Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Giles 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 Deeds1790–1999
- Deed Index Grantor/Grantee · Register of Deeds1810–1952
- Land Entry and Survey Book · Register of Deeds1824–1865
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–2000
- Trust Deed Index Grantees · Register of Deeds1933–1983
- Trust Deed Index Grantors · Register of Deeds1933–1983
- Deed Index Direct/Reverse · Register of Deeds1953–1999
- Trust Deed Index Direct · Register of Deeds1983–1999
- Trust Deed Index Reverse · Register of Deeds1983–1994
Wills
- Loose Cases, Wills · Chancery Court1830–1900
- Wills/Inventories/Settlements · Probate Records1860–1917
- Will · Probate Records1917–1998
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1858–1997
- Settlements, Administrator's · Probate Records1865–1954
- Bonds and Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1867–1890
- Estates, Inventory of · Probate Records1871–1970
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1915–1997
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1923–1939
- Letters, Administrator's · Probate Records1924–1997
- Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1930–1986
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1865–1998
- Marriage Bonds · County Clerk1869–1952
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1912
- Marriage Bonds, Index · County Clerk1914–1954
- Vital Statistics (Births) · County Clerk1936
- Vital Statistics (Deaths) · County Clerk1936
Tax lists
- Tax Duplicates · Trustee1875–1948
- Tax Books · Lynnville, City of1920–1931
- Tax Books · Trustee1973–1988
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1990
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1810–1951
- Minutes, Civil and Criminal · Circuit Court1817–1931
- Minutes/Ordinances/Resolution Ci · Pulaski, City of1820–1999
- Loose Cases · Chancery Court1830–1900
- Loose Cases, Index · Chancery Court1835–1980
- Minutes · Chancery Court1838–1999
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1860–1972
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1866–1876
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1899–1999
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1901–1996
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1902–1999
- Minutes · Lynnville, City of1907–2000
- Minutes · School Board1929–2000
- Minutes · Elkton, City of1948–2000
- and 3 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds and Letters, Admin · Probate Records1865–1878
- Bonds, Admin. and Exec · Probate Records1907–1997
Other records
- Sale Book · Chancery Court1870–1921
- Miscellaneous, Charters · Register of Deeds1875–1994
- Misc., Physician's Records · County Clerk1904–1955
- Letters, Testamentary · Probate Records1919–1997
- Misc., Dentist Register · County Clerk1919–1959
- Misc., Chiropratic Register · County Clerk1923
- Census Records · School Board1946–1956
- Oil and Gas Leases · Register of Deeds1946–1960
- Release Books · Register of Deeds1955–2000
- Ordinances · Minor Hill, City of1969–2000
- Ordinances · Elkton, City of1972–1996
- Notice of Completions · Register of Deeds1975–1995
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1983–1995
- Resolutions · Minor Hill, City of1986–2000
- and 1 more series in the full listing
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
- Giles 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: Giles 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, Giles" 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 1810, 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.