Lauderdale County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Lauderdale County

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

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Ripley Organized: November 24, 1835 Parent County(s): Tipton, Haywood, Dyer Neighboring Counties Crockett  • Dyer  • Haywood  • Mississippi (AR)  • Tipton See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The County was named for James Lauderdale. The County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Lauderdale County Courthouse
County Courthouse
100 Court Square
Ripley, TN 38063
County Courthouse Phone: 731-635-2561
County Clerk Phone: 731-635-2561
Circuit Court Clerk Phone: 731-635-0101
Register of Deeds Phone: 731-635-2171

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

Lauderdale County, Tennessee Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
	Marriage		Court	Land	Probate	Census
1881	1838	1881	1836	1822	1836	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

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 at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

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

Populated Places

Towns
Gates	Halls	Henning
Unincorporated communities
Arp Cherry Durhamville	Fulton Glimp	Golddust Orysa
Historic communities
Fort Pillow

History Timeline

Additional Information
West Tennessee county. Established 1835.

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

Resources

Biographies

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

Business, Commerce, and 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.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lauderdale County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Gravestones
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

 

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records

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 ($)

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 ($)

Court Records

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.

Genealogies

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.

Family Histories

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

• 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 and Property Records

• 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.TheLand 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.

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 and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records

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 - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1891-1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Lauderdale County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in 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

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

• 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL 976.8 V2L.
• 1847 - 1851 - Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Nashville Christian Advocate. [1847-1914] 10 vols. [Jackson, Tenn.]: J.K.T. Smith, 1997-2003. 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. (Largely Methodist?)

Other Records

Prisons

• 1831-1850 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
  
• 1851-1870 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

Genealogical periodicals can contain unique sources and can be local, regional, or statewide. The following periodicals cover this county:

• Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website; FHL Book 976.8 B2a.
• Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search. FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.

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

• West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. FHL US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records

The County Court, Chancery Court, and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records of Lauderdale County.

Online Records and Indexes

• 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1837-1936 - Lauderdale County portion of Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 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.

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.

• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

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

Birth

• 1881-1882 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1881-1882. Batch C519435 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1838-1895 - Lauderdale County Birth Index 1838-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

Online index and Records

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 ($). Be aware that this index is not complete for all counties.
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1790-1962 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1851-1875 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1851-1875 at TNGenWeb
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1851-1900 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages 1851-1900 click here for free lookups
• 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1838-1867 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 1 ff. Indexes of brides, grooms, marriage dates for this county for the specified years.
• 1838-1867 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1867 FHL US/CAN Book 976.816 V2d
• 1844-1860 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1844-1860 FHL US/CAN 976.816 V2L
• 1867-1886 - Lauderdale County, Tennessee, marriages, 1867-1886 FHL US/CAN 976.816 V28

Death

• 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
• 1872-1923 - Tennessee, City Death Records 1872-1923 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
  
• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1933 - Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908-1958 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1933 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1966 - Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1949-2014 - Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce

Online Records

• 1796 - 1850 - Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1980-2014 - Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Online Titles

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

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Lauderdale County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Lauderdale County. For state-wide library facilities, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Forked Deer Regional Library
220 N Front St.
Halls, TN 38040
Phone: 731-836-5812
facebook

Halls Public Library
110 N Church St.
Halls, TN 38040
Phone: 731-836-5302
Facebook

Lauderdale County Library
120 Lafayette St
Ripley, TN 38063
Phone: 731-635-1872
Facebook

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

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 (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Museums

Lauderdale County Museum
123 South Jefferson Street
Ripley, TN 38063
Phone: 731-635-9541
website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Lauderdale County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Tennessee Societies.

• Lauderdale County Historical Society
  120 Lafayette Street
  Ripley, TN 38063
  Facebook

Websites

• Lauderdale County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Lauderdale County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Lauderdale County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library