Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Hardin 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 Deeds1820–1853
- Survey Books · Register of Deeds1820–1934
- Deed Index Direct/Reverse · Register of Deeds1835–1998
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1835–1998
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1868–1954
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–1999
- Deeds, Probate · Probate Records1946–1951
- Trust Deed Index (Dir./Rev.) · Register of Deeds1971–1994
Wills
- Wills-Court Case Files #1-72 · Chancery Court, loose papers1825–1860
- Wills · Probate Records1836–1998
- Wills-Ct.Case File Index, #1-15 · Chancery Court, loose papers1853–1915
Estates and guardianships
- Estates · Probate Records1865–1916
- Estates, Inventory · Probate Records1865–1982
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1866–1979
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1870–1896
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1873–1967
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1874–1980
- Bonds, Executors · Probate Records1875–1982
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1875–1969
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1883–1989
- Misc., Tax Sales · County Clerk1896–1912
- Inventories · Probate Records1916–1929
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1863–1997
- Vital Statistics (Deaths) · County Clerk1926–1939
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1918–1970
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1970
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1820–1902
- Minutes, Index · County Clerk1820–1866
- Minutes · Chancery Court1836–1998
- Minutes · Circuit Court1840–1995
- Court Case Files #1035-1090 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #109-147 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #1091-1143 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #1144-1187 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #1189-1238 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #1239-1270 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #148-174 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #15-71 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #175-194 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- Court Case Files #195-222 · Chancery Court, loose papers1848–1915
- and 35 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds and Letters · Probate Records1874–1895
- Misc., Merchants Bonds · County Clerk1879–1897
Other records
- Loose Records · Circuit Court1840–1899
- Misc., Physicians Register · County Clerk1889–1931
- Misc., Receipts · County Clerk1889–1923
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1921
- Leases, Contracts · Register of Deeds1935–1998
- Misc., Highway Easements · Register of Deeds1944–1946
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1975–1998
- Release Books · Register of Deeds1980–1998
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1984–1998
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
- Hardin 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: Hardin 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, Hardin" 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
Later formed partly from Hardin County: Henderson County, Madison County, Shelby 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.