Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Union County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1856–1983
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1856–1996
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1869–1994
- Deed and Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1983–1996
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1875–1996
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1856–1982
- Settlements, Administrators · Probate Records1859–1969
- Estate, Claims · Probate Records1872–1915
- Settlements, Executors · Probate Records1901–1982
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1864–1993
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1881–1882
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1898–1992
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1949–1984
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1854–1995
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1909–1993
- Minutes · School Board1932–1991
- Minutes · Maynardville, City of1958–1996
- Minutes · Luttrell, City of1966–1996
- Minutes · Chancery Court1969–1995
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1969–1995
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1969–1994
- Minutes · Probate Records1982–1995
- Minutes · Plainview, City of1992–1996
Other records
- Release Books · Register of Deeds1946–1995
- Charters · Register of Deeds1968–1984
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1971–1988
- Leases · Register of Deeds1973–1984
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
- Union 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: Union 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, Union" 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: Anderson County, Campbell County, Claiborne County, Grainger County, Knox County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Anderson County, Campbell County, Claiborne County, Grainger County, Knox County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1854, 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.