Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Decatur 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 Deeds1846–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1869–1995
- Survey Book · Register of Deeds1891–1918
- Deed Index, Direct/Reverse · Register of Deeds1910–1945
- Trust Deed, Index to · Register of Deeds1915–1952
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1944–1969
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1952–1968
- Deed Index to, General · Register of Deeds1968–1993
- Liens · Register of Deeds1970–1985
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1869–1992
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1869–1930
- Bonds, Executors · Probate Records1869–1975
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1869–1982
- Estates, Claims against · Probate Records1869–1941
- Estates, Inventory of · Probate Records1869–1983
- Settlements, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1869–1982
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1869–1975
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1871–1938
- Settlements · Probate Records1882–1994
- Settlements, Executors · Probate Records1976–1982
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1869–1994
- Vital Records (Births) · County Clerk1881–1883
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1888–1992
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1994
Court orders and minutes
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1860–1880
- Minutes · Chancery Court1868–1993
- Minutes · County Clerk1869–1990
- Minutes · Parsons City of1922–1991
- Minutes · Decaturville City of1925–1995
- Minutes · School Board1926–1995
- Minutes · Circuit Court1927–1994
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1929–1995
- Minutes · Probate Records1982–1993
Other records
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1969–1994
- Miscellaneous, Charters · Register of Deeds1970–1994
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1981–1982
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
- Decatur 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: Decatur 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, Decatur" 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: Henderson County, Perry County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Henderson County, Perry County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1846, 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.