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 (showtime in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (commencement in 1879); and Memphis (beginning in 1874). Only the early Nashville birth records are indexed.

Tennessee birth records 1869-1909 are available online thru a partnership with Ancestry.com on at Ancestry.com's Tennessee State Library and Archives spider web page.  Tennesseans: learn more virtually how to admission these records for free.

Birth Certificates 1921 - nowadays

Contact the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records

1908 - 1912 and 1914 to 1920

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

Delayed Nascence Certificates 1869 - 1920

These delayed certificates were filed at the request of the individual or that person'south representative for legal reasons. To locate a delayed birth document, we demand the following information: proper noun of child, date of birth or approximate date of nascence, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). Visit the Enquire Us a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives and we can check our alphabetize to the "delayed" nascence records for a specified name. Please specify that you are requesting a "delayed" birth document. The Library and Athenaeum volition respond to electronic mail requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the corporeality of research required to answer your question and the unique nature of your asking. If y'all need immediate assistance you may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit the states 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 past the Shelby County Archives .

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

Nashville Birth Records

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

Death Records

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The state of Tennessee did not crave the keeping of expiry records until 1908. This law expired at the end of 1912. In 1913, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a new police that called for the keeping of more detailed death certificates. This law went into outcome in 1914.

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

The larger cities in Tennessee did continue earlier death records: Nashville (beginning in 1874); Knoxville (starting time in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1872); and Memphis (starting time in 1848). Only the early Nashville and Memphis death records are indexed. The Library and Archives can search the unindexed records for one year simply; you lot must provide us with the name of individual, date of death, the urban center, and the name of the spouse (if known).

Tennessee death records 1908-1965 are available online thru a partnership with Ancestry.com on at Ancestry.com'southward Tennessee State Library and Athenaeum web page.  Tennesseans: larn more nearly how to access these records for free.

Death Records 1971 - present

Contact the Tennessee Department of Wellness, Office of Vital Records

Death Records 1908-1912 and 1914-1970

To find a death record, nosotros demand the following information: name of private, date of death (or three twelvemonth range to search), county of expiry (if known) and proper noun of spouse (if known). Please continue 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 proper name of the deceased, county, twelvemonth of death and certificate number.  The post-obit indexes tin exist used to gild a copy of the death document from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. A sample expiry certificate is bachelor for viewing on our web site.

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

    Death records in this time period do not give parents' names. They practice include the individual's historic period, occupation, place of birth and cause of death. Names have been transcribed as plant on the original record, and may include spelling errors. There may also have been typographical errors fabricated in preparing this index. If y'all encounter an error of this blazon, delight notify us by email.

  • Index to Tennessee Expiry Records (1914-1933) - This index lists name of deceased, county of decease, and volume and page number of the certificate; outset with death certificates issued in 1926, the certificate number is listed instead of the volume and folio. (The index replaced the Partial Index to Tennessee Expiry Records 1914-1925, which covered only 38 counties in Tennessee and did non include children nether two years of historic period.)

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

  1. Bank check for alternate spellings of the surname.  Handwriting is non e'er legible and could exist misread.  Spelling variations are common.  A surname such asHale might be spelledHale, HayleorHail;  a surname such equallyDickson might exist spelledDickson,Dixon,  orDixson.
  2. Cheque for alternate spellings of the first name.  The nameWilliam A. Smith may be listed as Smith , William  orSmith, Will  orSmith, Wm.  or  Smith, Bill  orSmith, W.  orSmith, Westward.A.   The first name may have an abbreviation that is non in current usage, such asJas. for the name James.
  3. Some records did not include the given name of the deceased.  These records are listed at the offset of each surname, such asWilliams, (blank) orKing, (unknown) .
  4. Many death records for young children did not list a first name for the child.  These listings announced in the index asSmith, Infant of  or Jones, Baby of John.There are besides listings for older children, such asWhite, Son of John  orCase, Kid of Henry.
  5. Death certificates for some married women are listed under the proper noun of the husband, such asAdams , James (Mrs) .
  6. Titles relating to occupation will be listed after the first name of the private:Johnson, Martin (Rev.)  orHibbert, John (Dr.) orBlake, Charles (Maj.).
  7. If the individual died out of land, there volition not exist a death certificate issued in Tennessee, fifty-fifty if the torso was returned here for burial.
  8. Decease certificates during this time period were filled out past funeral directors.  If the deceased was buried in a family cemetery and no funeral habitation was involved, there will not be a death certificate on file in Tennessee.
  9. There are some death records for individuals who could not 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 bachelor on the Genealogy Index Search Site. Davidson County (as singled-out from Nashville) began keeping their ain death records in 1900 and continued to practise so through 1913. The decease records in this index include the following data: last name, first proper name, race, date of death, historic period, place of burying, and the volume & tape number.

