina: J.B. McComb, 1990.

1880


 * Sistler, Barbara and Byron H. Sistler. 1880 Census White County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1999.

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed. White County, Tennessee Census, 1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Church

 * Grime, John Harvey. History of Middle Tennessee Baptists: With Special Reference to Salem, New Salem, Enon and Wiseman Associations. Nashville, Tennessee: Baptist and Reflector, 1902. Includes names changes for places in Middle Tennessee.

Court
Free online indexto the court records transcribed by the WPA, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells a set of five White County CDs, which include a digitized version of these court records, and a variety of other local records. The court records that are included are:


 * 1) County Court Minute Book 1806-1811
 * 2) County Court Minute Book 1812-1814
 * 3) County Court Minute Book, Parts 1 &amp; II 1814-1817
 * 4) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes 1817-1819
 * 5) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes 1819-1820
 * 6) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes 1820
 * 7) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes, Vol. 6, Part I 1820-1823
 * 8) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes, Parts I, II &amp; III 1824-1827
 * 9) Court of Pleas &amp; Quarter Sessions, Minutes, Parts I &amp; II 1835-1841

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following White County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Brown] Descendant of Dempsey Brown, b. 1836 White County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 25 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 103773). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 10), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
 * [Brown] Multiple descendants of Richard Brown, b. 1785 North Carolina, resident of White County, Tennessee 1800s-1828, d. 1850 Polk County, Missouri. Y-DNA 25 and 37 Marker Tests, FTDNA (Kits 5292, 5233). Genetic signatures available online (labeled Group No. 6), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. A match has been found.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in White, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 80,000 entries.


 * Heritage of White County, 1806-1999. [Sparta, Tenn.]: White County History Book Committee, 1999.

