Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Jefferson County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deed Index, Direct · Register of Deeds1792–1996
- Deed Index, Reverse · Register of Deeds1792–1996
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1792–1993
- Entry Book, Land · Register of Deeds1824–1848
- Entry Book, Surveyor's · Register of Deeds1824–1891
- Deeds of Conveyance · Probate Records1840–1874
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1868–1952
- Deeds, Probate · Probate Records1874–1947
- Trust Deed, Index Direct · Register of Deeds1895–1996
- Trust Deed, Index Reverse · Register of Deeds1895–1996
- Deeds c · Register of Deeds1951–1996
- Trust Deeds c · Register of Deeds1952–1996
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1792–1995
- Wills, Index · Probate Records1792–1995
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1805–1992
- Bonds and Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1851–1980
- Estates, Insolvent Minutes of · Probate Records1876–1960
- Bonds and Letters, Executors · Probate Records1886–1982
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1886–1995
- Estate, Settlements · Probate Records1891–1996
- Settlements, Executors · Probate Records1895–1901
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1940–1982
- Probate Docket · Probate Records1982–1993
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1792–1995
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1881–1882
- Vital Statistics, Births · County Clerk1908–1909
- Vital Statistics, Birth/Death · County Clerk1925–1939
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1822–1988
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1957
- Military Discharges c · Register of Deeds1945–1993
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1792–1996
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1809–1947
- Minutes · Chancery Court1836–1995
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1844–1991
- Enrollment Books · Chancery Court1872–1876
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1886–1996
- Miscellaneous, Road Minutes · County Clerk1887–1946
- Minutes · White Pine City of1893–1995
- Minutes · Jefferson City of1901–1995
- Minutes · Dandridge City of1907–1995
- Minutes · New Market City of1911–1996
- Minutes · School Board1926–1995
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1937–1968
- Minutes · Circuit Court1947–1994
- and 1 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Admin. Exec. and Guard · Probate Records1806–1886
- Bonds, Admin. and Letters · Probate Records1907–1961
Other records
- Misc. Maury Academy Account · County Clerk1845–1899
- Misc., Civil War Record Books · Register of Deeds1866–1872
- Misc, Physician's Register · County Clerk1889–1911
- Charter · Dandridge City of1907
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1922–1951
- Release Records c · Register of Deeds1932–1996
- Miscellaneous Records c · Register of Deeds1951–1996
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
- Jefferson 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: Jefferson 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, Jefferson" 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: Greene County, Hawkins County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Greene County, Hawkins County
Later formed partly from Jefferson County: Cocke County, Hamblen County, Sevier County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1792, 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.