Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Hamilton 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 Deeds1760–1874
- Deeds and Trust Deeds Index · Register of Deeds1799–1901
- Gen. Index to Deeds (Grantee) · Register of Deeds1799–1928
- Gen. Index to Deeds (Grantor) · Register of Deeds1799–1928
- Entry Taker's Books · Register of Deeds1824–1897
- Surveyor's Books · Register of Deeds1824–1852
- Deeds No. 27 · Register of Deeds1874–1875
- Deeds No. 28-30 · Register of Deeds1875–1877
- Deeds No. 31-32 · Register of Deeds1877–1879
- Deeds No. 33-34 · Register of Deeds1879–1880
- Deeds No. 35-36 · Register of Deeds1880–1881
- Deeds No. 37-38 · Register of Deeds1881–1882
- Deeds No. 39-40 · Register of Deeds1882–1883
- Deeds No. 41-42 · Register of Deeds1883–1884
- and 56 more series in the full listing
Wills
- Wills · County Clerk1862–1936
Estates and guardianships
- Probate Minutes · County Clerk1864–1928
- Administrators Settlements · County Clerk1874–1925
- Guardian Settlements · County Clerk1875–1930
- Guardian Bonds and Letters · County Clerk1876–1932
- Executors Bonds and Letters · County Clerk1879–1932
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1857–1952
- Marriages, Loose Records · County Clerk1880–1951
- Vital Statistics (Births) · County Clerk1881–1938
- Vital Statistics (Deaths) · County Clerk1881–1939
- Marriages Bonds · County Clerk1904–1908
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1909–1912
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Circuit Court1860–1928
- Docket No. 1-12 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1863–1865
- Docket No. Index · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1863–1900
- Docket No. Miscellaneous · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1863–1900
- Docket No. 12-52 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1864–1865
- Docket No. 52-73 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1865
- Docket No. 73-99 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1865
- Docket No. 100-133 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1866
- Docket No. 133-162 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1866
- Docket No. 162-182 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1866
- Docket No. 182-208 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1866
- Docket No. 258-293 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1867
- Docket No. 293-317 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1867
- Docket No. 317-359 · Chancery Court Loose Records Project, loose papers1867
- and 229 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Miscellaneous Bonds · Chancery Court1877–1902
- Admin. Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1878–1928
Other records
- Physician's Records · County Clerk1889–1928
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
- Hamilton 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: Hamilton 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, Hamilton" 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: Rhea County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Rhea County
Later formed partly from Hamilton County: Sequatchie County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1819, 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.