Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Fayette County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Entry Books · Register of Deeds1821–1881
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1825–1900
- Deeds and Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1900–1993
- Gn. Index to Deeds/Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1925–1995
- Lien Books · Register of Deeds1932–1994
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1836–1993
Estates and guardianships
- Inventory · Probate Records1854–1863
- Settlements · Probate Records1858–1989
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1885–1944
- Letters, Administrators · Probate Records1891–1982
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1892–1934
- Bonds, Admin. and Executors · Probate Records1900–1982
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1919–1923
- Misc. Official Settlements · County Clerk1981–1990
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1838–1992
- Marriage, Bonds · County Clerk1866–1875
- Marriage Index (Loose Records) · County Clerk1924–1950
- Marriages, (Loose Records) · County Clerk1924–1950
- Vital Records · County Clerk1925–1939
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1977–1992
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1988
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1824–1982
- Minutes · Circuit Court1829–1986
- Minutes, Index · County Clerk1833–1848
- Minutes · Somerville City of1836–1993
- Revanue Docket · LaGrange City of1855–1884
- Minutes · Moscow City of1870–1994
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1877–1994
- Misc. Drainage Minutes · County Clerk1917–1923
- Minutes · Chancery Court1925–1995
- Minutes · School Board1932–1995
- Minutes · LaGrange City of1948–1995
- Minutes · Rossville City of1958–1995
- Minutes · Gallaway City of1966–1994
- Minutes, Charter · Oakland City of1966–1995
- and 6 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Planning Commission · Piperton City of1975–2011
Other records
- Account Ledger · LaGrange City of1847–1860
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1929–1990
- Miscellaneous, Census - White · School Board1946–1956
- Miscellaneous, Census - Black · School Board1948–1956
- Letters, Testamentary · Probate Records1965–1982
- Ordinances · Gallaway City of1966–1992
- Resolutions · Gallaway City of1966–1993
- Resolutions · Williston City of1971
- Ordinances · Williston City of1972–1994
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1983–1991
- Board of Zoning and Appeals · Piperton City of1998–2011
- Beer Board · Piperton City of1999–2010
- Industrial Development Board · Piperton City of1999–2010
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
- Fayette 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: Fayette 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, Fayette" 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
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1824, 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.