Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Coffee 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 Deeds1836–1969
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1836–1973
- Miscellaneous, Surveyor's Book · Register of Deeds1836–1955
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1868–1969
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–1969
- Miscellaneous, Plats, Index to · Register of Deeds1912–1969
Wills
- Wills and Probate · Probate Court, loose papers1836–1964
- Wills · Probate Records1836–1987
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1860–1980
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1865–1962
- Estates, Inventories · Probate Records1870–1980
- Letters, Administrators · Probate Records1890–1988
- Letters, Executors · Probate Records1890–1969
- Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1890–1981
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1901–1980
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1853–1989
- Marriage Bonds · County Clerk1881–1886
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1836–1983
Military and pensions
- Misc. Confederate Soldiers Bk · Register of Deeds1861
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1988
Court orders and minutes
- Court Cases, # 1-167 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 1116-1245 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 1246-1394 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 1395-1545 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 1546-1669 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 1670-1741 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 168-315 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 316-438 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 439-579 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 580-711 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 712-850 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 851-991 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, # 992-1115 · County Clerk1836–1915
- Court Cases, Index to · County Clerk1836–1915
- and 91 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Admin. Exec. & Guard · Probate Records1910–1988
- Bonds, Conservator's · Probate Records1960–1968
Roads
- Road Overseers · County Clerk1883–1891
Other records
- Professional Lic. Registers · County Clerk1889–1960
- Inheritance Record · Probate Records1903–1916
- Ordinances · Manchester City of1905–1988
- Cash Journals · Trustee1928–1968
- Resolutions · Manchester City of1959–1989
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
- Coffee 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: Coffee 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, Coffee" 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: Bedford County, Franklin County, Warren County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Bedford County, Franklin County, Warren County
Later formed partly from Coffee County: Grundy 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.