Birth Records

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Tennessee began keeping birth records statewide in 1908. The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier nativity records: Nashville (beginning in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1879); and Memphis (kickoff in 1874). Only the early Nashville birth records are indexed.

Tennessee birth records 1869-1909 are available online thru a partnership with Beginnings.com on at Ancestry.com's Tennessee Land Library and Archives spider web folio.  Tennesseans: acquire more than about how to access these records for free.

Birth Certificates 1921 - present

Contact the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records

1908 - 1912 and 1914 to 1920

The Tennessee Land Library and Archives has statewide nativity records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1920. To find a birth record, nosotros demand the following data: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known).

Delayed Birth Certificates 1869 - 1920

These delayed certificates were filed at the request of the individual or that person's representative for legal reasons. To locate a delayed nativity certificate, nosotros demand the post-obit information: name of kid, date of nascence or approximate appointment of nativity, canton of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). Visit the Ask Us a Question! web folio to contact the Library and Archives and we can bank check our index to the "delayed" nativity records for a specified proper name. Please specify that you are requesting a "delayed" birth certificate. The Library and Athenaeum volition answer to e-post requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of inquiry required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If yous need immediate assistance you lot may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.

Memphis Birth Records

The Library and Archives has copies of the city birth records for Memphis for 1874-1883; early Memphis nascence records for 1884-1917 are held by the Shelby Canton Archives .

An online index to Shelby County birth records for the years 1874-1916 is available on the web site of the Shelby County Register of Deeds .

Nashville Birth Records

The Metro Athenaeum of Nashville and Davidson County has posted an online index to Nashville city birth records for 1881 - 1913 .

Death Records

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The state of Tennessee did non require the keeping of death records until 1908. This constabulary expired at the cease of 1912. In 1913, the Tennessee Full general Assembly passed a new law that called for the keeping of more detailed decease certificates. This police force went into result in 1914.

When the first law expired at the end of 1912, however, no individuals or agencies were charged with the responsibility of keeping expiry records. For this reason, 1913 is frequently referred to as a "dead year" for expiry certificates in Tennessee.

The larger cities in Tennessee did continue earlier death records: Nashville (beginning in 1874); Knoxville (kickoff in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1872); and Memphis (showtime in 1848). Just the early Nashville and Memphis death records are indexed. The Library and Archives tin search the unindexed records for i twelvemonth only; yous must provide us with the name of private, date of death, the metropolis, and the proper name of the spouse (if known).

Tennessee death records 1908-1965 are available online thru a partnership with Beginnings.com on at Ancestry.com'due south Tennessee Country Library and Archives spider web page.  Tennesseans: learn more about how to admission these records for gratis.

Expiry Records 1971 - nowadays

Contact the Tennessee Section of Health, Part of Vital Records

Death Records 1908-1912 and 1914-1970

To find a death record, nosotros need the following information: name of individual, date of expiry (or three year range to search), canton of death (if known) and proper name of spouse (if known). Please proceed in mind that some deaths were not recorded, due to poor record-keeping by local officials. TSLA has searchable indexes for these records that includes the name of the deceased, county, year of death and document number.  The following indexes can be used to lodge a copy of the death certificate from the Tennessee State Library and Athenaeum. A sample death certificate is available for viewing on our web site.

  • Alphabetize to Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1912 -  This alphabetize covers nearly 98,000 deaths occurring in Tennessee and recorded between 1908 and 1912. Although deaths were not registered as advisedly and regularly equally they were offset in 1914, the index includes all extant records. If no year of death was given on the certificate, it is noted in this index equally "1908-12". Children with no given proper name are listed under "infant".

    Death records in this fourth dimension period practice non give parents' names. They do include the individual's historic period, occupation, place of birth and crusade of death. Names have been transcribed every bit plant on the original record, and may include spelling errors. There may also have been typographical errors fabricated in preparing this alphabetize. If yous see an fault of this type, please notify usa past electronic mail.

  • Index to Tennessee Expiry Records (1914-1933) - This index lists name of deceased, county of expiry, and volume and page number of the certificate; beginning with decease certificates issued in 1926, the certificate number is listed instead of the book and folio. (The index replaced the Partial Alphabetize to Tennessee Death Records 1914-1925, which covered only 38 counties in Tennessee and did not include children under 2 years of age.)

When using this index, please keep the following in mind:

  1. Check for alternating spellings of the surname.  Handwriting is not always legible and could exist misread.  Spelling variations are common.  A surname such every bitHale might be spelledHale, HayleorHail;  a surname such asDickson might be spelledDickson,Dixon,  orDixson.
  2. Check for alternate spellings of the first name.  The proper nounWilliam A. Smith may be listed as Smith , William  orSmith, Will  orSmith, Wm.  or  Smith, Nib  orSmith, W.  orSmith, Westward.A.   The first name may accept an abbreviation that is not in current usage, such asJas. for the name James.
  3. Some records did not include the given proper name of the deceased.  These records are listed at the beginning of each surname, such asWilliams, (blank) orKing, (unknown) .
  4. Many death records for young children did not listing a first proper noun for the kid.  These listings appear in the alphabetize equallySmith, Infant of  or Jones, Infant of John.In that location are too listings for older children, such asWhite, Son of John  orInstance, Kid of Henry.
  5. Death certificates for some married women are listed under the proper name of the husband, such asAdams , James (Mrs) .
  6. Titles relating to occupation will be listed subsequently the start name of the individual:Johnson, Martin (Rev.)  orHibbert, John (Dr.) orBlake, Charles (Maj.).
  7. If the individual died out of land, there will non be a death certificate issued in Tennessee, even if the torso was returned hither for burial.
  8. Death certificates during this time period were filled out by funeral directors.  If the deceased was buried in a family cemetery and no funeral home was involved, at that place will not be a death certificate on file in Tennessee.
  9. At that place are some expiry records for individuals who could non be identified  ("unknown white male, in late 40s").  These arenot included in this alphabetize.

