Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Fentress 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 Deeds1820–1904
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1820–1986
- Entries, Land · Register of Deeds1824–1901
- Deed Index, General Direct · Register of Deeds1825–1983
- Deed Index, General Reverse · Register of Deeds1825–1983
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1889–1986
Wills
- Will Books · Probate Records1906–1982
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Admin. and Guardian · Probate Records1905–1982
- Estates, Inventory · Probate Records1917–1918
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1959–1969
- Settlements, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1961–1966
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1905–1986
- Vital Records · County Clerk1909–1939
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1897–1986
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1972
Court orders and minutes
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1847–1945
- Minutes · Chancery Court1854–1987
- Minutes · Circuit Court1854–1967
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1871–1899
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1884–1987
- Minutes · County Clerk1894–1987
- Minutes · School Board1921–1987
- Minutes · Jamestown City of1932–1980
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1944–1987
- Minutes · Allardt City of1963–1986
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1968–1986
County government and the poor
- Claims, Record · Probate Records1939–1958
Other records
- Miscellaneous, Stock Earmarks · County Clerk1905–1947
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1922–1986
- Miscellaneous Records · Allardt City of1946–1965
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1975–1987
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
- Fentress 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: Fentress 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, Fentress" 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: Campbell County, Morgan County, Overton County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Campbell County, Morgan County, Overton County
Later formed partly from Fentress County: Cumberland County, Pickett County, Putnam County, Scott 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.