Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Cheatham 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 Deeds1856–1977
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1856–1921
- Entries, Land · Register of Deeds1856–1915
- Survey Books · Register of Deeds1856–1994
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1875–1969
- Deeds and Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1921–1996
- Trust Deed Index (Dir. & Rev.) · Register of Deeds1921–1968
- Deeds and Trust Deeds TD · Register of Deeds1969–1982
- Deed Index (Direct) · Register of Deeds1977–1996
- Deed Index (Reverse) · Register of Deeds1977–1996
- Deeds and Trust Deeds c · Register of Deeds1982–1994
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1856–1994
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1856–1977
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1859–1951
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1868–1982
- Letters, Administrators · Probate Records1868–1963
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1903–1982
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1920–1982
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages (Alpha. by grooms) · County Clerk, loose papers1856–1903
- Marriages · County Clerk1856–1996
- Vital Statistics (Births/Deaths) · County Clerk1908–1912
- Divorces, Loose Records · County Clerk, loose papers1919–1950
- Vital Statistics (Deaths) · County Clerk1925–1941
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1856–1993
- Tax Books (1965 District 1-6) · Trustee1964–1965
- Tax Books (1965 District 7-16) · Trustee1965–1966
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1997
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1856–1997
- Minutes, Loose Records · County Clerk, loose papers1856–1899
- Minutes · Chancery Court1857–1996
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1871–1875
- Minutes, Civil and Criminal · Circuit Court1877–1971
- Minutes · Ashland City, City of1909–1995
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1939–1993
- Minutes · School Board1940–1997
- Minutes · Kingston Springs, City of1966–1996
- Minutes · Circuit Court1971–1996
- Minutes · Pegram, City of1972–1995
- Minutes · Probate Records1982–1995
County government and the poor
- Misc., Commissioner's Book · County Clerk1856–1874
- Planning Commission · Kingston Springs, City of1981–1996
Other records
- Misc., Ranger Book · County Clerk1857–1877
- Misc., Professional Registers · County Clerk1889–1947
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1919–1965
- Releases · Register of Deeds1932–1996
- Leases · Register of Deeds1966–1997
- Ordinances · Kingston Springs, City of1966–1991
- Resolutions · Kingston Springs, City of1966–1991
- Resolutions, Ordinances, etc · Ashland City, City of1966–1996
- Town Book · Kingston Springs, City of1966–1992
- Miscellaneous, Charters · Register of Deeds1968–1997
- Resolutions · Pegram, City of1971–1996
- Ordinances · Pegram, City of1972–1995
- Ordinances · Ashland City, City of1973–1997
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1979–1993
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
- Cheatham 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: Cheatham 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, Cheatham" 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: Davidson County, Montgomery County, Robertson County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Davidson County, Montgomery County, Robertson County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1856, 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.