Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Perry County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Entry Books · Register of Deeds1820–1902
- Survey Books · Register of Deeds1835–1974
- Deeds and Trust Deeds Index · Register of Deeds1841–1994
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1841–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1876–1995
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1863–1985
Estates and guardianships
- Estates, Inventories · Probate Records1865–1970
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1865–1913
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1883–1936
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1908–1969
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1909–1979
- Settlement Books · Probate Records1947–1994
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1955–1974
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1865–1993
- Vital Records · County Clerk1881–1912
- Vital Records (Deaths) · County Clerk1926–1938
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1873–1948
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1920–1988
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Circuit Court1834–1994
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1854–1877
- Minutes · Chancery Court1854–1995
- Minutes · County Clerk1865–1993
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1874–1876
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1906–1987
- Minutes · School Board1928–1995
- Minutes · Linden, City of1948–1995
- Minutes · Lobelville, City of1975–1983
- Minutes · Probate Records1975–1991
County government and the poor
- Misc., Merchant's Bonds · County Clerk1901–1914
Other records
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1920–1993
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1949–1961
- Ordinances · Lobelville, City of1959–1992
- Release Books · Register of Deeds1983–1995
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1984–1995
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
- Perry 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: Perry 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, Perry" 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: Land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Perry County: Decatur County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1819, 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.