Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Hancock 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 Deeds1879–1974
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1879–1994
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1933–1994
- Deed Index, General · Register of Deeds1974–1994
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1924–1993
Estates and guardianships
- Inventories · Probate Records1929–1946
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1930–1982
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1930–1970
- Inventories and Settlements · Probate Records1946–1994
- Minutes, Probate · Probate Records1982–1991
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1930–1994
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1947
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges, WW1 · Register of Deeds1919
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1944–1994
Court orders and minutes
- Court Case Files · Chancery Court, loose papers1797–1950
- Court Case Files, Addendum · Chancery Court, loose papers1867–1931
- Court Case Files, Miscellaneous · Chancery Court, loose papers1867–1931
- Minutes · Chancery Court1870–1994
- Court Case Files, Index · Chancery Court, loose papers1885–1982
- Minutes · Circuit Court1930–1974
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1930–1994
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1930–1994
- Minutes · School Board1932–1994
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1936–1994
- Minutes · Sneedville, City of1953–1994
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1957–1993
Other records
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1921–1994
- Ordinances · Sneedville, City of1953–1994
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1961–1984
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1983–1994
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
- Find Hancock County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the register of deeds, the county clerk and the chancery and circuit court clerks.
- 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: Hancock 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, Hancock" 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: Claiborne County, Hawkins County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Claiborne County, Hawkins County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1846, 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.