Lauderdale County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States Tennessee Lauderdale County

Guide to Lauderdale County, Tennessee ancestry, family history and 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.

Lauderdale County, Tennessee
Map
Location in the state of Tennessee
Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	November 24, 1835
County Seat	Ripley
Courthouse
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Quick Dates

Lauderdale County's civil records start the following years:

Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1881	1838	1909	1840	1835	1837

County Courthouse

Lauderdale County Courthouse
 County Courthouse;
Ripley, TN 38063
Phone: 731.635.2561 

County Clerk has marriage records from 1838 and probate records.
Clerk Chancery CourtCourt has divorce records.
General Sessions Court has court records.
Register of Deeds has land records.

Lauderdale County Courthouse
100 Court Square
Ripley, TN 38063
Phone: 1-901-635-2561

• County Clerk has marriage and probate records
  Phone: 1-731-635-2561
• Circuit Court Clerk has court records
  Phone: 1-731-635-0101
• Register of Deeds has land records
  Phone: 1-731-635-2171

Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

History

West Tennessee county. Established 1835.

The county was named after "James Lauderdale, who was killed in the War of 1812."

Parent County

1835--Lauderdale County was created 24 November 1835 from Tipton, Haywood, and Dyer Counties. 
County seat: Ripley

County Pronunciation

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

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.

Record Loss

1869 Fire damaged courthouse records.

• Lack of marriage records: 1835 to 1837

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

• Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.
• When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog.
• Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Abernathy (hist.)	Durhamville	Henning	Olive Branch
Arp	Edith	Hurricane Hill	Opossum
Asbury	Flippin	Key Corner	Orysa
Ashport	Fort Pillow	Keyes Point	Pleasant Hill
Barr	Fulton	Knob Creek	Poplar Grove
Central	Gates	Lightfoot	Porter Gap
Cherry	Glimp	Luckett	Ripley
Curve	Golddust	Mack	Three Point
Double Bridges	Hales Point	Nankipoo
Dry Hill	Halls	Oak Grove

Neighboring Counties

Crockett Dyer

Haywood Mississippi County, Arkansas

Tipton

Resources

Getting Started

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

Biographies 

All of the family biographies from the History of Lauderdale County, Tennessee (1886) by Goodspeed are available free online at My Genealogy Hound.

Cemeteries

• Poplar Grove Cemetery, Henning BillionGraves

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	WorldCat	Findagrave.com
TNGenWeb		BillionGraves
TNGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
TNGenWeb Cemeteries
BillionGraves
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

Census

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®

1810 - 1891

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

1840

• Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983. FHL US/CAN book 976.816 X2.

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. 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, Western District, Lauderdale County on page 159.

1850

• Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983. FHL US/CAN book 976.816 X2

1850 Mortality Schedule

• Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and 1850 Mortality Schedule. Memphis, Tenn.: B.B. Davis, 1983. FHL US/CAN book 976.816 X2

1880

• Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 Census Lauderdale County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler and Associates, 2002. FHL US/CAN book 976.816 X2

1891 Male Voters

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

Church

Court

DNA

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

• Brown - Descendant of Matthew Thomas Brown, b. 1831 Ripley, Lauderdale County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 25 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 30372). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 22), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
• Doss - Descendant of George W. Doss (c1864-c1900) of Lauderdale County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 88650). Genetic signature available online (labeled Jw-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found.

Family Histories

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

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

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Lauderdale, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 15,000 entries.

Bibliography

• Ellis - Benjamin F. Ellis Family, 1834-1952. MSS. FHL US/CAN Film 1685766 Item 7.
• Ellis - Ellis, Bill. George Richard Ellis: His Ancestors and Descendants. Friona, Texas: Ellis Publishing, 2002. FHL US/CAN Book 929.273 EL59ebi.
• Finch - Tuttle, Jacqulyn Davis. Finch, Pyland and Related Families of Lauderdale County, TN and Craighead County, AR. Grass Valley, Calif.: J.D. Tuttle, 1991?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F491tj.
• Holmes - Holmes, Raiford L. The John Holmes Family: of Montgomery and Carroll Counties, Mississippi. Bogalusa, Louisiana: R.L. Holmes, 197-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H736h.
• Powell - De Veau, Katharine Lee. Benjamin and Ambrose Powell of Culpeper County, Virginia: With Many Descendants of Benjamin. Unknown: K.L. deVeau, 1941. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 548787; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land

• Lauderdale County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the Courthouse, 100 Court Square, Ripley, Tennessee 38063; Telephone: (731) 635-2561.The  Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
• The Family History Library has microfilmed copiies of deeds 1835-1900; land surveys 1822-1954.

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

• Williams, Joseph S. Old Times in West Tennessee: Reminiscences, Semi-historic, of Pioneer Life and the Early Emigrant Settlers in the Big Hatchie Country. Memphis, Tenn.: W.G. Cheeney, 1873. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 H2wj 1975. Digital version available through FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

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, Western District, Lauderdale County on page 159.

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1960):90-93. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. Includes Lauderdale County pensioners (p. 93).

