Overton County, Tennessee Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the John Overton. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Overton County Courthouse 317 East University St. Livingston, TN 38570 County Courthouse Phone: 931-823-2536 County Clerk Phone: 931-823-2631 County Register of Deeds Phone: 931-823-4011 County Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 931-823-2312

County Clerk has marriages, probate record from 1867 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court records Register of Deeds has land records

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:

History Timeline
Additional Information Middle Tennessee county. Established 1806.

The county is named after "John Overton (1766-1833), one of the cofounders of Memphis, Tennessee."

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. . Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Overton County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Overton 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 Overton County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned images of census microfilm. 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.

1810-1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry $

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Houston, Martha Lou. 1820 Census of Overton County Tennessee. Washington, D.C.: M. L. Houston, 1900. Free digitized book.
 * 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.

1830


 * Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969..

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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Middle District, Overton County on page 157.
 * "Overton County, Tennessee, Soldiers, Continental Line, Census 1840," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 15, No. 4 :139-. For access, see Overton.

1850 Agricultural Census


 * Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. ff. Overton County is included in Vol. 1.

1890 Lost, but substitutes are available:


 * Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. . Overton County is included in Vol. 5.
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978..

1891 Male Voters


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry $

1920


 * Young, Denise, ed. Overton County, Tennessee Census, 1920 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry$.
 * Overton County, Tennessee Census, 1920 at Ancestry $

Church Records
Baptist
 * Spring Creek. Minutes (1802-1868) available online.

Court Records
Law and Legislation January 25, 2005. In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service. The TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names.

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. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]
 * African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).

Genealogies
DNA
 * DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Overton County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.
 * Brown - Descendant of Samuel Brown, b. abt 1790 North Carolina, d. abt 1845 Overton County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 109827). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 93), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
 * Parrett - Descendant of James Forrester Parrett (1830-1868) of Overton County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 67049).

General
 * As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Overton, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 115,000 entries!


 * Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., TN Kin, Family Trees: Family Trees Compiled from 1994-1998. 2 vols. Muncie, Ind.: S. Gray, 1998. ff.
 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at ; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).


 * Bates - Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
 * Bilbrey - Eldridge, Charles S. History, Tennessee, My People and Me. Dayton, Ohio: C.S. Eldridge, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273EL24ec.
 * Carlock - Carlock, Marion Pomeroy. History of the Carlock Family and Adventures of Pioneer Americans: Including the Kimbrough, Goodpasture, Hoyl, Fite, Fancher, Lee, Wells, Judy, Tracy, Settles, Gaddis, Rowell, Moore, Cornelison, Harrold, Brown and other Connecting Families. Los Angeles, CA: M. P. Carlock, 1929. Available at ; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Copeland - Orpha Halssell and Charlcie Pauline Carlton Fletcher Ancestors and descendants of Solomon Addison Copeland Oklahoma City, Oklahoma P.C. Fletcher, 1988 Digital version available at
 * Crawford - Edward Crawford's Family: With Special Emphasis on those Descendants Who Lived in or Passed through Macoupin County, Illinois: With Eventual Concentrations in Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee. n.p.: Crawford Family Book Committee, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C856.
 * Dale - Edgerly, Dorthea Roach and Raymond Henry William Dale (1783-1857)of Lawrence County, Indiana Oceanside, California D.R. Edgerly .Digital version available at FamilySearch Digital Library..
 * Finley - Finley, Carmen J. "John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1990):243-255; Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1991):18-33; Vol. 35, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1991):122-135; Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1991):173-185; Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1991):251-262. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * Finley - Finley, Carmen J. "John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia: Additional Children Identified," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):3-22; Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1995):94-103; Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):202-212; Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1995):282-294. Digital version at Sonoma State University - Schulz Library ($)..
 * Garrett - Parke, Iris Garrett. Garrett Family of Buckingham County, Virginia and Overton County, Tennessee. Typescript, microfilmed in 1980..
 * Gerlach - See Carlock.
 * Goodpasture - Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
 * Goodpasture - Goodpasture, Robert Abraham. The Goodpastures of Iowa and Washington: With Related Families. Georgetown, Calif.: R.A. Goodpasture, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G624gra.
 * Gregg - Rucker, Frank. Josiah Gregg. Independence, Missouri: Independence Examiner, 1949. FHL FAM HIST Book 921.73 A1 no. 108.
 * Hammons - Williams, Sharon Ruth Hammons. Descendants of Hammons brothers John Milton and Elcanah C., 1820-1990. Chillicothe, Ohio: S.H. Williams, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184w.
 * Harp - Smith, Mattie Benson. Harp Strings. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma: M.B. Smith, [1986?]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H23s.
 * Huddleston - Huddleston, George. Huddleston Family Tables. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1933. Available at ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Kimbrough - See Carlock.
 * Goodpasture - See Carlock.
 * Lovell - Pompey, Sherman Lee. Some Descendants of William Lovell of Overton County,Tennessee. Clovis, Calif.: S.L. Pompey, 1970..
 * Parrott - Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979..
 * Phillips - Sroka, John. A Workbook on the Phillips Families of Overton County, Tennessee. South Jordan, Utah: J. Sroka, 2006..
 * Robbins - Gray, Shawn Descendants of Isaac Robbins Muncie, Indiana S. Gray, [2003] FamilySearch Digital Library}.
 * Smith - Smith, Oma Ivadell. Smith-Garrett and Allied Families of Overton, Fentress and Pickett Counties, Tennessee: The Genealogy of Joseph Albert Smith and Nova Catherine Garrett. Jacksonville, Fla.: O. Smith, 1979..
 * Stover - Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979..
 * Vaughn - Vaughn, Charles P. and Bernice Elizabeth Hoke Vaughn. The Vaughn Genealogy: from Wake County, North Carolina, to Jackson and Overton Counties, Tennessee. Ventura, Calif.: B.E. Vaughn, 1990..
 * Overton County, Tennessee: Genealogical Records at Ancestry $

