Williamson County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States   Tennessee    Williamson County





Middle Tennessee county established in 1799. The northern part of the county belonged to the pioneer Cumberland Settlements.

County Courthouse
Williamson County Courthouse 1320 W. Main Street Franklin, TN 37064 Phone: 615-790-5712

Williamson County Clerk Marriage, probate, tax and land records 1320 W. Main Street, Suite 135 Franklin, TN 37064 Phone: 615-790-5712

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

History


The county is named after Hugh Williamson (1735-1819), North Carolina's representative at the Constitutional Convention.

Parent County
1799--Williamson County was established 26 October 1799 from Davidson County. Early records may be found under Davidson County. County seat: Franklin

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890
 * County records are complete.

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Williamson County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
 * "Searching for Williamson County Ancestors," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall 1993). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

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.]


 * Craighead, Sandra G. "1867 Voters List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Abstract of the Franklin Review Appeal, 14 June 1867; includes white and black voters.]

Cemeteries

 * Watkins, Raymond W. A partial list of Mississippi Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin Tennessee November 30, 1864 and buried in McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin Tennesee, Williamson County Falls Church, Virginia:R.W. Watkins,1993. FHL book 976.856/F1 V3. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * Watkins, Raymond Wesley and McGavock Confederate Cemetery Some Confederate burials, McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin Tennessee, Williamson County : Missouri soldiers Falls Church, Virginia:R.W. Watkins, 1993 FHL book 976.856/F1V3 Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

Census
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population censuses of Williamson 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.

1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820


 * Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981.
 * Presley, Mrs. Leister E. Williamson County, Tennessee Population Schedules of the United States Census of 1820. Typescript, 19--?.
 * 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: FHL US/CAN Films 1024517-1024518.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Covers this county.]

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Williamson County on page 158.]

1850


 * Williamson County Historical Society. 1850 Census of Williamson County, Tennessee. Franklin, Tennessee : Mrs. Clyde Lynch, 1970.

1880


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

Census Taken in Williamson County, 1880. Manuscript, Nashville, Tennessee : TSLA, 1966.

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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 8 1891. [Williamson County is included in Vol. 8.]
 * Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

Church
Methodist Episcopal


 * Mathews, Reverend John D.D. Peeps into Life Autobiography. Methodist Episcopal Church Tennessee Conference, 1904. Free digital copy.

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

Bibliography


 * [Andrews] Andrews, Ella Smith Johns. The Descendants of John, George and Ephraim Andrews, Sons of Mark Andrews of Williamson County, Tennessee. Washington, D.C.: L.C. Photoduplication Service, 1982. FHL US/CAN Film 1303300.
 * [Crutcher] McCutcheon, Larry. Our Drake and Crutcher Families of Marshall County, Tennessee. Hohenwald, Tenn.: L. McCutcheon, 2007. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D789mL.
 * [Holt] Cooper, Albert L. Ancestors and Descendants of John Isabel Holt, Williamson County, Tennessee. [Shelbyville, Tenn.: n.p., 1971]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H742c.
 * [Moss] Moss, T.C. The David Moss Family: Green, Adair, Boyle, Barren, Hart, and Warren Co., Ky.; Williamson and Maury Co., Tenn.; Mississippi. Memphis, Tenn.: T.C. Moss, 1968. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M855mo.
 * [Otey] Green, William Mercer. Memoir of Rt. Rev. James Hervey Otey, D.D., LL. D., the First Bishop of Tennessee. New York. J. Pott and Company, 1885. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
 * [Swanson] McRaven, William Henry. Life and Times of Edward Swanson: One of the Original Pioneers Who with General James Robertson Founded Nashville, Tennessee, 1779; First Recorded Settler of Williamson County, Tennessee, March, 1780. Nashville, Tenn.: W.H. McRaven, 1937. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sw24m.
 * [Waddey] Waddey, John H. The Waddeys of Williamson County, Tennessee. Hermitage, Tenn.: J.H. Waddey, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W117w.

