Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Pickett County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1931–1995
- Deed and Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1934–1993
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1934–1995
- Probate Deeds · Probate Records1934–1968
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1933–1994
Estates and guardianships
- Inventory · Probate Records1933–1974
- Settlements, Adm. And Guard · Probate Records1934–1986
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1935–1975
- Estates, Settlements · Probate Records1987–1995
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1934–1986
- Vital Records · County Clerk1934–1938
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1945–1995
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1934–1992
- Minutes · County Clerk1934–1994
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1934–1992
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1935–1992
- Minutes · Byrdstown, City of1947–1992
- Minutes · School Board1960–1994
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1965–1995
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Admin. And Exec · Probate Records1935–1995
Other records
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1937–1950
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1938–1995
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
- Find Pickett County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the register of deeds, the county clerk and the chancery and circuit court clerks.
- 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: Pickett 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, Pickett" 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: Fentress County, Overton County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Fentress County, Overton County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1881, 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.