Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Sullivan 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 Deeds1775–1950
- General Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1781–1930
- Deeds (not indexed) · Register of Deeds1820–1897
- Land Survey · Register of Deeds1824–1841
- Land Entries · Register of Deeds1832–1903
- Land Entries (not indexed) · Register of Deeds1864–1903
- Deeds and Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1889–1930
- Deeds · Bristol, Register of Deeds1889–1951
- Trust Deeds · Bristol, Register of Deeds1899–1940
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1927–1950
- Deed, Index · Register of Deeds1930–1966
Wills
- Wills · County Clerk1838–1953
Estates and guardianships
- Executors Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1829–1955
- Inventories · County Clerk1864–1955
- Administrators Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1875–1957
- Settlements of Estates · County Clerk1878–1952
- Estate, Insolvent · County Clerk1881–1942
- Guardian Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1882–1953
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Marriages · County Clerk, loose papers1863–1950
- Marriage Rec./Bonds (Misc.) · County Clerk, loose papers1863–1950
- Marriage Records/Bonds · County Clerk, loose papers1863–1950
- Marriages · County Clerk1863–1953
- Vital Statistics, Births · County Clerk1881–1882
- Vital Statistics, Deaths · County Clerk1881–1894
- Vital Stat., Births (not indexed) · County Clerk1908–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1877–1933
- Tax Books · Kingsport, City of1930–1946
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1969
- Military Discharges · Bristol, Register of Deeds1944–1961
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Chancery Court1852–1957
- Minutes · Bristol, City of1856–1954
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1858–1867
- Minutes · County Clerk1861–1951
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1871–1874
- Minutes, Index (Direct/Indirect) · Circuit Court1873–1910
- Enrollments · County Clerk1874
- Minutes · Circuit Court1879–1909
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1902–1952
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1908–1956
- Minutes · Kingsport, City of1917–1954
- Minutes · School Board1923–1970
Roads
- Road Books · County Clerk1883–1891
Other records
- Physician's Register · County Clerk1889–1971
- Ordinances · Kingsport, City of1917–1953
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1929–1948
- General Index · Bristol, Register of Deeds1930–1976
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
- Sullivan 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: Sullivan 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, Sullivan" 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: Washington County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Washington County
Later formed partly from Sullivan County: Hawkins County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1779, 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.