Bibliography


 * [Allen] Bailey, Chris. H. Eliakim Potter's Bible. Microfilmed 1995. Item 98. 1 page.
 * [Austin] Boyd, Larry C. and Austin Family Association of Lost Creek. Austin Family Association of Lost Creek Annual Reunion. Newsletter. McMinnville, Tenn.: Austin Family Association of Lost Creek, 1965-1991.
 * [Austin] Sampson, Douglas H. Some Inter-related Families of Livingston County, Missouri. Boulder, Colo.: D.H. Sampson, 1985.
 * [Austin] Moore, Mabel Joyce Austin. John Austin, Sr. Family 1779-1999. Sparta, Tenn.: M.J.A. Moore, 1999. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archive.
 * [Boyd] Boyd, R. Vernon. The Boyds of Sequatchie Valley, Tn. Typescript, microfilmed in 1993. Item 37; digital version at BYU Family History Archive.
 * [Cameron] Cameron, James Griffith. The Story of our Cameron, Freeman, Griffith, Masterson and Allied Families in America. Bellevue, Wash.: J.G. Cameron, 1983.
 * [Charles] Smith, Sybil Roberts. The Charles Branch of My Sunshine Tree. [Grove, Okla.]: S.R. Smith, 1983.
 * [Connelly] Wallace, Anita Margie Bailey. Connelly History: with Branches of Platte, McConnell, Pennington, Evans, Simpson, Gallagher. Tulsa, Oklahoma: A.M.B. Wallace, 1973.
 * [Cope] Barry, Fredrick M. and Geneva Barry. The Family of Isaac Denton Cantrell and Sindrilla Cope. Franklin, N.C.: Genealogical Pub. Service, 1993.
 * [Crain] Crain, Solon P. and Marguerite Starr Crain. Ten Sons of Oliver. Midland, Texas: S.P. &amp; M.S. Crain, 1972.
 * [Creech] Heinemann, Martha. Creeches Who were Legal Heirs of Thomas Robertson of White County, Tennessee. Typescript. Microfilmed in 2000. Item 6.
 * [Defreese] Gart, Jeanne Brooks. John Defreese and His Descendants. [Mitchellville, Md.]: J.B. Gart, 2002.
 * [Derossett] Daniels, Jeanette K.B. The Derossett Family and Allied Lines. [Salt Lake City, Utah?]: Know Your Heritage Organization, [1990].
 * [Dibrell] McMahan, Mary Louise and Marian Carter. Descendants of James Crockett Dibrell and Margaret Virginia Mooney Dibrell. McKinney, Texas: M.L. McMahan &amp; M. Carter, 1998.
 * [England] Austin-Raichart, Deb and Jan Fodrocy. Descendants of Aaron England. Sparta, Tenn.: D. Austin-Raichart, [199?]. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archive.
 * [Evett] Baer, Frank L. The McNew Family of Washington Co., Va. Typescript, National Library, DAR. Microfilmed 1971. Item 4.
 * [Fergus] Fergus-O'Brien, Adele. Fergus, Loos, Snyder Histories: Photocopies of Original Publications by Other Authors. n.p.: A. Fergus-O'Brien, 1945, 1959, 1964.
 * [Gillentine] Miller, Lynne D. Texas Ballards. Lincolnton, N.C.: L.D. Miller, 2000. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archive.
 * [Glenn] Glenn, Wayne. The Glenn Family of Lancaster County, Pa., Orange County, N.C., Caswell County, N.C., Lincoln County, N.C., White County, Tenn., Marshall County, Tenn., and Christian County, Mo.: Related Families Include Ramsay, Simpson, Reynolds, Wilson, Simmons, Clark, Grigg, Phillips, Beard, Collins. Nixa, Missouri: W. Glenn, 1985..
 * [Goad] Worland, Wanda June Goad. Goad: Including Descendants of James Isham Goad, 1842-1989 and Related Families. Hemet, Calif.: W. Worland, 1992.
 * [Hinesly] Nicolaides, Ray. Hinesly Family History. Typescript, microfilmed 1978. Item 19.
 * [Howard] Landis, Carolynn Butler. The Ancestors &amp; Dependants [i.e. Descendants] of William Thomas Howard and Missouri Isabelle Hampton of Hamilton County, Illinois: and Allied Families of Brown, Burch, Buttery, Crouse, Hamilton, Harrington, Melton &amp; Others. [Fort Jones, Calif.]: C.B. Landis, 1984.
 * [Jackson] Jackson, Michael Stephen. A Jackson Family History: Putnam County, Tennessee and Beyond... Freeburg, Ill.: M.S. Jackson, 1993.
 * [Johnson] England, Ruth Helon Johnson. Johnson and Related Families. Sparta, Tenn.: R.H.J. England, 1988.
 * [Ketcherside] Ketcherside Family Association et al. Ketcherside Newsletter. Maryville, Tenn.: N.E.K. Howard, 1990-present.
 * [Ketcherside] Ketchersid, Burrell Monroe, Harry Lee Howard and Nancy Ellen Ketchersid Howard. Thomas Ketcherside and His Descendants, 1745-1995. Maryville, Tenn.: Ketchersid Family History Project, 1995.
 * [McGowen] Love, Terry M. The Descendants of William McGowen of Tyrrell County, North Carolina [sic]. Lakeville, Minn.: T.M. Love, 1998.
 * [McPeak] McPeak, Hugh Ray and Carroll Leroy. The William McPeak Family History [S.I.:s.n.], 1967. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Martin] Boyd, Harold L. and Shirley R. Martin Boyd. Footprints to the Past: Boyd--Martin Genealogy, 1415-1993. Clay Center, Kansas: H.L. &amp; S.M. Boyd, [1993?]. ; digital version at BYU Family History Archive.
 * [Ogle] Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. . [The Ogle family is discussed in Vol. 1.]
 * [Parker] Parker, Gladys Harris, Anna Beth Heffernan and Pearl Scott Rattan. Robert Arthur Parker, a Texas Pioneer: Ancestors, Descendants, Related Families. Irving, Texas: A. B. Heffernan, 1985.
 * [Pennington] Barnes, Josephine Auner and Irma Beghtol Kate. Genealogies of Kate--Beghtol--Vance--Boone--Pennington Families. West Des Moines, Iowa: J.A. Barnes, 1986.
 * [Pennington] Jones, Marvin T. Some Descendants of Ephraim Pennington of Rowan County, North Carolina: Including those of Pennington's Point, McDonough County, Illinois. Wyndmere, North Dakota: M.T. Jones, 1994.
 * [Plumlee] Houp, J. Randall. The Descendants of Isaac &amp; Margaret (Bradshaw) Plumlee, White County, Tennessee. Alma, Ark.: J. Randall Houp, 1991..
 * [Porter] Keenan, Gene and Frances. Eight Generations of Porters: from 1750 in Tennessee to 1922 in California. Sparks, Nevada: E. and F. Keenan, 1992? ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Robertson] Robertson, Frank Allen. William Crockett Robertson, Ancestors - Descendants &amp; Related Families. Houston, Texas: F.A. Robertson, 1984.
 * [Robertson] Heinemann, Martha. Thomas Robertson of Gum Springs, White County, Tennessee. Microfilmed in 1992. Item 32.
 * [Robertson] Heinemann, Martha. John Robertson. Typescript. Microfilmed in 1992. Item 27.
 * [Robertson] Heinemann, Martha. Creeches Who were Legal Heirs of Thomas Robertson of White County, Tennessee. Typescript. Microfilmed in 2000. Item 6.
 * [Scarbrough] Scarbrough, John Frederick. The Scarbrough's and Houlette's of the Cumberlands. Murfreesboro, Tenn.: J.F. Scarbrough, [1994?].
 * [Stewart] Stewart, Larimore. Dempsey Stewart of South Carolina and Tennessee. Sparta, Tenn.: L. Stewart, [198-?].
 * [Walling] Davis, Betty Smith. Our Walling Family: Texans, Tennesseans and Others. Humble, Texas: B.S. Davis, 1991..
 * [Webb] Webb, Charles C. The Webb Family of White County, Tennessee. 195-?..
 * [Whitaker] Swafford, William Bryson and Jeannette Lain Swafford. The Swafford--Whitaker Connection. [Fort Smith, Ark.: W.B. &amp; J.L. Swafford, 199-].
 * [Whiteley] Graves, Francis Marie. Isaac Whiteley Descendants. MSS., Carroll County Historical Society, Berryville, Ark. Microfilmed 1981.

