Shelby County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Shelby County

Shelby County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Shelby County (established 1819) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

Shelby County, Tennessee
Map
Location in the state of Tennessee
Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	November 24, 1819
County Seat	Memphis
Courthouse
Address	Shelby County Courthouse 160 N. Main St. Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: 1-901-576-4002
Website: www.shelbycountytn.gov
Named for: Isaac Shelby
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

Description

The County was named for Governor Isaac Shelby (1750–1826) of Kentucky. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Shelby County Courthouse
150 Washington Street
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 901.545.4244 

County Health Department has birth, death, and burial;
County Clerk has marriage records from 1820;
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records;
Probate Judge has probate records;
General Sessions Court has court records;
Register of Deeds has land records

West Tennessee county.

Shelby County, Tennessee Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1881	1820	1848	1820	1821	1824	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Quick Facts

The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).

Parent County

24 November 1819: Shelby County was established from Hardin County. Early records may be found under Hardin County.

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

County Offices

Shelby County Health Department
Birth and death records
814 Jefferson Ave., Room 101 - 103
Memphis, TN 38105
Phone: 1-901-544-7608

Shelby County Clerk
Marriage records
150 Washington Ave.
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 1-901-545-4244

Shelby County Register of Deeds
Land records
1075 Mullins Station Rd, Suite W165
Memphis, TN 38134
Phone: 1-901-379-7500

Shelby County Probate Court Clerk
Probate records
140 Adams Ave., Room 124
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 1-901-545-4040

Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk
Court records
140 Adams Ave.,Room 324
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 1-901-545-4006

Hours:
Mon.- Fri. 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/index.aspx?nid=227

County Pronunciation

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

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities

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
Bartlett Germantown	Lakeland Memphis	Millington
Towns
Arlington	Collierville
Unincorporated communities
Barretville Brunswick Cordova	Eads Ellendale Fisherville	Raleigh Rosemark

Resources

Getting Started

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Shelby County newspaper, tax, and WPA 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: Shelby County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
• Cunningham, Rose-Anne. "Shelby County, Tennessee: A Partial Bibliography." Portions available: History of Shelby County and Biographical Sketches.
• Nazor, Mary Louise. Genealogical Sources Available for Shelby County in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis, Tenn.: Memphis/Shelby Co. Public Library and Information Center, 198-?. FHL Collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.819 A3n.

African American

United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

• National African American Photographic Archive - from the University of Memphis
• Hamilton, G.P. The Bright Side of Memphis: A Compendium of Information Concerning the Colored People of Memphis, Tennessee, Showing Their Achievements in Business, Industrial and Professional Life and Including Articles of General Interest on the Race. Memphis, Tenn.: G.P. Hamilton, 1908. Digital version at Google Books. A who's who of African Americans in Memphis, including biographical sketches.
• Hughes, Louis. Thirty Years a Slave. From Bondage to Freedom. The institution of slavery as seen on the plantation and in the home of the planter. Milwaukee : South Side Printing Company, 1897. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
• 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.
• The Runaway Slave Blog is a free online resource where runaway slaves listed in pre-1865 West Tennessee newspapers are identified. The runaway ads appeared in several Memphis newspapers.

Cemeteries

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

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
TNGenWeb	WorldCat	BillionGraves
TNGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
Tombstone Project		TNGravestones
TNGenWeb Cemeteries		Interment
BillionGraves
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
• Zion Community Project - restoration of the African-American Zion Cemetery

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	364	—
1830	5,648	1451.6%
1840	14,721	160.6%
1850	31,157	111.7%
1860	48,092	54.4%
1870	76,378	58.8%
1880	78,430	2.7%
1890	112,740	43.7%
1900	153,557	36.2%
1910	191,439	24.7%
1920	223,216	16.6%
1930	306,482	37.3%
1940	358,250	16.9%
1950	482,393	34.7%
1960	627,019	30.0%
1970	722,014	15.2%
1980	777,113	7.6%
1990	826,330	6.3%
2000	897,472	8.6%
2010	927,644	3.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Shelby 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.

• Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

• Shelby County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®.
• USGenWeb Archives

1810 - 1891

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

1820

• Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. FHL 976.8 X22b 1820
• Presley, Mrs. Leister E. Census, Lawrence, Perry, Shelby Counties, Tennessee, 1820. Searcy, Arkansas: Presley, 198-?. FHL 976.8 X2p 1820
• 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.

1840 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. WorldCat 2648500 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Shelby County on page 159.

1850 Agriculture

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

1880

• Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 census, Shelby Co., Tennessee: head-of-household index Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler and Associates, 2003 FHL Collection US/CAN book 976.819 X22]

1890 Lost 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 Collection US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 4 1891. Shelby County is included in Vol. 4.
• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890].

1891 Male Voters

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

Court Records

The Shelby County Register of Deeds a Chancery Court Divorce Index and the Circuit Court Indexes online.

Directories

The Shelby Courty Register of Deeds has Memphis city directories on-line for many years beginning with 1859 to 1901.

• Memphis, Tennessee City Directories, 1890-1891 at Ancestry.com (Free/$)

Additional Memphis city directory resources include:

• 1883 - Weatherbe, C.F. Sholes Directory of the Taxing District of Memphis, Shelby County, Tenn. 1883, Volume 10.Memphis, Tenn.: Rogers & Co. Book and Job Printers and Publishers, 1883. Digital version at Google Books. (F)
• 1890 - Dow's Memphis Directory, 1890. Memphis, Tenn.: Dow's, 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1891 - Dow's Memphis Directory, 1891. Memphis, Tenn.: Dow's 1891. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1909 - R.L. Polk and Co.'s 1909 Memphis City Directory: Containing an Alphabetically Arranged List of Business Firms and Private Citizens, Street, Avenue and Householders' Guide, Miscellaneous Directory, City and County Officers, Terms of Court, Churches, Colleges and Schools, Public Parks and Buildings, Banks, Railway and Steamship Lines, Secret, Benevolent, Trade and Social Organizations, etc., etc., etc., and a Complete Classified Business Directory. Memphis, Tenn.: R.L. Polk and Co., 1909. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

DNA

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

• Doss - Descendant of Parker S. Doss, b. abt 1768 Cumberland County, Virginia, resident of Shelby County, Tennessee in 1830, d. 1855 Fannin County, Texas. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 42897). Genetic signature available online (labeled Ju-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.
• Doss - Descendant of Samuel H. Doss, b. 1803 Virginia, resident of Shelby and Moore counties, Tennessee; Illinois; and Madison County, Arkansas. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 85939). Genetic signature available online (labeled Sh-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

Genealogy

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)

Mailing Lists

Rootsweb Mailing Lists:

• Mailing List: SW-TN-L (Southwest Tennessee List) (Shelby)
• Mailing List: TNSHELBY-L (Shelby County, Tennessee List) (Shelby)
• Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List) (Shelby)
• Mailing List: WESTTN-L West Tennessee List) (Shelby)

Message Boards

• Shelby County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Shelby County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Shelby, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries. A query for persons born in Memphis, Tennessee results in more than 29,000 entries.

• Cargill, Bernice Taylor and Brenda Bethea Connelly. Settlers of Shelby County, Tennessee and Adjoining Counties. Memphis, Tenn.: Descendants of Early Settlers of Shelby County, Tennessee, 1989. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.819 H2c.
• Matthews, Paul A. Early Families of the Memphis Area: Profiles of 135 Families of Fayette, Shelby and Tipton Counties in Tennessee, Crittenden County, Arkansas and DeSoto and Marshall Counties in Mississippi: With Historical Time Lines and Photogrpahs of Those Counties. Memphis, Tennessee: Descendants of Early Settlers of Shelby and Adjoining Counties, 2008. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976 D2m].

