Welcome home to

Henderson County, Tennessee

(a web site dedicated to the pursuit of genealogy)

member of the TNGenWeb Project  

and the USGenWeb Project.

Henderson County was legislated into existence in 1821 and organized in 1822.

In 1845 a southeast corner strip was given for the creation of Decatur County.

In the 1870s, a small tract in the northwest corner was given to Carroll County.

In 1882 a large piece of the southwest corner went to Chester County.

A small tract in the western border was given to Madison County in the 1880s.

Announcements

What's New?

If you are a frequent visitor to the Henderson County Home Page, you may want to see a summary of what has been added since your last visit.

Site Search Engine

Now you can search the entire Henderson County Website (as well as the rest of the TNGenWeb Project) for any surname or key word!

This useful tool is found at http://www.tngenweb.org/ss/tngenwebss.html .

Federal Census Records Available Online

• 1830 Federal Census Index listing surname and page number. Courtesy of S-K Publications.

• 1840 Federal Census Index listing surname and page number. Courtesy of S-K Publications.
• 1840 Federal Census (Dist. 15 only). Courtesy of Linda Altom Smith.

• 1850 Federal Census Index.
  Copyright 2004 by Samuel Alsup.
• Complete 1850 Census transcript kindly donated by Samuel Alsup.
• 1850 Federal Census Index listing surname and page number.
• 1850 Federal Census (Dist. 15 Head of Household Only).
  Courtesy of Linda Altom Smith.
• 1850 Federal Census lookups provided by Jo A. Pandolfi.

• 1860 Federal Census Index (Districts 1 - 16).
  Copyright 1998 by J. David Taylor.

• 1870 Federal Census (Dist. 15 only). Courtesy of Linda Altom Smith.
• 1870 Federal Census lookups (for head of household only) provided by Jo A. Pandolfi.

• 1880 Federal Census image files

• 1900 Federal Census image files

• 1910 Federal Census image files

• 1920 Federal Census image files

• Census Online web site maintained by Mark Reed.
  Collection of Census sites covering the United States and Canada.

• 1850 Slave Schedule.
  Copyright 2004 by Samuel Alsup.

• 1860 Slave Schedule.
  Copyright 2004 by Samuel Alsup.

County Records Available at Lexington Courthouse
Although Henderson County was organized in 1822, most early records have been lost because of courthouse fires in 1863 and 1895.

• Births - start 1908
• Court & Miscellaneous Records
• Deaths - start 1908
• Deeds
• Marriages - start 1895
• Wills - start 1895

The Tennessee State Library and Archives maintains a list of Henderson County microfilmed records which are available for viewing or purchase from the State Library and Archives.

Certified copies of individual vital records may be ordered from the State of Tennessee.

County Records Available Online

• Births
  • Birth Records 1908-1909
• Deaths
  • Death Records 1908-1910
  • Death Records 1910-1911
  • Death Records 1914-1917 extracted from index at TSLA.
• Land Deeds
  • Grantor Deed Index -
    "A" Surnames Only - Deed Books P-7 (1856-1884).
  • Selected Deed Transcripts
• Marriages
  • Loose Marriage Records, Jan 1894 to Dec 1950
    • Sorted by Groom Surname
    • Sorted by Bride Surname (Format courtesy of David Donahue.)
  • Complete Marriage Records up to Dec 1900
  • 157 Selected Marriage Records 1893 - 1915
• Wills
  • Selected Wills and Estate Records

Church and Cemetery Records

• Barren Springs Primitive Baptist Church,
  Fourth District, Reagan community,
  minutes 1845-1895.
• Christian Chapel Church of Christ,
  Sixth District, about 17 miles N of Lexington,
  Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilm # 550 covers 1860-1943.
• Holly Hill Church,
  Records 1871-1913 and Church history. Courtesy of Linda Altom Smith.
• Middlefork Primitive Baptist Church,
  Fifth District, about 10.5 miles S of Lexington,
  Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilm # 694 covers 1823-1978.
• Mt. Gilead Baptist Church (1879-Present)
  This web site includes a church history and many photos of church members over the years.
• Mt. Gilead Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
  Fourth District, Shady Hill community,
  Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilm # 521 covers ~1852 - ~1884 (as part of Henderson County Miscellaneous Papers 1789-1953).
• Rock Hill Baptist Church,
  Third District, four miles E of Lexington,
  Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilm # 888 covers 1884-1985.
• Wildersville Baptist Church,
  Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilm # 924 covers 1871-1976.
• Tombstone Inscriptions from Selected Henderson County Cemeteries.
  Courtesy of David Donahue.
• McBride Cemetery Tombstone Transcriptions
  Cemetery is located 1 mile west of Sardis off Hwy 201.
  This transcription was performed May 2, 1999 and is provided courtesy of Kimberly Parks, Rusk, Texas.
• Springhill Cemetery Tombstone Transcriptions
• Politicians Buried in Henderson County.

Civil War Records

• Confederate Forces containing men from Henderson County
  • Newsom's Tennessee Cavalry Regiment
  • 18th (Newsom's) Tennessee Cavalry
  • 19th (Biffle's) Tennessee Cavalry
  • 21st (Wilson's) Tennessee Cavalry
  • 13th Tennessee Infantry Regiment
  • 27th Tennessee Infantry Regiment
  • Autobiography and Reminiscences of John William Carroll, Confederate veteran of 27th Tennessee Infantry and 21st Tennessee Cavalry.
  • Index of Confederate Pension Applications for Henderson County residents
    - Courtesy of Tennessee State Library and Archives.
    (Pension application index for residents of other TN counties can be found here.)
  • Are you researching Tennessee Confederate veterans who later moved to Texas?
    Search pension applications by surname at the Texas State Library and even order copies by email!

