Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Bedford County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deed, Index · Register of Deeds1808–1989
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1808–1984
- Land, Grant Book · Register of Deeds1808–1809
- Land, Book · Register of Deeds1824–1825
- Trust Deed, Index · Register of Deeds1868–1989
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–1984
- Loose Land rec. Deed Abstract · Register of Deeds1901–1948
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1861–1988
- Wills & Inventories · Probate Records1863–1968
- Wills · Chancery Court1988–2005
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1860–1988
- Settlements, Admin./Exec · Probate Records1865–1987
- Bonds & Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1869–1984
- Misc. Estates Claims · Probate Records1921–1923
- Settlements, Conservators · Probate Records1957–1987
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1861–2005
Tax lists
- Misc. Personal Prop. Tax List · County Clerk1840–1842
- Tax Books · Trustee1875–1986
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1988
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1836–2006
- Minutes · Circuit Court1840–1987
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1848–1866
- Minutes · County Clerk1848–1988
- Misc. Rule Docket · Chancery Court1852–1857
- Minutes · Shelbyville, City of1860–1988
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1861–1867
- Minutes · Probate Records1870–1902
- Minutes/Criminal · Circuit Court1886–1892
- Minutes, Civil / Criminal · Circuit Court1890–1914
- Minutes, Criminal / Civil · Circuit Court1895–1907
- Minutes · School Board1903–1988
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1903–1910
- Minutes · Wartrace, City of1907–1986
- and 5 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds & Letters, Admin./Exe · Probate Records1861–1987
- Misc. Merchants Bonds & Oat · County Clerk1904–1929
- Bonds, Conservators Books · Probate Records1954–1965
Roads
- Misc. Road / Overseers · County Clerk1873–1910
Other records
- Ordinances · Bell Buckle, City of1901–1982
- Charters · Register of Deeds1902–1988
- Misc. Physician's Register · County Clerk1907–1911
- Misc. Optometry Register · County Clerk1909–1939
- Misc. Automobile Reg · Probate Records1910–1915
- Misc. Nurse's Register · County Clerk1911–1950
- Ordinances · Shelbyville, City of1947–1976
- Misc. Cemetery Books · Shelbyville, City of1973
Open TSLA's full microfilm listing (PDF)
Source: Tennessee State Library and Archives, county records microfilm listing. Some record titles reflect the segregated record-keeping of their time. Statewide birth and death registration began in 1914, after a brief statewide attempt in 1908–1912.
Where to find the records
- Bedford County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds, the county clerk and the chancery and circuit court clerks, and any online record search the county offers.
- The register of deeds
Deeds, mortgages and other land records, usually from the county's beginning.
- The county clerk
Marriage licenses and bonds and the county court's minutes. For most of the 1800s the county court also handled wills, estates and guardians.
- The chancery and circuit court clerks
Lawsuits, including the chancery suits families used to divide land and settle estates.
- TSLA: Bedford County records on microfilm (PDF)free
Every filmed volume with its years and roll number, by office.
- Tennessee State Library and Archivesfree
The state archives in Nashville, with microfilm of county records from every county.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Tennessee, Bedford" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Rutherford County, Williamson County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Rutherford County, Williamson County
Later formed partly from Bedford County: Coffee County, Lincoln County, Marshall County, Moore County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1807, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Tennessee's county court minutes record estate settlements, guardians, road orders and much more. When a will is missing, look there and in the chancery court, where families often went to divide land.