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


 * 1) Deed Book A: 1801-1809
 * 2) Deed Book B: 1807-1809
 * 3) Deed Book C: 1810-1811
 * 4) Deed Book D: 1811-1812
 * 5) Deed Book E: 1812-1817
 * 6) Deed Book F: 1817-1820
 * 7) Deed Book G: 1820-1828
 * 8) Deed Book N: 1842-1844
 * 9) Deed Book O: 1844-1849

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.] 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 TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Local Histories

 * The Goodspeed Histories of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren and White Counties: With Biographical Sketches and Aboriginal Map of Tennessee. McMinnville, TN: B. Lomond Press, 1972. Reprint. Originally published: Nashville, TN: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1887. Available at Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.
 * Seals, Monroe. History of White County. 1935. Digital version at BYU Family History Archives.

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


 * 1) 1835 Pension Roll
 * 2) 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, White County on pages 157-158.]
 * 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. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98; Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1961):122-124. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. [Includes White County pensioners (p. 123).]

Civil War
Civil War service men from White County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment)that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from White County.


 * - 1st Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Colms') (20th Battalion) (Confederate), Companies B, D, and E


 * Head, Thomas A. Campaigns and battles of the Sixteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, in the war between the states, with incidental sketches of the part performed by other Tennessee troops in the same war.1861-1865. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1885. Free digital copy.

CIVIL WAR SOURCES

 * Civl War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from White County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from White County.

Confederate Soldiers

 * 1st Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Colms') (20th Battalion) (Confederate) - Companies A and C.
 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Gore's) - CSA - Companies D, H, I and K.
 * 16th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies G and K.
 * 22nd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Murray's) - CSA - Companies A and B.
 * 25th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A, C, E and K.
 * 28th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from White County:

 * USGenWeb Archives, White County Tennessee Archives, (accessed 1 Feb 2011). Military Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : White County, (accessed 1 Feb 2012). 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), (accessed 1 Feb 2012). Online at Internet Archive. White County, page 386.
 * TNGenWeb, White County Civil War Units, (accessed 1 Feb 2012).
 * Legends &amp; Stories of White County, TN, By Coral Williams, (accessed 1 Feb 2012). Abstract, Contents, &amp; Introduction.  "The purpose of this study is to bring together the legends and stories of White County, Tennessee, and thus to collect and preserve the adventures and experiences of those hardy pioneers who established the country and of those brave characters who endured the fortunes of the Civil War."

Newspapers

 * The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Sparta, White County, Tennessee newspapers. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) 1824 Sparta Review - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 2) 1825 Sparta Review - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 3) 1829-1831 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 4) 1832-1833 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee
 * 5) 1841-1855 Miscellaneous Newspapers - Sparta, Tennessee


 * 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 White County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Bon Air
 * Doyle
 * Sparta

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. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes White County.]

