Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Stewart 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 Deeds1796–1994
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1803–1995
- Entry Takers · Register of Deeds1829–1905
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1832–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1864–1995
- Probate Deeds · Probate Records1894–1947
- Misc., Land Sales · County Clerk1896–1967
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1899–1994
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements · Probate Records1812–1927
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1837–1970
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1842–1970
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1870–1914
- Bonds, Administrators · Probate Records1883–1967
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1883–1967
- Minutes, Guardian · Probate Records1895–1915
- Bonds, Executors · Probate Records1901–1941
- Inventories · Probate Records1903–1966
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1921–1934
- Inventories and Settlements · Probate Records1982–1994
- Minutes, Probate · Probate Records1982–1991
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1849–1994
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1881–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Books (pg. 2-17) · Trustee1808
- Tax Books · Trustee1809–1993
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1917–1994
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1804–1989
- Minutes, Loose · County Clerk1808
- Trial Docket · County Clerk1808–1813
- Minutes · Circuit Court1821–1990
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1849–1860
- Minutes · Chancery Court1865–1994
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1866–1877
- Workhouse, Minutes · County Clerk1895–1903
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1900–1994
- Minutes · School Board1907–1994
- Minutes · Dover, City of1952–1994
- Minutes, Chambers · Chancery Court1954–1967
- Minutes · Cumberland, City of1964–1994
County government and the poor
- Misc., Merchant's Bonds · County Clerk1894–1921
- Tippler's Bonds and Oaths · County Clerk1897–1901
- Misc., Constable Bond · County Clerk1924–1956
- Misc., Officials Bonds · County Clerk1942–1966
- Bonds, Conservators · Probate Records1958–1967
Roads
- Misc., Road Books · County Clerk1870–1913
Other records
- Misc., Physician's Rec · County Clerk1889–1919
- Miscellaneous, Note Books · Register of Deeds1904–1968
- Misc., Automobile Reg · County Clerk1916–1917
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1920–1986
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1921–1994
- Greenbelt · Register of Deeds1983–1984
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
- Stewart 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: Stewart 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, Stewart" 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: Montgomery County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Montgomery County
Later formed partly from Stewart County: Houston County, Humphreys County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1803, 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.