Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Cannon County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1836–1985
- General Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1836–1963
- Land, Entry · Register of Deeds1836–1897
- Land, Surveys · Register of Deeds1836–1860
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–1986
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1924–1959
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1836–1987
Estates and guardianships
- Estates, Inventories of · Probate Records1848–1923
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1854–1988
- Settlements, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1859–1985
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1871–1914
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1872–1930
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1888–1926
- School Settlement · County Clerk1893–1907
- Bonds and Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1934–1980
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1838–1989
- Miscellaneous, Vital Statistic · County Clerk1881–1912
Tax lists
- Trustee Tax Records · County Clerk1844–1847
- Tax Assessor's Books · Trustee1853–1856
- Tax Books · Trustee1853–1983
- Tax Book/Execution Docket · County Clerk1866–1871
- Tax Assessor's Bks. Dist.6 · Trustee1883–1886
- Tax Books, Dist. 10 · Trustee1891
- Tax Duplicates · Trustee1901–1913
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1917–1987
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1838–1989
- Minutes · Chancery Court1840–1987
- Enrollment Books · Circuit Court1846–1877
- Enrollment Books · Probate Records1848–1916
- Enrollment Books · Chancery Court1852–1890
- Minutes · Circuit Court1862–1987
- Miscellaneous Court Cases · Loose Records Project1865–1927
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1869–1870
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1888–1902
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1889–1906
- Minutes and Ordinances · Woodbury City of1927–1948
- Minutes · School Board1935–1988
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1947–1974
- Minutes · Woodbury City of1948–1987
- and 2 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds & Letters, Adm. and Exe · Probate Records1872–1990
- Merchank's Bonds and Oaths · County Clerk1908–1920
Roads
- Road Book · County Clerk1852–1865
- Miscellaneous, Road Books · County Clerk1866–1885
Other records
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1866–1927
- Leases, Oil · Register of Deeds1869–1881
- Merchant's license Book · County Clerk1870–1906
- Revenue Receipts · County Clerk1877–1896
- Leases, Index to · Register of Deeds1927–1989
- Miscellaneous Right of way · Register of Deeds1963–1976
- General Index · Register of Deeds1964–1987
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
- Cannon 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: Cannon 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, Cannon" 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, Smith County, Warren County, Wilson County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Rutherford County, Smith County, Warren County, Wilson County
Later formed partly from Cannon County: DeKalb County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1836, 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.