Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Johnson 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 Deeds1836–1967
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1836–1951
- Entries, Land · Register of Deeds1836–1888
- Entry Taker's Book · Register of Deeds1836–1851
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1889–1952
Wills
- Wills · County Clerk1836–1969
Estates and guardianships
- Guardian Records · County Clerk, loose papers1800–1915
- Index to Guardian Records · County Clerk, loose papers1800–1915
- Index to Probate Records · County Clerk, loose papers1800–1915
- Probate Records · County Clerk, loose papers1800–1915
- Settlements · County Clerk1837–1894
- Administrators, Settlements · County Clerk1848–1874
- Estates, Claims Against · County Clerk1872–1980
- Estates, Insolvent · County Clerk1874–1937
- Admin./Guard. Settlements · County Clerk1879–1950
- Estates, Inventories of · County Clerk1902–1956
- Adm. Guardian Bonds & Letter · County Clerk1934–1962
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1838–1957
- Index to Marriage · County Clerk, loose papers1857–1945
- Marriage License · County Clerk, loose papers1857–1945
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1938
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustees1869–1939
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1917–1954
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Circuit Court1836–1897
- Minutes · County Clerk1836–1961
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1841–1882
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1846–1958
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1848–1903
- Minutes · Chancery Court1856–1960
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1871–1898
- Minutes · Mountain City, City of1903–1967
- Minutes · School Board1933–1975
County government and the poor
- Admin. Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1839–1949
- Admin. Bonds./Exec./Guard · County Clerk1856–1899
Other records
- Miscellaneous Records · County Clerk1849–1860
- Register, Physician's · County Clerk1889–1928
- Ordinances · Mountain City, City of1931–1975
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
- Johnson 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: Johnson 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, Johnson" 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: Carter County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Carter County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1836, 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.