Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Van Buren County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Entry Takers Book · Register of Deeds1836–1849
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1840–1898
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1840–1989
- Surveyor's Book · Register of Deeds1840–1904
- Land Sales · Chancery Court1897–1923
- Land Sales · Probate Records1898–1962
- Plat Book · Register of Deeds1906–1975
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1907–1989
Wills
- Wills · Probate Records1840–1990
- Minutes (Wills Included) · County Clerk1887–1989
Estates and guardianships
- Settlements, Ad. Ex. & Guard · Probate Records1851–1990
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1840–1990
- Marriages Loose Records · County Clerk1841–1930
- Vital Records · County Clerk1908–1935
Tax lists
- Tax Aggregate Books · County Clerk1840–1874
- Tax Books · Trustee1886–1968
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1968
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · Circuit Court1840–1989
- Minutes · County Clerk1840–1886
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1868–1875
- Minutes · Chancery Court1868–1988
- Minutes · School Board1913–1968
- Minutes · Spencer, City of1923–1990
County government and the poor
- Bonds, Ad. Ex. & Guard · Probate Records1888–1990
Other records
- Census Records · School Board1946–1968
- Ordinances · Spencer, City of1947–1952
- Leases, Oil and Gas · Register of Deeds1969–1989
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1972–1989
- Leases, Coal · Register of Deeds1975–1986
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
- Van Buren 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: Van Buren 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, Van Buren" 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: Warren County, White County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Warren County, White County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1840, 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.