Land
Land Grants


 * Free index to 1500+ Pioneer Cumberland Settlements Land Grants, available online, courtesy: Cumberland Pioneer Settlers. The Cumberland Settlements region covered what is now this county. To view the land grants platted on maps, purchase the books described on this site, or access those available at the Family History Library FHL US/CAN Large Q Book 976.8 E7d.

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

 * Albright, Edward. Early History of Middle Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Brandon Printing Co., 1909. Free digitzed copy.

Military
Revolutionary War


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, Williamson County on page 158.]
 * Lynch, Louise Gillespie Our Valiant Men : Soldiers and Patriots of the Revolutionary War Who Lived in Williamson County, Tennessee [S.I.:s.n., c1976] FHL US/CAN book 976.856 D3L

Civil War


 * Cox, Jacob D. The Battle of Frankln, Tennessee, Novemeber 30, 1864. New York: Scribner's &amp; Sons, 1897. Free digital copy.
 * McMurray, William Joseph. History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A. Nashville, Tennessee: s.p., 1904. Free digital copy.
 * Quintard, Charles Todd. Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Sewanee, Tennessee: The University Press, 1905. Free digital copy. Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment.
 * Schofield, Levi Tucker. The Retreat from Pulaski to Nashville, Tenn.; Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864. Cleveland: Press of the Caxton Co., 1909. Free digital copy.
 * Watkins, Raymond W. A partial list of Mississippi Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin Tennessee November 30, 1864 and buried in McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin Tennesee, Williamson County Falls Church, Virginia:R.W. Watkins,1993. FHL book 976.856/F1 V3. Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * Watkins, Raymond Wesley and McGavock Confederate Cemetery Some Confederate burials, McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin Tennessee, Williamson County : Missouri soldiers Falls Church, Virginia:R.W. Watkins, 1993 FHL book 976.856/F1V3 Digital version available at BYU Family History Archives.

World War I

Hollingsworth, Patricia Merrill. World War I Draft Registration Cards: Williamson County, Tennessee. Mt. Sterling, Ky.: P.M. Hollingsworth, 2006. FHL US/CAN Book 976.856 M28h.

Newspapers
The Williamson County Public Library has created an Obituary Database. There are nearly 45,000 records in this database and has been organized alphabetically by the surname of the deceased. The data fields in the index include last name, first name, year, month, and day of death, newspaper name, location of the source newspaper, an abbreviated version of the obituary text, full name, and the newspaper date. Click on the View Obituary link to read the full text of the obituary, if it is available.

Note there are two links, one if you are in or outside of the library. Please click on the appropiate link to access this database.

A local volunteer through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is willing to do free obituary lookups in Williamson 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 Williamson County click on the following cities or towns:


 * Fairview
 * Franklin
 * Nolensville

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. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Williamson 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 Williamson 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a.

Friends of Oak Grove

Family History Library has volumes 2 and 3. Volume 2 is entitled 'The Oak Grove Story.' "Genealogical information about ancestors of residents near the Oak Grove Cemetery, especially the ancestors of James Edwin Bradford." FHL US/CAN 976.856 D25f

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Williamson 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Williamson County Historical Journal

The Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 20 (1970 - 1989) FHL US/CAN 976.856 B2w Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) Volumes 1 - 37 ( 1970- 2004)

Prisons
Learn if your Williamson 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
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Williamson 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) Will Book 1: 1800-1825
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1800-1825
 * 3) Will Book 3: 1800-1825

The following Williamson County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:


 * [1800-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]
 * [1800-1825] Strictly By Name (see above).

