Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Morgan 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 Deeds1818–1888
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1818–1988
- Entry Takers · Register of Deeds1824–1887
- Survey Index · Register of Deeds1824–1836
- Surveyors Books · Register of Deeds1824–1893
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1877–1988
- Probate Deeds · Probate Records1886–1956
- Deed & General Index Direct · Register of Deeds1888–1985
- Deed & General Index Revers · Register of Deeds1888–1985
- Plats · Register of Deeds1966–1978
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1866–1983
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Adm. Ex. & Guard · Probate Records1878–1984
- Estates, Claims · Probate Records1887–1934
- Inventory · Probate Records1887–1980
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1890–1908
- Bonds, Adm. Ex. and Guardian · Probate Records1923–1959
- Probate Minutes · Probate Records1980–1988
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1862–1988
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1908–1940
- Marriages, Loose File A-Ha · County Clerk1909–1950
- Marriages, Loose File Ha-Wr · County Clerk1909–1950
- Marriages, Loose File Wr-Z · County Clerk1909–1950
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1881–1983
- Tax (Delinquent) · County Clerk1971–1982
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1945–1984
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Circuit Court1840–1906
- Minutes · County Clerk1848–1987
- Minutes, Chamber · County Clerk1854–1971
- Minutes · Chancery Court1865–1986
- Enrollment · Chancery Court1880–1910
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1905–1987
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1906–1987
- Minutes · School Board1927–1953
- Minutes · Wartburg, City of1968–1987
Other records
- Miscellaneous, Census Index · County Clerk1900
- Miscellaneous Census · School Board1946–1956
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1949–1988
- Miscelleneous, Right of Way · Register of Deeds1952–1972
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1970–1987
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
- Morgan 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: Morgan 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, Morgan" 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: Anderson County, Overton County, Roane County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Anderson County, Overton County, Roane County
Later formed partly from Morgan County: Cumberland County, Fentress County, Scott County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1818, 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.