Difference between revisions of "DeKalb County, Tennessee Genealogy"

Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780)

Middle Tennessee county.

The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.^[3]

Parent County

1837--DeKalb County was created 11 December 1837 from White, Warren, Cannon, Wilson, and Jackson Counties.
County seat: Smithville ^[4]

County Pronunciation

1. Hear it spoken^[5] (female)
2. Hear it spoken^[6] (female)

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

• Marriages recorded between 1837 and 1847 are lost
• Probate records 1837 to 1846 are lost

Places / Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Cannon
• Putnam  
• Smith 
• Warren
• White
• Wilson

Resources

Getting Started

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published DeKalb County biography, probate, and tax 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: DeKalb 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

Cemeteries

• Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.

• Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in DeKalb County linking to the information about the people buried there,

• DeKalb County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.

• DeKalb County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.

• The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in DeKalb county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.

• ePodunk list of DeKalb County cemeteries
  

Census

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

1840

• Parsley, Jorene W. DeKalb County, 1840, Eleven Districts Population. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1985.FHL 976.8532 X2p 1840

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, DeKalb County on page 155.]

1850

• Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1850 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1988. FHL 976.8532 X2p 1850

1860

• Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1860 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley,19-?. FHL 976.8532 X2p 1860

1870

• Parsley, Jorene W.Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1870 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 198-? FHL 976.8532 X2p 1870

1880

• Parsley, Jorene W. and Brenda J. Tramel Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1880 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley and B.J. Tramel, 198-? FHL 976.8532 X2p 1880
• Sistler, Byron. 1800 Census, DeKalb County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B.H. Sistler, 1993. FHL 976.8532 X2s 1880

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available:

• "1890 Civil War Veterans Census of DeKalb County, Tennessee," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.

1. A-L Index
2. M-Z Index

1900

• Parsley, Jorene W. Population Schedule of the United States Census of 1900 for DeKalb County, Tennessee. Smithville, Tennessee: J.W. Parsley, 1988. FHL 976.8532 X2p 1900

1920

• Young, Denise, ed.. DeKalb County, Tennessee Census, 1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available 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. Free digital copy.
• Historical Records Project (Tennessee) Salem Baptism Church Minutes, 1809-1908, Dekalb County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 1939. Free lookups available!

Court

Genealogy

More than 25 genealogies have been published about DeKalb County, Tennessee Genealogy families. To view a list, visit DeKalb County, Tennessee Genealogy.

The Justin Potter Library in Smithville, Tennessee maintains an online list of published genealogies held in their collection. See: An Inventory of Genealogy Books found at the Justin Potter Library.

Land

• Dekalb County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1838 and is located at Courthouse, Room 205, Smithville, Tennessee 37166; Telephone: (615) 597-517. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
• The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1838-1897 with indexes 1898-1968; Land entries 1838-1905.

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.

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 FHL US/CAN Film 924077 Item 2. Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Quintin Publications.
• Hale, Will T. DeKalb County History.  Nashville, Tennessee: P. Hunter, 1915. Free dital copy.

Maps

Military

Revolutionary War

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
• Revolutionary War Veterans, Dekalb County, Tennessee A list of those who served in the Revolutionary War and later lived in Dakalb county, including biographies.

Additional resources include:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. [See Tennessee, Middle District, DeKalb County on page 155.]
• 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. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes DeKalb County pensioners (p. 43)]

Civil War

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

Civil War service men from DeKalb 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 DeKalb County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (McNairy's) - CSA
• 1st Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Colms') (20th Battalion) (Confederate) - Companies A and C.
• 7th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA
• 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's) - CSA - Company D.
• 11th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry (Gordon's) - CSA - Company F.
• 16th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and G.
• 23rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Martin's) - CSA - 2nd Company C.
• 24th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company F.
• 35th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (5th Infantry) (1st Mountain Rifle Regiment) - CSA - Company I.
• 84th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA

Union Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company G.
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Companies E, F, G and K.
• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies A, B, C and K.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from DeKalb County:

• 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
• TNGenWeb, DeKalb County, Tennessee, Civil War, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  A variety of links available.
• Allison's Cavalry Squadron, (accessed 26 Feb 2012).  A brief history and organization.
• USGenWeb Archives, DeKalb County Tennessee Archives, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : DeKalb County, (accessed 30 Jan 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 30 Jan 2012). Online at Internet Archive. DeKalb County, page 331-332.
  