Taxation
Original tax records for Williamson County


 * [1800-1963] Williamson County Tax Records, 1800-1963. Nashville: TSLA. Manuscript. On 43 microfilm reels

An interesting article about social class in nineteenth-century Williamson County, based on tax records, was published in 1996:


 * Wealth in 19th Century, Tax Records, 1837-70, Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy &amp; History, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Winter 1996). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

The following Williamson County tax records have been abstracted:


 * [1789] Cumberland Settlements, Tax List, 1789, The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 1990). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1800-1813, 1809] Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810. [Cites Williamson County Tax Receipts 1809 and Lynch's publication as sources.]
 * [1800-1813] Lynch, Louis G. Tax Book 1, Williamson County, Tennessee, 1800-1813. Franklin, Tenn.: Louise Gillespie Lynch, 1971.
 * [1801, 1806, 1810, 1815] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. &amp; B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1801, 1806, 1810, and 1815 tax lists.]
 * [1805] O'Hara, Virginia. "Williamson County, Tennessee Tax List - 1805," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jan. 1962):26-27; Vol. 9, No. 2 (April 1962):65-69; Vol. 9, No. 3 (July 1962):88-91. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
 * [1809] Williamson County. Tax Receipts, 1809. TSLA, Record Group 37, Miscellaneous County Records, Box 5, Folder 32.
 * [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 Williamson County.]
 * [1816] Tax List, 1816, Genealogical Reference Builders Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Aug. 1971).
 * [1817] "U.S. Holds 1817 Public Sale of Federal Tax-Delinquent Properties in Tennessee," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 1996):63-68. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. [Includes Williamson County.]
 * [1860] Slave Holders in 1860 Tax Book, Williamson County Historical Society Journal, Issue 31 (2000).
 * [1867] Craighead, Sandra G. "1867 Voters List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. [Abstract of the Franklin ReviewAppeal, 14 June 1867; includes white and black voters.]
 * [1871] Property Tax, 1871, Williamson County Historical Society Journal, Issue 31 (2000).

Vital Records
Marriage

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


 * [1800-1879] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler &amp; Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]

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


 * 1) Marriages 1800-1810

Death

For deaths of Methodists in Williamson County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:


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

Societies, Archives,and Libraries

 * Williamson County Archives, Located at the Old Library at Five Points in downtown Franklin where Highway 431 and Highway 31 meet P. O. Box 1006 Franklin, TN 37065-1006 Phone: (615) 790-5462 Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, except on holidays.
 * Williamson County Historical Society P.O. Box 71 Franklin, Tennessee 37065 Email: info@historicfranklin.com
 * Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County P. O. Box 723 Franklin, TN 37065 Email: [mailto:info@histricfranklin.com info@histricfranklin.com] The Heritage Foundation was formed in 1967 to protect and preserve the architectural, geographic and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson county, and to promote the ongoing economic revitiatization of downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation.
 * Genealogy &amp; Local History Room(Located Across the Street from the Main Library In the Post Office Building, Main Floor) Williamson County Public Library 1314 Columbia Avenue Franklin, TN 37064 Hours: Tuesday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday 8:30 - 4:30 PM,Closed Sundays and Mondays Phone: 615-595-1243 Email: [mailto:SPCOLL@williamson-tn.org SPCOLL@williamson-tn.org] for simple queries but not for research. Alphabetical list of family histories with a summary is at the website
 * Williamson County has three very active chapters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans: Sam Davis Campno. 1293 of Brentwood, Tennessee. This Chapter has an online newsletter Captain E.D. Baxter Camp2034 of Fairview, Tennessee. This chapter has online newsletters Tod Carter Campno. 864. of the city of Franklin, Tennessee
 * Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society PO Box 330948 Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507 The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Williamson 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

Family History Centers
Franklin Tennessee 1100 Gray Fox Ln Franklin, Williamson, Tennessee, United States Telephone: 615-794-4251

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * Cumberland Pioneer Settlers Cumberland Compact Signers, Pioneer Land Grant Recipients, Publication Descriptions, Free Book Indexes
 * Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
 * Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
 * Williamson County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Williamson County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Williamson County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)