Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Meigs County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Land Abstracts · Register of Deeds1836–1872
- Land Abstracts, Index · Register of Deeds1836–1872
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1876–1986
- Deed/Trust Deed General Index · Register of Deeds1902–1969
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1902–1986
- Misc. Land Sales Records · Chancery Court1906–1920
Wills
- Wills/Inventories/Settlements · Probate Records1836–1969
Estates and guardianships
- Probate Records · Probate Records1838–1962
- Settlements · Probate Records1839–1938
- Misc. Insolvent Estate Minutes · County Clerk1859–1929
- Bonds and Letters, Executors · Probate Records1897–1969
- Bonds and Letters, Guardian · Probate Records1897–1969
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1838–1996
- Vital Statistics (Births/Deaths) · County Clerk1908–1912
- Vital Statistics (Deaths) · County Clerk1925–1937
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1859–1997
- Tax Books (Districts 1-8) · Trustee1890–1908
- Tax Books (Districts 1-4) · Trustee1909–1968
- Misc. Delinquent Tax Docket · Chancery Court1950–1968
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1969
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1836–1997
- Minutes · School Board1838–1989
- Misc. Minutes, Jury List · Circuit Court1844–1866
- Minutes · Chancery Court1854–1998
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1871–1877
- Minutes, Civil and Criminal · Circuit Court1902–1984
- Minutes · Decatur, City of1949–1984
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1950–1989
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1981–1998
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1984–1998
County government and the poor
- Bonds and Letters, Admin · Probate Records1897–1969
Schools
- Misc. Common School Records · Chancery Court1838–1878
Roads
- Misc. Road Books · County Clerk1854–1889
Other records
- Misc. Records · Register of Deeds1932–1989
- Ordinances · Decatur, City of1949–1966
- General Index · Register of Deeds1970–1989
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
- Meigs 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: Meigs 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, Meigs" 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: Rhea County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Rhea 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.