Davidson County Death Records 1900 - 1913

A searchable alphabetize to the Davidson County Death Records 1900 - 1913 is available on the Genealogy Index Search Site. Davidson Canton (as distinct from Nashville) began keeping their own death records in 1900 and continued to do so through 1913. The expiry records in this index include the following information: terminal proper noun, offset name, race, date of expiry, historic period, place of burial, and the volume & tape number.

Delight note that many of the recorded names in this alphabetize practice not appear in the Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912.

Shelby County Death Records

An online alphabetize to Shelby County death records for the years 1848-1966 and a state-broad index to Tennessee expiry records for the years 1949-2014 is bachelor on the web site of the Shelby County Annals of Deeds .

Marriage Records

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Tennessee counties were not required to tape marriages in jump tape books until 1838. While not required to exercise so, many counties in Tennessee did record their early marriages. The early marriages were recorded in ledgers by the County Court Clerk. The clerk usually recorded only the names of the bride and groom, the minister or justice of the peace and (sometimes) the bondsman.

Delight NOTE : Spousal relationship records in Tennessee take changed during its statehood. In many cases, the marriage license itself was given to the helpmate and groom. The official matrimony record on file in the land volition be an entry made into a marriage ledger book past the Canton Courtroom Clerk. Generally, the clerk recorded just the names of the bride & groom, the government minister or justice of the peace, and (sometimes) the bondsman. A limited number of counties began issuing indistinguishable marriage licenses in the 1880s. The information on marriage records can vary canton by county. Some counties began listing the names of the parents of the helpmate & groom in the 1880s; some counties did non include this data until the mid 1920s. When y'all request a search for a union record from the Library and Archives, we will check to see if there is a marriage license on file. If there is no license on file, then we will send the entry from the county's marriage ledger book.

Tennessee Wedlock Records 1970 - Present

For marriage records from 1970 to the nowadays, contact the Tennessee Department of Health, Function of Vital Records.

Tennessee Marriage Records July ane, 1945 - December 31, 1969

For the dates July i, 1945 - December 31, 1969, there is a year-past-year statewide microfilm index to Tennessee marriage records. The index is bundled by the proper noun of the groom; the bride is listed only by her first name and the first letter of her maiden proper name.   A request for a marriage tape search for the years dates July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1969 must include the name of the groom. The Library and Athenaeum will, for a fee, search a five year range in this index. The search asking requires the name of the groom and the date of the marriage (or we will search the 5 twelvemonth range 1945-1965); the name of the bride & the county of spousal relationship are not required, just should exist included if known.

Tennessee Union Records 1861 - June thirty, 1945

Marriages 1861 - June 30, 1945 can be found in the records of each canton. In that location is no state-wide index to marriages during this fourth dimension period. We can search the microfilmed county records for a marriage record if given the names of the groom and bride, county of marriage, and the engagement of the marriage or a 5-yr engagement span. If the marriage occurred in i of the four metropolitan counties (Davidson County, Hamilton County, Knox Canton and Shelby County), then a 3-yr date span must be specified. Please NOTE that the Tennessee State Library and Athenaeum does Non have Davidson County marriage records for May 1941 - June 1945. These records are bachelor through the Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County.

Tennessee Spousal relationship Records 1780-1861

A list of extant (in being) marriage records in Tennessee for the years 1780-1861 has been published. You may visit the Ask Us a Question! spider web page to contact the Library and Athenaeum with the proper noun of the bride or groom, the guess year of the marriage and (if known) the county where the marriage took place. Delight transport only one e-post search request at a time for a single marriage record search. We will check the index and send a reply by electronic mail at no charge notifying you if a listing for the marriage record is constitute. The Library and Athenaeum will respond to e-mail requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of inquiry required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If you lot need immediate assist you may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.

Divorce Records

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Tennessee Divorce Records 1971 - Present

For divorce records from 1971 to the nowadays, contact the Tennessee Section of Health, Part of Vital Records.

Tennessee Divorce Records July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1970

The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a state-wide divorce index which covers the dates July one, 1945 - December 31, 1970.  If the divorce took identify during this time period, the Library and Archives will search a v year range country-wide for a divorce. You must  to provide united states of america with the proper name of the husband & wife, the date of the divorce or a five yr range to search, and (if known) the county where the divorce was granted.

Tennessee Divorce Records prior to July one, 1945

If the divorce took identify prior to July ane, 1945, and so the Library and Archives volition search a five year range in ONE specified county for a divorce. You must  to provide us with the name of the husband & wife, the date of the divorce or a five year range to search, and specify I county where the divorce was granted.

Divorce Records in Court Minutes

Court minutes are some other location to search for records apropos the granting of a divorce.  You lot must provide the name of the husband & wife, the twelvemonth of the divorce (or a five year range to search), specify one canton, and specify i courtroom to be searched.  If the divorce took place afterwards 1834, and involved a dispute over the division of holding, then it would accept been heard in the Chancery Court;   if the divorce did not involve a dispute over the partition of belongings, then it would have been heard in the Circuit Court.

Tennessee Divorce Requests with the TN General Assembly - 1796 - 1850

In the early days of Tennessee, divorce requests had to be approved past the Tennessee General Associates.  The Search the Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 to cheque if there is a listing for a particular individual.  The Library and Athenaeum tin, for a fee, copy upwardly to three chapters from the published Acts of Tennessee.  If an act is located, we can also cheque to encounter if a legislative petition is on file for the divorce.