Bibliography

• Baskerville - Baskerville, P. Hamilton (Patrick Hamilton), 1848 - 1925. Genealogy of the Baskerville Family and Some Allied Families Including the English Descent from 1266 A.D. Richmond: W.M. Ellis Jones' Sons, Inc. 1912. Digital version at Internet Archive.
• Bland - Gottschalk, Kathrine Cox. Bland Family of Pitt County, North Carolina and of Shelby County, Tennessee. 1940. FHL Collection US/CAN Film 858784 Item 12.
• Bonner - Bonner, Kathryn R. The Bonner Family Record: This Record is Primarily of the Bonners of Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia, Those that Went to Wilson, Madison and Shelby Counties, Tennessee, and Those that Went on to Phillips County, Arkansas: Today the Descendants are Spread into Many States. Marianna, Ark.: K.R. Bonner, 1979. FHL Collection FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 3414.
• Ellis - Angevine, Erma Miller. Ellis, Taylor and Certain Related Families: Ancestors and Descendants of Clyde Taylor Ellis. Chevy Chase, Md.: C.T. Ellis, 1979. FHL Collection FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 4874.
• Irby - Turner, W. R. Notes Concerning the Irby Family. Blackstone, VA: Nottoway Pub. Co., 1930. Available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online (LAR).
• Jacks - Skinner, Eugene Elam. The Ancestry of Carolyn Call Skinner. Dallas, Texas?: E.E. Skinner, (1950?). FHL Collection FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sk34s.
• Land - Bliss, Callie Crosby and Sebrina Land Heard Hildebrant Hawley Grace. Sebrina Land: December 2, 1836, Shelby County, Tennessee - May 27, 1908, Milford, Beaver, Utah. Wellsville, Utah: C.C. Bliss, 1991. FHL Collection FAM HIST Book 921.73 A1 no. 682.
• Person - Walker, George Fuller. Persons Lineage. Unknown: G. W. Walker, 1951. Available at FHL Collection FAM HIST Large Q Book 929.273 P432w ▲ US/CAN Film 973017 Item 1; digital version at Heritage Quest Online (LA).
• Rootes - Rootes, T.R. "The Rootes Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1896):204-211. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
• Stephenson - Stephenson, J. C. The Stephenson Family. Nashville, TN: The author, 1906. Available at FHL Collection US/CAN Film 823660 Item 3; digital version at Heritage Quest Online (LAR).
• Thurman - Thurman, John P.; John P. and Sallie Ecklin Thurman Papers1884-1896. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Department, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Free digital copy.
• Wharton - Wharton, Richard. Richard Wharton papers, 1863 - 1906. Book contributor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diary, letters and other writings including his service in the Confederate Army , letters relating to family matters, a genealogy of the Wharton family, poems and speeches.  Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.
• Woodbury - Woodbury, Harry and Peter F. Woodbury. The John C. Woodbury and Thomas Notgrass Families of West Tennessee, 1830-1982. Gulfport, Miss.: H. Woodbury, 1982. FHL Collection FAM HIST Book 929.273 W852wha.

History

• Williams, Joseph R. The Builders of the Pyramid; the story of Shelby County: its Resources and Developments. Memphis: De Garis Printing Company, 1897. Free digital copy.

Land and Property

• Search the online Shelby County Deed Register to determine if an ancestor owned land in this area. Once you locate an ancestor in the deed records, you can contact the Shelby County Courthouse to order the land records or examine the microfilm copies of these records at the Family History Library. Land records may contain details about an ancestor. Also, if an ancestor owned land, they may have willed that land to family member, so remember to check Wills and Estate Records in Shelby County as well.

