Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Cumberland County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deed Index Direct & Reverse · Register of Deeds1854–1969
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1854–1997
- Entry Books · Register of Deeds1856–1904
- Index to Trust Deeds Dir./Rev · Register of Deeds1871–1969
- Trust Deeds (Miscellaneous) · Register of Deeds1871–1995
- Deeds (poor copy) · Register of Deeds1926–1930
- Deeds (refilmed) · Register of Deeds1926–1934
- Liens Index · Register of Deeds1932–1992
- Liens · Register of Deeds1932–1997
- Plat Books · Register of Deeds1939–1968
- Deed Index Direct (A-K) · Register of Deeds1968–1992
- Deed Index Direct (L-Z) · Register of Deeds1968–1992
- Deed Index Reverse (A-K) · Register of Deeds1968–1992
- Deed Index Reverse (L-Z) · Register of Deeds1968–1992
- and 2 more series in the full listing
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1904–1997
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds & Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1905–1969
- Bonds, Administrator's · Probate Records1905–1982
- Letters, Administrator's · Probate Records1905–1967
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1906–1983
- Bonds & Letters, Executor's · Probate Records1907–1969
- Settlements, Administrator's · Probate Records1907–1982
- Settlements, Inventories · Probate Records1982–1996
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1905–1996
- Marriages · County Clerk, loose papers1905–1950
Tax lists
- Tax Books (Districts 1-4) · Trustee1908–1914
- Tax Books (Districts 1-5) · Trustee1923
- Tax Books (Districts 1-5, 1-8) · Trustee1933
- Tax Books (Districts 3-8) · Trustee1938
- Tax Books (Districts 1-8) · Trustee1943–1968
- Tax Books (pages 1-2247) · Trustee1975
- Tax Books (pages 1-1508) · Trustee1980
- Tax Books (pages 1509-2413) · Trustee1980
- Tax Books (pages 1-1243) · Trustee1990
- Tax Books (pages 1244-2247) · Trustee1990
- Tax Books (pages 2248-2895) · Trustee1990
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1920–1992
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1897–1995
- Minutes · Crossville, City of1901–1928
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1905–1997
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1905–1996
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1907–1997
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1912–1987
- Minutes · School Board1914–1997
- Minutes and Ordinances · Crossville, City of1937–1996
- Minutes, Chambers · Chancery Court1943–1969
- Minutes, Chambers · County Clerk1966–1980
- Minutes · Crab Orchard, City of1973–1994
- Minutes · Probate Records1982–1997
County government and the poor
- Bonds & Letters, Conservator's · Probate Records1957–1982
Other records
- Misc. Cattle Marks & Brands · County Clerk1905–1955
- Misc. Physicians Register · County Clerk1905–1952
- Misc. Optometry Register · County Clerk1909–1933
- Misc. Nurses Register · County Clerk1938–1952
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1939–1951
- Ordinances · Crossville, City of1940–1996
- Miscellaneous, Census Records · School Board1946–1956
- Misc., Release, Fairfield · Register of Deeds1971–1994
- Ordinances · Crab Orchard, City of1973–1996
- Notice of Completions · Register of Deeds1986–1995
- Miscellaneous, Dormant Miner · Register of Deeds1987–1993
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1990–1992
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
- Cumberland 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: Cumberland 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, Cumberland" 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: Bledsoe County, Fentress County, Morgan County, Putnam County, Rhea County, White County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Bledsoe County, Fentress County, Morgan County, Putnam County, Rhea County, White County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1855, 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.