Records that survive
These are the record series the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has microfilmed for White County, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Land and deeds
- Deed and Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1801–1882
- Deed Index · Register of Deeds1809–1952
- Deeds, Probate · Probate Records1833–1965
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1877–1995
- Trust Deed Index · Register of Deeds1882–1952
- Trust Deeds · Register of Deeds1882–1995
- Deed Index Direct & Reverse · Register of Deeds1953–1968
- Trust Deed Index Dir. & Rev · Register of Deeds1953–1968
- Liens · Register of Deeds1955–1990
- Plats · Register of Deeds1956–1967
- Deed Index Direct · Register of Deeds1969–1994
- Deed Index Reverse · Register of Deeds1969–1994
- Trust Deed Index Direct · Register of Deeds1969–1994
- Trust Deed Index Reverse · Register of Deeds1969–1994
Wills
- Wills and Inventories · Probate Records1810–1828
- Settlements and Wills · Probate Records1831–1967
- Wills · Probate Records1944–1993
Estates and guardianships
- Estates, Loose Records · Probate Records1807–1899
- Inventories · Probate Records1841–1982
- Bonds, Administrator's · Probate Records1866–1990
- Bonds, Guardian · Probate Records1886–1994
- Letters, Administrator's · Probate Records1886–1915
- Estates, Claims Against · Probate Records1930–1961
- Settlements · Probate Records1967–1982
- Minutes, Probate · Probate Records1973–1993
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages · County Clerk1838–1994
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1881–1909
Tax lists
- Tax Books · Trustee1811–1992
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1943–1992
Court orders and minutes
- Minutes · County Clerk1806–1965
- Minutes, Loose Records · Circuit Court1841–1899
- Minutes · Chancery Court1842–1993
- Minutes · Circuit Court1859–1914
- Enrollments · Chancery Court1874–1935
- Minutes, Criminal · Circuit Court1907–1994
- Minutes, Civil · Circuit Court1915–1993
- Minutes · School Board1920–1994
- Minutes · Sparta, City of1927–1994
- Minutes, Chamber · Chancery Court1950–1966
- Minutes, Quarterly · County Clerk1966–1994
- Minutes · Doyle, City of1973–1994
County government and the poor
- Reports, County Officials · County Clerk1838–1884
- Bonds, Merchants · County Clerk1884–1916
- Bonds, Magistrate's · County Clerk1888–1954
- Bonds, Constable's · County Clerk1912–1960
- Bonds, County Officials · Register of Deeds1942–1966
Roads
- Road Books · County Clerk1891–1899
Other records
- Miscellaneous Records · County Clerk1807–1899
- Note Books · Register of Deeds1842–1862
- Pro. Registers, Physicians · County Clerk1889–1952
- Leases · Register of Deeds1896
- Pro. Registers, Optometry · County Clerk1909–1951
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1930–1994
- Pro. Registers, Nurses · County Clerk1936–1949
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
- White 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: White 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, White" 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: Jackson County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Jackson County
Later formed partly from White County: Cumberland County, DeKalb County, Putnam County, Van Buren County, Warren County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1806, 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.