Land and Property Records
Online Records and Indexes
 * 1806-1809 Deed Book A: 1806-1809 Strictly By Name - Index only
 * 1801-1809 Deed Book B: 1801-1809 Strictly By Name - Index only
 * 1811-1813 Deed Book C: 1811-1813 Strictly By Name - Index only

Book Abstracts and Indexes
 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at ; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Overton 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. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Middle District, Overton County on page 157.
 * 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 Overton County pensioners (p. 49).
 * Transcription typed and formatted by Harold Keisling. Third? Regiment Tennessee Militia, Capt. Wiley Huddelston's CompanyRaised from men who were from Overton, Pickett and Fentress County, Tennessee. Courtesy: TNGenWeb

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B and F.
 * 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Gore's) - CSA - Companies A, B, E, and F.
 * 25th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, D, and H.
 * 28th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and K.
 * 28th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (2nd Tennessee Mountain Volunteers) - CSA - Companies B and C.
 * 84th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA

Union Soldiers


 * 4th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company K.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Overton County:


 * USGenWeb Archives, Overton County Tennessee Archives, (1 Feb 2012). Civil War Records.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Overton 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. Overton County, page 367-368.
 * TNGenWeb, Overton County Tennessee Civil War. Biographies and photographs of Overton County Civil War Soldiers, letters, Confederate and Union regiments.

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 Overton County click on the following town:


 * Livingston


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

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

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * Overton County, Tennessee Kin: Publication of the Overton County Genealogical Society, covering all the area in Overton, Fentress, and Pickett County, TN along with Monterey in Putnam County, and Clinton, Wayne and Cumberland County in Kentucky. FHL US/CAN
 * The Upper Cumberland Researcher: Quarterly magazine of Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association. Articles include abstracts of records of Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, and White counties. Index of first 17 years, with county list starting on page 19. (1975-1993) and  (1994-present).

Probate Records
The Overton County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records and Indexes


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry $
 * 1848-1968 - Overton County portion of at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at ; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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


 * 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 Overton. Includes Overton County.
 * 1836 Tatum, Ausborn C. "Overton County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Spring 1983):15-20; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1983):80-82. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Overton.
 * 1836 Douthat, James L. 1836 Overton County, Tennessee Civil Districts &amp; Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001..
 * 1836 Tax List and Civil Districts, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, Nos. 1-2 (2001).
 * 1836 Tax List, 1836, Overton County, Tennesse Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 2004).
 * 1836 County Tax Records, 1836 (sel.), Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Winter 2004).
 * 1860's - "Civil War Union Tax Assessments," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Dec. 1977):14-; Vol. 3, No. 1, (Feb. 1978):4-. For access, see Overton.
 * 1862 Tax List, 1862, Overton County, Tennessee Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct. 2003).
 * 1867 Released from Paying Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Winter 1999).
 * 1867 African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).
 * 1874-1875 - Sales of Land for Unpaid Taxes, 1874-1875, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 2003).
 * Men in Army Released from Poll Tax, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 2001).

Birth

 * 1886-1895 - Overton County Birth Index 1886-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1908-1912 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988.

Marriage
Online indexes and Records


 * 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
 * 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1780-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 - - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 - (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1838-1888 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry $
 * 1867-1910 - Overton County Marriage Index 1867-1910 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1925-1938 - Overton County Vital Records. FHL Film 1928804. +++
 * 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1867-1927 - Overton Co., Tn., Marriage Index, 1867-1927. FHL Book 976.8684 V22g

Death

 * 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
 * 1914-1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1914-1966 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1949-2014 - Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index
 * TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988.

Divorce
Online Records Online Titles
 * 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
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Books Online

Libraries
Millard Oakley Public Library 107 East Main St. Livingston, TN 38570 Phone: 931-823-1888 Website

Societies

 * Overton County Historical Society West Broad Street P.O. Box 753 Livingston, TN 38570 931-403-0909 Website

Websites

 * Overton County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * Overton County TN Genealogy  (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – 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: Overton County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)