Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Houston 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 Deeds1871–1995
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1871–1995
- Deeds, Probate · Probate Records1871–1954
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1872–1995
- Plat Book · Register of Deeds1953–1967
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1954–1994
- Trust Deeds c · Register of Deeds1986–1993
- Deeds c · Register of Deeds1987–1993
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1869–1994
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1871–1946
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1871–1934
- Minutes, Guardian · Probate Records1871–1890
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1871–1967
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1914–1953
- Letters, Guardianship · Probate Records1947–1965
- Inventories and Settlements · Probate Records1980–1994
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1871–1991
- Vital Records (Births) · County Clerk1881–1882
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1873–1965
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1945–1979
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1871–1995
- Minutes · Circuit Court1871–1994
- Minutes · County Clerk1871–1994
- Minutes · School Board1907–1994
- Minutes and Resolutions · Erin, City of1938–1968
- Resolutions (Inverted Order) · Erin, City of1967–1993
- Minutes (Inverted Order) · Erin, City of1968–1994
- Minutes · Tennessee Ridge, City of1985–1994
County government and the poor
- Misc., Merchant's Bonds, etc · County Clerk1871–1902
- Tippler's Bond · County Clerk1875–1901
- Bonds & Letters, Admin · Probate Records1926–1967
- County Official's Bond Book · Register of Deeds1942–1966
Roads
- Road Overseers Book · County Clerk1883–1891
Other records
- Physician's Register · County Clerk1865–1934
- Appropriation Book · Probate Records1889
- Charter Books · Register of Deeds1897–1967
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1953–1995
- Release Index · Register of Deeds1988–1995
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1989–1992
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
- Houston 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: Houston 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, Houston" 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: Dickson County, Humphreys County, Stewart County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Dickson County, Humphreys County, Stewart County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1871, 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.