• Union Forces containing men from Henderson County
  • 7th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry
  • Henderson County Home Guards
  • Pension papers of GRISWELL, Thomas J..
  • Pension application of LATHAM, Rhoda Britt (widow of LATHAM, Carter C.).

• Tennessee and the Civil War - Web site hosted by Mitzi Freeman.

• Civil War Veteran Obituaries and Death Notices - Brenda Kirk Fiddler, compiler

• Battle of Parker's Cross Roads, Henderson Co., TN, 31 December 1862.

• Henderson County during the Civil War; An excerpt from "Tennessee County History Series" posted by jack@hal-pc.org.

• Web-based form which correlates Tennessee counties with their Confederate or Union units. Created by Sandy Keathley, host of White County, Tennessee.

• Vivian Arendall is willing to photograph graves of soldiers killed at Brices Cross Roads.
  Make arrangements by contacting her at VArendall@aol.com.

County Newspapers
Microfilm copies of all the following newspapers are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (Nashville). Microfilm copies of The Lexington Progress are available at the Everett Horn Public Library in Lexington.

• Lexington Reporter - There are only 23 surviving issues from 1875 and 1876.
• The Lexington Progress (still published today) - Scattered issues survive from 1888, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1900, 1901-1903. The collection is more complete from 1904 to date.
• Lexington Republican - Scattered issues survive from 1900, 1904, 1914, 1921-1934.
• The Sardis News - A single issue survives dated June 29, 1906.
• The Lexington Leader (successor to the Lexington Republican) - There are 5 surviving issues 1935-1937.

Private Records
This is your opportunity to have a dramatic impact on a fellow genealogist's research. Did you ever wonder what great granddad looked like? Have you considered that the old family Bible you have archived in your attic may contain the birthdates which some poor soul has been struggling for years to find? Although no one can dispute the usefulness of public records, private records can really help put flesh on the bones.

Please consider submitting a record today!

• Documents
  • Family Bible Records
  • Destroyed Land Deeds not surviving at the Henderson Co Courthouse
  • Letters
  • Journals and Diaries
• Photographs
  • Photographs organized by surname

Surname Research
List your lines here! Send email to hendersoncotnearthlink.net.

• Surname Lists (700 Henderson County surnames.)
• Current Henderson County Queries from TNGenWeb
• Old queries at TNGenWeb
  WARNING: Use of these older queries may prove frustrating.
  Useful information can sometimes be obtained, but email addresses may no longer be valid.
  • 2006 Queries
  • 2005 Queries
  • 2004 Queries
  • 2003 Queries
  • 2002 Queries
  • 2001 Queries
  • 2000 Queries
  • 1999 Queries
  • 1998 Queries
  • 1997 Queries
  • 1996 Queries
• Query Submission at TNGenWeb
• Mail Lists
• Henderson County Message Boards from Rootsweb

Maps

• Henderson County Historical and Genealogical Research Maps - James H. Hanna.
• 1836 Map of Henderson County showing Survey Sections and Civil Districts.
  Courtesy of David Donahue.
• 1860 Map of Henderson County - Mitchell's New General Atlas, by S. Augustus Mitchell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This map shows the original "rectangular" Henderson County. The only three towns shown are Independence, Lexington and Jacks Creek.
• 1895 Atlas Map of Henderson County
• Modern Map of Henderson County. Courtesy of MapQuest.

Recommended Reading

• Goodspeed's History of Henderson County, 1886. Posted by David Donahue.
• Henderson County's History by H. J. Bolen, 1922; Posted by David Donahue.
• History of Henderson County by Auburn Powers, 1930; Posted by David Donahue.
• The History of Scotts Hill, Tennessee by Gordon H. Turner Sr., 1976; Posted by David Donahue.

Links to Other Sites of Henderson County Interest

• Yesterday's Tennessee (Very nice and extensive collection arranged by subject.)
  
• The Watchers, covering North Henderson County and South Carroll County, TN.
  Created by Jerry McDaniel, jmcdaniel@cavalry.com.
• Henderson County Digital Library and USGenWeb Search Engine
• S-K Publications offers 1850 Census of Henderson County for sale.
  This book contains photocopies of the original census with a modern index.
• Short History of Henderson County. Courtesy of Linda Altom Smith.
• Historical Tour of Henderson County. Courtesy of William "Mike" Deere.

Research Sites to Visit in Henderson County

• Everett Horn Public Library
  702 West Church Street, Lexington, TN 38351
  (731)968-3239
  http://www.librarytechnology.org/lwc-displaylibrary.pl?RC=6256
  PLEASE NOTE: The Public Library has no full-time staff dedicated to answering mail queries.

• Henderson County Courthouse
  17 Monroe Ave., Lexington, TN 38351
  Closed on Wednesdays.
  County Clerk Office (731) 968-2856

• Beech River Heritage Museum
  26 Broad St.S., Lexington, TN 38351
  (731) 967-0306

Return to the TNGenWeb County Selection Page

This Henderson County Page has been visited 221401 times since April 6, 1998.

Copyright 1998 - 2007 by J. David Taylor

Last update: March 10, 2008

Original posting: January 20, 1998

This TNGenWeb Project website is hosted by USGenNet, a nonprofit web-hosting service solely supported by tax-deductible donations. If this website has provided you with useful information, please consider making a donation to USGenNet to help keep websites like this online.