Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Dyer County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Survey Entries · Register of Deeds1820–1911
- Survey (Entry Books) · Register of Deeds1821–1851
- Deed Index, Dir./Rev · Register of Deeds1822–1976
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1824–1976
- Surveys, Land · Register of Deeds1827–1899
- Trust Deed Index, Dir./Rev · Register of Deeds1912–1976
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1912–1976
- Plats · Register of Deeds1928–1969
- Oil and Gas Leases/Liens · Register of Deeds1933–1976
- Deed Index, Direct · Register of Deeds1959–1969
- Deed Index, Reverse · Register of Deeds1959–1969
- Trust Deed Index, Direct · Register of Deeds1959–1970
- Trust Deed Index, Reverse · Register of Deeds1959–1970
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1853–1976
Estates and guardianships
- Probate Cases · Loose Records Project1851–1949
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1865–1976
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1870–1976
- Bonds, Administrator's · Probate Records1871–1927
- Letters, Administrator's · Probate Records1871–1927
- Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1874–1969
- Bonds & Letters, Executor's · Probate Records1883–1969
- Settlements, Admin./Executors · Probate Records1885–1976
- Letters, Executor's · Probate Records1886–1948
- Probate Cases (Guard, Settleme · Loose Records Project1890–1920
- Estates, Inventories · Probate Records1897–1962
- Probate Cases (Delayed Births) · Loose Records Project1900–1946
- Estates, Insolvents · Probate Records1915–1976
- Min., Probate Circuit Branch · Probate Records1922–1959
- and 3 more series in the full listing
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1860–1969
- Marriages (Colored) · County Clerk1881–1976
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1912
- County Clerk Cases (Marriages · Loose Records Project1910–1969
- Marriages (White) · County Clerk1968–1976
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1873–1914
- Tax Books, Dist. 1-15/Poll List · Trustee1918
- Tax Books, District 4 · Trustee1928–1966
- Tax Books, District 12-16 · Trustee1958–1966
- Tax Books, District 17-20 · Trustee1958–1966
- Tax Books, District 5 · Trustee1958–1966
- Tax Books, District 6-7 · Trustee1958–1966
- Tax Books, District 8-11 · Trustee1958–1966
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Index · Register of Deeds1918–1970
- Military Discharge · Register of Deeds1918–1946
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1946–1976
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1848–1941
- Chancery Cases (Misc.) · Loose Records Project1850–1949
- Chancery Cases · Loose Records Project1850–1949
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1853–1885
- Minutes · Chancery Court1854–1976
- Minutes, Civil/Criminal · Circuit Court1863–1976
- Minutes, Pro. Licenses · County Clerk1901–1963
- Minutes · School Board1907–1970
- Minutes, Drainage · County Clerk1913–1968
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1915–1969
- Minutes, Road Commission · County Clerk1937–1946
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1941–1975
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1969–1973
Other records
- Town Lots, Revised & Indexed · Dyersburg, City of1845–1861
- Letters, Exec/Admin/Guard · Probate Records1865–1885
- Cash Journals · Trustee1922–1962
- Oil and Gas Leases · Register of Deeds1950–1976
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
- Dyer 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: Dyer 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, Dyer" 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: Land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Dyer County: Crockett County, Lauderdale County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1823, 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.