Periodicals
Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:


 * Ansearchin' News


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of White County, Tennessee records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly


 * The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of White County, Tennessee have been published in The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, the quarterly of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society (23+ Vols.). To view a list of these articles, visit their online Index to Articles (1988-2005). Surname indexes are also available online for Vols. 2-22. The website also offers back issues for sale in paper and on CD. The Family History Library has a complete collection of this quarterly.


 * The Past Finder


 * Quarterly published by the White County Genealogical-Historical Society. Table of Contents available on the website. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).


 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher


 * Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of White County, Tennessee have been published in The Upper Cumberland Researcher, the journal of the Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. To view a list of the first 17 years of these articles, visit their online Seventeen Year Index to The Upper Cumberland Researcher (Vols. 1-17, 1975-1992). The Index contains a "Counties" section beginning on page 19. The Family History Library has most issues through the present (1975-1993) and  (1994-present).

Prisons
Learn if your White County ancestors went to prison!


 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.
 * Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870, free index available online, courtesy: TSLA.

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within a few months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The White County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records.Many records are held by the White County Archives (click here for more information.)

Free online indexto the probate records transcribed by the WPA, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products(the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells a set of five White County CDs, which include a digitized version of these probate records, and a variety of other local records. The probate records that are included are:


 * 1) Inventories &amp; Will Book A 1810-1828
 * 2) Inventories &amp; Will Book B (not complete) 1831-1840

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


 * 1) Wills and Inventories: 1810-1828

The following White County probate records have been abstracted, indexed, or both:


 * [1841-1855] Hickerson, Elma Lee. Tennessee Records of White County Wills, 1841-1855. 2 volumes. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1968. Volume 1 is an indexed, volume is not. (FHL film 464153-464154 Item 1.)
 * [1810-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]
 * [1810-1828] Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
The original White County tax records are held at the County Courthouse. Julia Cauble Smith's "White County Tax Districts -- Overview," hosted online by TNGenWeb, will help researchers understand how the county was divided into tax districts.

Images of White County's original tax records have been reproduced multiple times:


 * [1811-1815] White County Tax Book 1811-1815. TSLA Reel #123, Nashville, Tenn.
 * [1811-1876] Haston, Wayne. 1811-1876 Tax Lists: White County, Tennessee. CD-ROM. Purchase at The Heritage of Daniel Haston. Free transcripts of Militia/Civil District for Caney Fork-Cane Creek Area 1811-1839, taken from this resource, are available online.
 * [1811-1965] White County Tax Books 1811-1865. 28 microfilm reels
 * [1816-1829] White County Tax Books 1816-1829. Items 2-4
 * [1832-1836] White County Tax Books 1832-1836. Item 1
 * [1955-1966] Federal tax liens for White County, Tennessee, 1955-1966. Nashville: TSLA, 1967. Item 2

The following White County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1811-1815] 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. . [Cites White County Tax Book, 1811-1815 as a source.]
 * [1811] Hughes, T.P.. "White County, Tennessee 1811 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1971):106-118. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1811-1815] Historical Records Survey.Tax books, 1811-1815, White County, Tennesssee. Nashville: TSLA, Typescript. 
 * [1811, 1825] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. [Includes 1811 and 1825 tax lists.]
 * [1811-1826] Select abstracts of White County, Tennessee Tax Lists 1811-1826, available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. (Source: FHL US/CAN Film 507969.)
 * [1812] "White County, Tennessee: Census of Taxable Inhabitants, 1 Jan. 1812," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 12, No. 4 :189-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1812] Gant, Wanda. "White County, TN 1812 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. [Source: TSLA Roll# 123 Book 1812.]
 * [1813] "White County Sheriff Reports Some Unpaid 1813 Taxes," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Fall 1999):39. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1813] Sheriffs Report, Unpaid Taxes, 1813, Past Finder, Vol. 6, No. 5 (Sep. 1999).
 * [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 Periodicals. [Includes White County.]
 * [1820-1821] Road Docket, 1820/21, Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1991).
 * [1826] "A List Containing the Names and Number of Free Male Inhabitants of the Age of Twenty-one Years and Upwards. Resident Citizens of White County, Tennessee, on the 1st Day of January 1826," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 9, No. 2 :42-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1836] "White County, Tennessee Civil District Boundaries 1836," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 9, No. 3 :80-; Vol. 10, No. 1 :7-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1844] "White County, Tennessee: District 9 Taxpayers 1844," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 12, No. 2 :92-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1848] "White County, Tennessee: Delinquent Taxpayers 1848," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 13, No. 2 :77-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1851] "White County, Tennessee: Eligible Voters as of 1 January 1851," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 17, No. 2 :68-; Vol. 17, No. 3 :101-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1854] "White County, Tennessee: A List of Some White County, TN Voters, 1854," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 10, No. 3 :83-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1860s] "White County, Tennessee: Civil War Tax List," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 3, No. 5 :3-. For access, see Periodicals.
 * [1862] Assessments, 1862, Past Finder, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Jul. 1999).
 * [1862] Persons Released from Paying Taxes, 1862, The Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1987). For access, see Periodicals.

