Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Washington 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 Deeds1782–1969
- Deed Index, Direct/Reverse · Register of Deeds1783–1900
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1801–1968
- Surveyor's Books · Register of Deeds1824–1896
- Deed Index, Direct · Register of Deeds1900–1969
- Deed Index, Reverse · Register of Deeds1900–1969
- Guardian Settl., Land Sales · Chancery Court1911–1935
- Plats/Index to Plats · Register of Deeds1924–1969
Wills
- Index to Wills · County Clerk, loose papers1779–1889
- Wills · County Clerk1779–1968
- Wills · County Clerk, loose papers1779–1889
Estates and guardianships
- Inv. of Estates, Index · County Clerk1778–1900
- Insolvent Estates · County Clerk1779–1821
- Settlements, Adm./Exec · County Clerk1796–1969
- Inventories of Estates · County Clerk1822–1968
- Guardian Settlements · County Clerk1840–1968
- Bonds & Letters, Administrator · County Clerk1875–1968
- Executor's Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1875–1968
- Guardian, Bonds & Letters · County Clerk1875–1968
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Marriage Licenses · County Clerk, loose papers1787–1950
- Marriage Licenses · County Clerk, loose papers1787–1950
- Marriages · County Clerk1787–1969
- Marriage Bonds & Licenses · County Clerk1886–1929
- Equalization Min., Birth/Death · County Clerk1900–1913
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1778–1938
- Tax Books, District 1-18 · Trustee1856–1891
- Tax Release Records · County Clerk1887–1913
- Tax Books, Dist. 9 (inside) · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, Dist. 9 (outside) · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, District 8 · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, Districts 1-4 · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, Districts 1-9 · Trustee1939–1944
- Tax Books, Districts 10-11 · Trustee1939–1944
- Tax Books, Districts 12-13 · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, Districts 14-15 · Trustee1939–1944
- Tax Books, Districts 16-18 · Trustee1939–1968
- Tax Books, Districts 5-7 · Trustee1939–1960
- Tax Books, Districts 9-10 · Trustee1939–1944
- and 22 more series in the full listing
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1969
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1778–1969
- Superior Court Minutes · County Clerk1791–1817
- Minutes, Civil and Criminal · Circuit Court1809–1969
- Enrollments · Circuit Court1819–1875
- Minutes · Chancery Court1836–1964
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1870–1877
- Minutes, (Johnson City) · Chancery Court1891–1968
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1891–1968
- Minutes · School Board1919–1969
Other records
- Loose Records · Washington County Loose Records1774–1928
- Miscellaneous Rec., WPA · County Clerk1778–1900
- Jonesboro Educational Soc · County Clerk1885–1923
- Registers · County Clerk1889–1949
- Cash Journal · Trustee1927–1934
- Insanity Records · County Clerk1929–1969
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
- Washington 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: Washington 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, Washington" 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: Land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Washington County: Carter County, Davidson County, Greene County, Sullivan County, Unicoi County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1777, 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.