Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Marion County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1819–1986
- Land Entry · Register of Deeds1823–1895
- Surveyor's Book · Register of Deeds1824–1903
- Plat Book · South Pittsburg, City of1924
- Plat Books · Register of Deeds1946–1968
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1963–1986
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1875–1987
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Adm. Exec. Guard · Probate Records1877–1981
- Inventory · Probate Records1878–1989
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1885–1907
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1912–1969
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1913–1983
- Bonds, Executors · Probate Records1919–1968
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1922–1940
- Settlements, Probate · Probate Records1980–1987
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1881–1987
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1875–1984
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1969
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1842–1965
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1910–1986
- Minutes · South Pittsburg, City of1915–1988
- Minutes · Chancery Court1922–1986
- Minutes · Circuit Court1922–1970
- Minutes, Equalization · County Clerk1923–1937
- Minutes, Chambers · Chancery Court1926–1970
- Minutes · School Board1954–1987
- Minutes · Whitwell, City of1956–1986
- Minutes · Jasper, City of1959–1986
- Minutes · Kimball, City of1963–1989
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1965–1986
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1972–1986
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1972–1986
- and 2 more series in the full listing
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Conservators · Probate Records1957–1975
Roads
- Misc., Road Book · County Clerk1883–1891
Other records
- General Index · Register of Deeds1819–1966
- Professional Register, Physicia · County Clerk1889–1913
- General Index Direct · Register of Deeds1966–1986
- General Index Reverse · Register of Deeds1966–1986
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
- Marion 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: Marion 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, Marion" 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: Bledsoe County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Bledsoe County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1817, 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.