Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Polk 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 Deeds1894–1986
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1894–1986
- Deed and Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1896–1986
- Plats · Register of Deeds1941–1970
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1873–1989
Estates and guardianships
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1890–1965
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1894–1963
- Settlements · Probate Records1894–1982
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1895–1932
- Bonds, Executors · Probate Records1903–1964
- Inventories · Probate Records1982–1989
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1894–1987
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1896–1985
- Delinquent Tax · Chancery Court1939–1945
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1945–1989
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1840–1968
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1871–1900
- Minutes · Chancery Court1886–1989
- Minutes · School Board1909–1985
- Minutes, Road Commission · County Clerk1913–1916
- Minutes, Quorum · County Clerk1915–1965
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1922–1940
- Minutes · Circuit Court1936–1966
- Minutes, Benton · Circuit Court1936–1986
- Minutes, Ducktown · Circuit Court1936–1985
- Minutes · Ducktown, City of1952–1989
- Minutes · Benton, City of1967–1986
- Minutes · County Clerk1969–1987
- Minutes · Probate Records1970–1987
Other records
- Pro. Physicians Licenses · County Clerk1895–1949
- Pro. Optometrists Licenses · County Clerk1907–1929
- Pro. Dentists Licenses · County Clerk1919–1929
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1930–1986
- Cash Journal · Trustee1935–1970
- Ordinances · Ducktown, City of1952–1982
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
- Polk 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: Polk 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, Polk" 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: Bradley County, McMinn County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Bradley County, McMinn County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1839, 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.