150 Washington Ave. Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: (901) 545-4244 Fax: (901) 545-3779 Hours of Operation: M-F, 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

• The Family History Library does not have microfilmed deed records for Shelby County Tennessee. However it does have: books of estrays 1875-1886, 1896-1944
  Circuit Court minutes 1837-1894
  Land grants 1788-1827
  Entry books 1836-1849
  Survey books 1821-1889;
  Tax records 1846-1896.

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. 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.

Other Shelby County law and legislation resources include:

• Dupree, L.J. A Digest of the Ordinances of the City Council of Memphis, from the Year 1826 to 1857: Together with All Acts of the Legislature of Tennessee which Relate Exclusively to the City of Memphis, with an Appendix. Memphis, Tenn.: Printed at the Office of the Memphis Bulletin Company, 1857. Digital version at Google Books.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• 1870 - Ruger, A. Bird's Eye View of the City of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Originally published 1870. Free digital version at American Memory; purchase a high-quality reproduction at ReevesMaps.com.
• 1887 - Henry Wellge & Co. Perspective Map of the City of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Originally published 1887. Free digital version at American Memory; purchase a high-quality reproduction at ReevesMaps.com.
• 1894 - Cram's Universal Atlas of the World. A City Map of Memphis, Tennessee. Originally published 1894. Free digital version at WardMaps LLC; purchase a high-quality reproduction at ReevesMaps.com.
• 1939 - Viking Press for WPA. A Map of Memphis. Originally published 1939. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Military

Revolutionary War

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

Additional resources include:

• WorldCat 2648500 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 Collection FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Shelby County on page 159.
• 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. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Shelby County pensioners (p. 95).

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 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)
• 1891-1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch — images
• Civil War Research Database $
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Civil War service men from Shelby 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 Shelby County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company C
• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company F
• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company G
• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company D
• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company H
• 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company H
• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Heavy Artillery (Jackson's) - CSA
• 1st/27th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - CSA - 1st Battalion of the Second Tennessee Cavalry was organized at Nashville.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company E.
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Robison's) (Walker Legion) - CSA
• 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Walker's) (Irish Regiment) - CSA
• 3rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Memphis Battalion), Local Defense - CSA
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Neely's) - CSA - Companies A, C, D, and H.
• 7th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Duckworth's) - CSA - Companies A, C, and K.
• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies E and I.
• 12th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Green's) - CSA - Companies D, E, and 2nd K.
• 12th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
• 13th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
• 15th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - CSA - Company I.
• 15th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, C, F, 2nd F, H, I, and K, Captain Ed. S. Pickett's Company (withdrew) Captain Chas. E. Ross' Company.
• 16th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Logwood's) - CSA - Companies D, G, H, I, and K.
• 21st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A, B, D, E, F, G, H, and I.
• 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
• 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Freeman's) - CSA - Company A formerly H; The Attakapas Rifles
• 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA - Company H.
• 38th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Looney's) (8th Infantry) - CSA - Companies A, B, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, and 2nd Company L.
• 51st Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry- CSA - Companies C and I.
• 51st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
• 52nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
• 154th Senior Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (1st Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
  

Union Soldiers

• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery - Organized at Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville
• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Heavy Artillery (African Descent) - Organized at Memphis.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Shelby County:

• Lynn, H.M. H.M. Lynn Papers, 1858-1882. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Dept., Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.; Free digital copy.; 9th Tennessee Regiment, Company C.
• Morton, John Watson. The Artillery of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry, "the Wizard of the Saddle". Nashville, Tennessee: Publishing House of the M.E.Church, 1909. Free digital copy.
• Mathes, J. Harvey. The Old Guard in Gray - Sketches of Memphis Veterans Who Upheld Her Standard in the War, and of Other Confederate Worthies. (illustrated) Memphis, Tennessee Press of S.C. Toof and Co., 1897. Free digital copy.
• Thurman, John P. John P. and Sallie Ecklin Thurman Papers1884-1896. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Department, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tennessee 3rd and 4th Calvary. Free digital copy.
• USGenWeb Archives, Shelby County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Shelby 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. Shelby County, page 375-377.
• TNGenWeb, Shelby County Military Links. Scroll down to "Military."
• CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Collierville, Memphis 1862, and Memphis 1864. Located in Shelby County.

