Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Lewis County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Entry Book · Register of Deeds1827–1873
- Surveyors Book · Register of Deeds1827–1883
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1844–1976
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1844–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1895–1995
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1927–1979
- Lien Books · Register of Deeds1932–1991
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1842–1994
Estates and guardianships
- Inventories · Probate Records1846–1874
- Miscellaneous, Tax Sales · Probate Records1847–1907
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1858–1956
- Bonds, Admin. and Guardian · Probate Records1904–1927
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1907–1941
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1928–1960
- Settlements, Admin. and Guard · Probate Records1969–1982
- Minutes, Probate · Probate Records1982–1993
- Settlements · Probate Records1982–1993
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1847–1992
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1887–1913
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1930–1979
Court orders and minutes
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1844–1904
- Minutes · Circuit Court1844–1941
- Minutes · County Clerk1848–1983
- Minutes · Chancery Court1871–1995
- Minutes, Equalization · County Clerk1898–1914
- Minutes · Hohenwald, City of1923–1993
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1923–1985
- Minutes · School Board1927–1994
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1929–1995
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1942–1995
- Minutes, Beer Board · Hohenwald, City of1951–1995
- Minutes, Commission · County Clerk1988–1991
Other records
- Ordinances · Hohenwald, City of1911–1994
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1922–1949
- Resolutions · Hohenwald, City of1923–1993
- General Index · Register of Deeds1977–1994
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1984–1994
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
- Lewis 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: Lewis 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, Lewis" 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: Hickman County, Lawrence County, Maury County, Wayne County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Hickman County, Lawrence County, Maury County, Wayne County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1843, 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.