Newspapers

Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the 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 Dekalb County click on the following cities or towns:

• Alexandria
• Liberty
• Smithville

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 DeKalb 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 records of DeKalb County, Tennessee 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.

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of DeKalb 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.

The Upper Cumberland Researcher

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of DeKalb 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 FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1975-1993) and FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1994-present).

Prisons

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

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

Probate

The DeKalb County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

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, 1838-1967 (5 vols.)
• Bonds, Letters, 1860-1942 (Vols. A-F)
• Insolvent estate records, 1856-1879, 1899-1946 (Vols. 1-3)
• Inventories, 1885-1969 (Vols. A-D)
• Letters, 1888-1914 (Vol. A)
• Sales, 1878-1886, 1903-1921 (Vols. 1-3)
• Settlements, 1846-1955 (11 vols.)

The following DeKalb County probate records have been abstracted or indexed:

• [1846-1907] Majors, Betty Moore. DeKalb County, Tennessee, Genealogy from Administrator's Settlement Books, 1846-1907. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 1992. Indexed. (FHL book 976.8532 D2m.)
  
• [1838-1861] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. [Includes an index to this county's probate records.]

USGenWeb's DeKalb County page also has some transcribed wills.

Taxation

The following DeKalb County tax records have been abstracted:^[7]

• [1839] "DeKalb County, Tennessee 1839 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Summer 1993):65-70. For access, see Periodicals.
• [1839] Douthat, James L. 1839 DeKalb County, Tennessee Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details.
• [1846] "DeKalb County, Tennessee Delinquent Property Taxes, 1846," Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 2 (1992):76-. For access, see Periodicals. 
• [1906-1907] "DeKalb County, Tennessee Road Taxpayers, 16th District, 1906-7," Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Fall 1992):116-. For access, see Periodicals. 

Vital Records

Marriage

The original DeKalbCounty marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages before August 1848 are lost. 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. FHL 976.8 V2L.

The following DeKalb County marriage records are microfilmed:

• [1848-1991] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1848-1887 are available for interlibrary loan.
• [1848-1968] Available at the Family History Library. Indexes are at the front of each volume.FHL 593050

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

• [1848-1880] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler & Associates, 1988. FHL 976.8 V2sb v. 2. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.]
• [1848-1859] Marriage Records, 1850-1866, DeKalb County, Tennessee.  Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project.  Typescript. FHL 24639 Item 4
• [1848-1900} Parsley, Jorene W. Marriages recorded in DeKalb County, Tennessee, 1848-1900. Smithville, Tennessee : J. W. Parsley, 1990 FHL 976.8532 V2p
• [1848-1850] Marriage Records: Early–1850. ^[8]

Death

For deaths of Methodists in DeKalb 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.]

Libraries

Libraries associated with the Dekalb County Library System

Justin Potter Library
101 S. 1st St.
Smithville, TN 7166-1706
Phone: 1-615-597-4359
This library is the home of the now defunct DeKalb County Genealogical Society's collection.
An Inventory of Genealogy Books Found at the Justin Potter Library (2009)

Alexandria Branch Library
109 Public Square; PO Box 367
Alexandria, TN 37012-0367
Phone: 1-615-529-9124

Dowelltown Branch Library
Church Street; PO Box 87
Dowelltown, Tennessee 37059-0087
Phone: 1-615-536-5997

Liberty Public Library
103 College Street
Liberty, TN 37095
Phone: 1-615-536-6116

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Societies

The once active DeKalb County Genealogy Society is now defunct. Its collection is currently housed at the Justin Potter Library and includes an extensive collection of Vertical Files, Genealogical Books, Census Records, and lots more. See: An Inventory of Genealogy Books Found at the Justin Potter Library (2009)

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
PO Box 330948
Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507
The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Dekalb 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

Web Sites

Wikipedia has more about this subject: DeKalb County, Tennessee

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

References

1. ↑ "Earliest County Records," Tennessee State Library and Archives.
2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dekalb County, Tennessee page 639, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
3. ↑ "Johann de Kalb," Wikipedia.
4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 639. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
5. ↑ Voice of Lynnae Weller, Kingsport, Tenn. (2010).
6. ↑ Voice of Louise Lynch, Archivist, Williamson County, Tennessee Archives (2010).
7. ↑ The Heritage Quest Online version of PERSI aided in the compilation of this list.
8. ↑ Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1992. (Family History Library compact disc number 9 part 229.) Does not circulate to Family History Centers.