Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Bledsoe 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 Deeds1797–1976
- Land, Survey · Register of Deeds1807–1890
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1808–1993
- Land, Surveys Index · Register of Deeds1868–1900
- Trust Deed, Index · Register of Deeds1896–1976
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1896–1994
- Deed, Index/General · Register of Deeds1977–1994
- Lien / Judgement · Register of Deeds1978–1993
- Deeds/Minutes · Probate Records1981–1993
Wills
- Wills and Inventories · Probate Records1884–1984
Estates and guardianships
- Misc. Tax Sales · Circuit Court1915–1917
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1908–1991
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1888–1992
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1944–1994
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1836–1994
- Minutes · County Clerk1841–1962
- Minutes · Circuit Court1845–1967
- Minutes · Pikeville, City of1927–1995
- Minutes · School Board1943–1994
- Minutes, Monthly · County Clerk1962–1989
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1962–1994
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1967–1994
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1970–1994
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Admin. and Guard · Probate Records1908–1980
- Bonds, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1909–1969
- Misc. Bond Books · Register of Deeds1942–1968
Other records
- Loose Rec. Scope & Content 1-16 · Chancery Court1840–1859
- Loose Records--File 17-92 · Chancery Court1840–1859
- Loose Records Index--F# 93-129 · Chancery Court1860–1869
- Loose Records--File 130-149 · Chancery Court1860–1869
- Loose Records--File 150A-186 · Chancery Court1860–1869
- Loose Records Index--F# 187-224 · Chancery Court1870–1879
- Loose Records--File 225-262 · Chancery Court1870–1879
- Loose Records--File 263-295 · Chancery Court1870–1879
- Loose Records--File 296A-305 · Chancery Court1870–1879
- Loose Records--File 306-347 · Chancery Court1870–1879
- Misc. J. P. Book · Circuit Court1877–1908
- Loose Records Index--F# 348-381 · Chancery Court1880–1889
- Loose Records--File 382-399 · Chancery Court1880–1889
- Loose Records--File 400-431 · Chancery Court1880–1889
- and 24 more series in the full listing
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
- Bledsoe 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: Bledsoe 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, Bledsoe" 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: Roane County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Roane County
Later formed partly from Bledsoe County: Cumberland County, Marion 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.