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Shelby County:

• June 6, 1862 = Memphis I[11]
• November 3, 1863 = Collierville[12]
• August 21, 1864 = Memphis II[13]

Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee.

Naturalization and Citizenship

The Shelby County Register of Deeds has naturalization records on-line for the years 1856-1906.

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 Shelby County click on the following cities or towns:

• Bartlett
• Collierville
• Cordova
• Farragut
• Frayser
• Germantown
• Memphis
• Millington
• Raleigh
• Whitehaven

Other Newspaper Resources

• 1876: Genealogical Tidbits from the Memphis Daily Appeal
• 1857-1886: Memphis Daily Appeal -- digitized and freely available online by the Library of Congress

Occupations

• Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. FHL Collection US/CAN 976.8 U2man. May purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Shelby 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 Shelby County, Tennessee Genealogy 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 Book 976.8 B2a.

West Tennessee Historical Society Papers

Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 16 and 30 FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w].
The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers are indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)
To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Prisons

Learn if your Shelby County, Tennessee Genealogy ancestors went to prison!

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850.
• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870.

Probate Records

The Probate Court has responsibility for the probate records of Shelby County.

Online Records

• 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

• FamilySearch has placed scans of the following records online in the Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 collection. These are browse-only collections. Handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes:

• Wills, 1830-1862 (4 vols.)
• Probate records, 1867-1898 (54 vols.)
• Minutes, 1824-1829

The following Shelby County probate records have been indexed:

• 1830-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler and Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL Collection US/CAN 976.8 P22s]. Includes an index to this county's wills.

Taxation

The original Memphis and Shelby County Tax Records 1846-1896 are kept at TSLA. That facility microfilmed these records in the 1990s. FHL copies: FHL Collection, US/CAN Films 2411277 ff.

The original Memphis Comptroller Reports 1874-1876 were microfilmed by TSLA. FHL copy: FHL Collection US/CAN Film 375237 Item 8.

The following Shelby County tax records have been abstracted:

• 1824 - Shelby County, Tennessee 1824 Delinquent Tax, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 47 (2000). For access, see Periodicals.
• 1836-1837 - Nazor, Mary Louise and Elizabeth Riggins Nichols. "1836 Map of Shelby County, Tennessee" and "Shelby County, Tennessee Tax Lists, 1837-1838," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Winter 1986):152-158; Vol. 34, No. 1 (Spring 1987):9-14; Vol. 34, No. 2 (Summer 1987):79-82; Vol. 34, No. 3 (Fall 1987):129-132. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
• 1836 - Tax List, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 6, No. 1 (2002).
• 1837 - Douthat, James L. 1837 Shelby County, Tennessee Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2002. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.819 R4d; online: free surname index and purchase details.
• Nazor, Mary Louise Graham. Memphis Tax Lists. Memphis, Tenn.: M.L.G. Nazor, 1991.

Tax Districts

• Heiskell, Carrick White. Digest of the Acts Repealing the Charters of Certain Municipal Corporations; the Proclamation of the Governor thereon; the Acts Establishing Taxing Districts, and the Ordinances of the Taxing District of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis, Tennesssee: Price, Jones and Co., 1879. Free digital copy, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Vital Records

See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

The Shelby County Register of Deeds has the following indexes online:

• Birth Records 1874-1906
• Death Records 1848-2009
• Marriage Records 1820-1920

Birth

• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

• 1908-1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

State Marriage Records

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch.org— index

• 1790-1950 - Tennessee County Marriages 1790-1950 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

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

• 1820-1865 - Shelby County Marriage Index 1820-1865 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.