Vital Records

 * For free lookups of White County, Tennessee vital statistics 1914-1925 click here.

Marriage
The original White County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages were not officially recorded in White County until 1809. However, the early marriage records are incomplete until 1838 when a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:


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

The following White County marriage records are microfilmed:


 * [1838-1994] Available at the TSLA. 1838-1910 can be interlibrary loaned.
 * [1838-1967] Available at the Family History Library. Each volume is indexed.

The following White County Courthouse marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1809-1859] Mitchell, Mary Fancher. White County, Tennessee Oldest Marriage Book, 1809-1859. [S.l.]: Doliante, J. Sharon Johnson, c1977. Available at Digital version available at World Vital Records ($).
 * [1809-1870] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. v. 2 [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
 * [1838-1860] Marriage Records, 1838-1860, White County, Tennessee. Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1940.  Typescript.  Item 1
 * [1859-1881] Rhinehart, Margaret. White County Marriage Records: Part of book 1, January 11, 1859 to June 11, 1881. Spencer, Tennessee : Van Buren County Historical Society, 1985.
 * [1921-1957] Austin-Raichart, Deb, Jan Fodrocy and Mary W. Holland. White County, Tennessee, Marriages March 1921-August 1957. Sparta, Tennessee : D.Austin-Raichart, 199-?.
 * - covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.
 * [1812-1843] Marriage Records.
 * [1809-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Divorce
In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of White County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, see:


 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death
For deaths of Methodists in White 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. 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.]

Libraries

 * White County Public Library 11 North Church St. Sparta, TN 38583 Telephone: 1-931-836-3613 Web site: http://wtclibrary.org/wcplibrary.php Hours: Mon. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tues. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed.-Saturday 8:00 a.m.-5 p.m. Genealogical resources include regional history books, family history books, and White County records on microfilm. A computer provides Internet access and the full texts of obituaries from The Expositor in recent years, with an index for each year. It's catalog is online.

Societies

 * White County Genealogical-Historical Society 1 E. Bockman Way, Room 304 Courthouse Sparta, TN 38583-2035 Web site: http://web.blomand.net/~wcolley/wcghs.html Publication: PastFinder. Quarterly since 1994. Table of Contents online. The society collects material to establish or illustrate the genealogies and history of the area: its exploration, settlement, development, and activities in peace and in war; it's progress in population, wealth, education, arts, science, agriculture, manufacturing, trade and transportation. It collects printed histories, genealogies, biographies, descriptions, gazetteers, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, catalogs, circulars, handbills, programs, and posters; manuscript material such as letters, diaries, journals, memoranda, reminiscences, rosters, service records, account books, charts, surveys, and field books; and museum material such as pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, scenes, aboriginal relics, and material objects illustrative  of life, conditions, events, and activities of the past and the present.


 * Bon Air Mountain Historical Society 9479 Crossville Hwy Sparta, TN 38583 Phone: 1-931-935-6463


 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which White County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

LDS Family History Centers

 * McMinnville Tennessee 183 Underwood Road McMinnville, Warren, Tennessee, United States Phone: 931-473-1053 Hours: W 6pm-9pm, Th 9am-5pm Closed: Other times by appointment
 * See also Putnam and Warren Counties

Web Sites

 * (FamilySearch)
 * Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List) (RootsWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * White County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * White County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * White County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * White County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * White County, TN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (MyTennesseeGenealogy)