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 Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Neely's) - CSA - Company G.
• 7th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Duckworth's) - CSA - Company M.
• 9th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Lauderdale 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.
• USGenWeb Archives, Lauderdale County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
• CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Fort Pillow. Located in Lauderdale County.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Lauderdale 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. Lauderdale County, page 357.
• TNGenWeb, Lauderdale County TN Civil War.

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War Battle was fought in Lauderdale County:

• April 12, 1864 = Fort Pillow[8]

Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee

World War I

• Tennessee World War I Veterans list: Lauderdale County

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 Lauderdale County click on the following cities and towns:

• Halls
• Ripley

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 US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale 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.

Family Findings

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Lauderdale County, Tennessee records have been published in Family Findings, the quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society (42+ vols.). The Family History Library has most issues of this quarterly FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.

Tables of contents for some volumes are available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb Project:

• Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
• Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
• Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
• Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)

Many articles from this publication have been reproduced on the TNGenWeb Project website, try this specialized Google search to retrieve them.

West Tennessee Historical Society Papers

Family History Library has Volumes 1 - 16 and 30 FHL 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 Lauderdale 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 County Court, Chancery Court, and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records of Lauderdale 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, 1837-1904 (Vols. A-F)
• Administrator records, 1884-1936
• Bonds, Letters, 1847-1905 (7 vols.)
• Guardian records, 1846-1857, 1874-1903
• Insolvent estate records, 1849-1932
• Inventories, Sales, Wills, 1837-1855 (3 vols.)
• Minutes, 1836-1856 (Vols. A-C)
• Settlements, 1871-1902
• Widow provisions, 1866-1928

The following Lauderdale County probate records have been indexed:

• 1837-1861 - 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.

Taxation

Lauderdale County's original Tax Books covering 1852-1856 and 1873 to 1887 are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in 1976. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 1008593-1008594.

The original Lauderdale County Roadwork Excuses and Poll Tax 1882-1927 are kept at the County Courthouse. GSU microfilmed these records in 2008: FHL US/CAN Film 1670142 Item 8.

Vital Records

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

Birth

• 1881 - 1882 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1881-1882. Batch C519435 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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

• 1838 - 1895 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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

Marriage

Marriages were not officially recorded in Lauderdale County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:

• 1794 - 1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.

• 1851 - 1900 - For free lookups of Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages 1851-1900 click here.

• 1780 - 2002 - Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry.com's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($). Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.

• 1790 - 1950 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 at FamilySearch - covers all counties in Tennessee.

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

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

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

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

• 1838 - 1866 - Historical Records Project Marriage records, 1838-1866, Lauderdale, County, Tennessee Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1941. FHL US/CAN Film 24738

• 1838 - 1867 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler & Associates, 1989. FHL 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.

• 1838 - 1867 - Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1867 Memphis, Tennessee: B.B. Davis, c1983. FHL US/CAN Book 976.816 V2d

• 1838 - 1962 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee County Court Clerk Marriage records (Lauderdale County, Tennessee), 1838-1962 Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1976-2008. FHL US/CAN Film 1008552-54, 1928748, 1928749-50, 1670147 item 1

• 1844 - 1860 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1844-1860 Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, (199-). FHL US/CAN 976.816 V2L

• 1851 - 1875 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1851-1875. Part of the TNGenWeb Project

• 1867 - 1886 - Davis, Bettie B. Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1867-1886 Memphis, Tennessee, B.B. Davis, c1983. FHL US/CAN Book 976.816 V28d

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Lauderdale County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, including some separate divorce cases, see the following resources:

• 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

• 1872-1923 - Tennessee, City Death Records 1872-1923 at Ancestry.com - 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 $

• 1914-1955 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1955 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

• 1823-1852 - Hays, Tony. West Tennessee Death Records (ca. 1823-1852). 2 vols. n.p.: Kitchen Table Press, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 976.8 V2ht v. 1-2. Lauderdale County is included in Vol. 2

• 1917 - Lauderdale County Death Index 1917. Batch B003046 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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

• 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 and Libraries 

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

Forked Deer Regional Library 220 N Front St. Halls, TN 38040 Phone: 1-731-836-5812 Toll free number: 800-426-6198 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Halls Public Library 110 N Church St. Halls, TN 38040 Phone: 1-731-836-5302 E-mail: citylibrary@bellsouth.net Hours: Mon.-Sat. 12-5 p.m.
Lauderdale County Historical Society For information write to: Bettie B. Davis, Newsletter Editor 957 Doctor Hall Rd. Halls, TN 38040-8727 Phone: 1-901-836-7073
Lauderdale County Library 120 Lafayette St Ripley, TN 38063 Phone: 1-731-635-1872 E-mail: libraryl@bellsouth.net Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee at Martin Phone: 1-731-881-7060 Hours vary by semester	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.
West Tennessee Historical Society P.O. Box 111046 Memphis, TN 38111 Phone: 1-901-475-6608 E-mail: efrank@memphis.edu

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. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

• FamilySearch Catalog (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
• Lauderdale County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Lauderdale County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TNLAUDER-L (Lauderdale County, Tennessee List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: WEST-TNCHAT-L (West Tennessee Chat List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: WESTTN-L (West Tennessee List)
• Lauderdale County TN Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)

References

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Family History Library