Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for Wayne County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Entry Taker's · Register of Deeds1820–1903
- Surveyor's Book · Register of Deeds1820–1907
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1821–1992
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1821–1995
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1873–1995
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1922–1994
- Plats · Register of Deeds1965
- Liens · Register of Deeds1979–1992
Wills
- Wills and Inventories · Probate Records1848–1893
- Loose Records (Wills) · Probate Records1850–1950
- Wills · Probate Records1893–1992
Estates and guardianships
- Minutes, Guardian · Probate Records1868–1893
- Settlements, Guardian · Probate Records1870–1982
- Estates, Insolvent · Probate Records1872–1952
- Bonds, Administrator's · Probate Records1874–1968
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1892–1966
- Inventories · Probate Records1894–1991
- Settlements, Admin. & Exec · Probate Records1920–1982
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1857–1991
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1881–1912
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1873–1977
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1919–1975
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1848–1995
- Minutes · Circuit Court1851–1982
- Minutes · Chancery Court1861–1995
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1871–1877
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1907–1994
- Minutes · School Board1913–1995
- Minutes · Collinwood, City of1952–1996
- Minutes · Clifton, City of1961–1995
- Minutes · Waynesboro, City of1967–1996
- Minutes · Probate Records1982–1996
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1982–1991
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1983–1994
Roads
- Road Books · County Clerk1854–1885
Other records
- Miscellaneous, Loose Rec · Chancery Court1824–1930
- Loose Records · Chancery Court1850–1930
- Omitted Files Loose Records · Chancery Court1860–1899
- Loose Records · Probate Records1900–1929
- Pro. Register, Physician's · County Clerk1907–1937
- Pro. Register, Optometry · County Clerk1913–1950
- Ordinances · Collinwood, City of1915–1994
- Leases, OiL and Gas · Register of Deeds1917
- Cash Journal · Trustee1930–1968
- Ordinances · Waynesboro, City of1936–1995
- Census · School Board1946–1956
- Miscellaneous Index · Register of Deeds1965–1993
- Resolutions · Collinwood, City of1965–1996
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1968–1995
- and 1 more series in the full listing
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
- Wayne 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: Wayne 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, Wayne" 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: Hickman County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Hickman County
Later formed partly from Wayne County: Lewis County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1817, 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.