Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Clay 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 Deeds1871–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1874–1995
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1978–1995
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1978–1995
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1871–1898
- Wills and Inventories · Probate Records1951–1982
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Admin. and Guardian · Probate Records1871–1993
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1873–1982
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1875–1981
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1876–1931
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1871–1993
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Duplicates · Trustee1884–1899
- Tax Books · Trustee1900–1988
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1995
Court orders and minutes
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1871–1912
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1871–1915
- Minutes · Chancery Court1871–1992
- Minutes · Circuit Court1871–1946
- Minutes · County Clerk1871–1986
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1904–1995
- Minutes · School Board1927–1994
- Minutes · Celina, City of1949–1991
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1961–1994
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1961–1994
- Minutes, Chambers · Chancery Court1966–1993
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Adm. Guard, and Exec · Probate Records1904–1953
Other records
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1896–1950
- Census Records · School Board1946–1956
- Leases · Register of Deeds1949–1994
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1963–1992
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
- Find Clay County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the register of deeds, the county clerk and the chancery and circuit court clerks.
- 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: Clay 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, Clay" 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: Jackson County, Overton County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Jackson County, Overton County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1870, 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.