• 1819-1850 - Shelby County, Tennessee County Clerk and Memphis Genealogical Society (Tennessee) Marriage records, 1819-1850 Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis Genealogical Society, 1957. FHL Collection US/CAN 976.819 V25s

• 1819-1865 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler & Associates, 1989. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 1 ff. Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.

• 1820-1858 - Edythe Johns Rucker Whitley and Deborah G. Sherr Marriages of Shelby County, Tennessee, 1820-1858 Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1982. FHL Collection US/CAN Book 976.819 V2we

• 1820-1865 - Historical Records Project Marriage records, 1820-1865, Shelby County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940. FHL Collection US/CAN Film 24825 items 1-4

• 1820-1945 - Shelby County, Tennessee County Clerk Marriage records (Shelby County, Tennessee), 1820-1945 Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1993-1997
  Index: FHL US/CAN Film 1148770-72
  Marriage bonds and licenses FHL US/CAN Film 1148773-840, 1465425-500, 1512717-26, 1512740

• 1820-1946 - Shelby County (Tennessee) County Court Clerk's Office Marriage licenses and bonds (Shelby County, Tennessee), 1820-1946 Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1995, 1998
  Marriage bond index: FHL US/CAN Film 1784654
  Marriage bonds FHL US/CAN Film 1784640-53, 1784692, 1784655-79

• 1861-1869 - Freedman's Bureau Marriage Certificates (1861-1869) is an index to the marriage records kept by the Memphis Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. It includes groom's surname, groom's given name, groom's age, bride's surname, bride's given name and other information.

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Shelby 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

• 1848-1913 - Tennessee, Board of Health, Shelby County, Memphis Death Records, 1848-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

• 1914-1966 - Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1914-1925 - Shelby County Death Index 1914-1925 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.

For deaths of Methodists in Shelby County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:

• 1847-1914 - 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 Collection 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center
Paul Meek Library
University of Tennessee at Martin
Phone: 1-731-881-7060
Hours vary by semester

Germantown Community Library 1925 Exeter Rd. Germantown, TN 38138 Phone: 1-901-757-7323 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. 1-6 p.m.
Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center 7779 Poplar Pike Germantown, TN 38138 Phone: 1-901-757-8480 Hours: Mon. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues., Thurs. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.	Genealogical Resources: Biographies, Cemetery Records, Census Records, Church Records, City Directories, County Histories, Court Records, Immigration Records, Tax Records, Military Records, Newspapers, Photographs, Vital Records, etc. The Center is also home to the Tennessee Genealogical Society.
Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library 501 Poplar View Parkway Collierville, TN 38017 Phone: 1-901-457-2602 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. 1-5 p.m.
Millington Public Library 4858 Navy Rd. Millington, TN 38053 Phone: 1-901-872-1585 E-mail: millingtonpubliclibrary@hotmail.com Hours: Mon. 1-5 p.m., Tues., Thurs. 12-8 p.m. Wed., Fri., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sam T. Wilson Public Library 11968 Walker Arlington, TN 38002 Phone: 1-901-867-1954 E-mail: library@townofarlington.org Hours: Mon. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
West Tennessee Historical Society P.O. Box 111046 Memphis, TN 38111 Phone: 1-901-475-6608 E-mail: efrank@memphis.edu
The Heritage Study Center holds a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman counties in Kentucky.
University of Memphis Library Special Collections Department 126 Ned R. WcWherter Library Memphis, TN 38152 Phone: 1-901-678-8242

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
• Introduction to Family History Centers
• Frayser Tennessee Family History Center
• Memphis Tennessee Family History Center
  8150 Walnut Grove Rd
  Cordova, TN
  Phone: 1-901-754-2545
• Memphis Tennessee North Family History Center

4195 Whitten Rd
Bartlett, TN
Phone: 1-901-388-9974

These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Websites

• Linkpendium
• Shelby County, TNGenWeb
• FamilySearch Catalog — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.

References

Family History Library