Please annotation that many of the recorded names in this alphabetize practise non announced in the Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912.

Shelby County Death Records

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

Wedlock Records

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Tennessee counties were not required to record marriages in leap record books until 1838. While non required to do then, many counties in Tennessee did record their early marriages. The early marriages were recorded in ledgers by the Canton Court Clerk. The clerk normally recorded only the names of the bride and groom, the government minister or justice of the peace and (sometimes) the bondsman.

PLEASE NOTE : Marriage records in Tennessee have changed during its statehood. In many cases, the marriage license itself was given to the bride and groom. The official marriage record on file in the state will be an entry fabricated into a wedlock ledger book by the Canton Court Clerk. More often than not, the clerk recorded only the names of the helpmate & groom, the minister or justice of the peace, and (sometimes) the bondservant. A limited number of counties began issuing indistinguishable marriage licenses in the 1880s. The data on marriage records can vary county past county. Some counties began list the names of the parents of the bride & groom in the 1880s; some counties did not include this information until the mid 1920s. When y'all asking a search for a marriage record from the Library and Archives, we will check to meet if there is a marriage license on file. If in that location is no license on file, then we will send the entry from the county'due south marriage ledger book.

Tennessee Marriage Records 1970 - Present

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

Tennessee Marriage Records July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1969

For the dates July 1, 1945 - Dec 31, 1969, in that location is a year-by-yr statewide microfilm index to Tennessee marriage records. The alphabetize is bundled past the name of the groom; the bride is listed just by her beginning name and the offset letter of her maiden name.   A request for a marriage record search for the years dates July 1, 1945 - December 31, 1969 must include the name of the groom. The Library and Archives will, for a fee, search a 5 yr range in this index. The search request requires the proper name of the groom and the date of the union (or nosotros volition search the five year range 1945-1965); the name of the bride & the county of spousal relationship are non required, merely should be included if known.

Tennessee Marriage Records 1861 - June 30, 1945

Marriages 1861 - June thirty, 1945 can be found in the records of each county. At that place is no land-wide index to marriages during this time period. We can search the microfilmed county records for a marriage record if given the names of the groom and bride, canton of marriage, and the date of the marriage or a v-year date span. If the spousal relationship occurred in i of the four metropolitan counties (Davidson County, Hamilton County, Knox County and Shelby Canton), then a 3-year engagement bridge must exist specified. PLEASE Notation that the Tennessee Country Library and Archives does NOT accept Davidson County spousal relationship records for May 1941 - June 1945. These records are available through the Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson Canton.

Tennessee Union Records 1780-1861

A list of extant (in existence) matrimony records in Tennessee for the years 1780-1861 has been published. You lot may visit the Ask U.s.a. a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives with the name of the bride or groom, the judge year of the marriage and (if known) the county where the wedlock took place. Please send merely one email search request at a time for a single marriage record search. We will bank check the index and transport a reply by e-mail at no charge notifying y'all if a listing for the marriage tape is found. The Library and Archives will respond to e-mail service requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of research required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If you demand immediate assistance you may phone call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.

Divorce Records

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Tennessee Divorce Records 1971 - Nowadays

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

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

The Tennessee Country Library and Athenaeum has a state-broad divorce alphabetize which covers the dates July one, 1945 - December 31, 1970.  If the divorce took place during this time menstruation, the Library and Archives will search a v twelvemonth range country-broad for a divorce. You must  to provide us with the name of the husband & wife, the appointment of the divorce or a five year range to search, and (if known) the county where the divorce was granted.

Tennessee Divorce Records prior to July ane, 1945

If the divorce took place prior to July 1, 1945, and so the Library and Archives will search a 5 year range in ONE specified county for a divorce. You lot must  to provide us with the proper noun of the married man & wife, the date of the divorce or a five year range to search, and specify One county where the divorce was granted.

Divorce Records in Courtroom Minutes

Court minutes are another location to search for records apropos the granting of a divorce.  Yous must provide the name of the husband & married woman, the year of the divorce (or a five year range to search), specify ane county, and specify 1 court to be searched.  If the divorce took place later 1834, and involved a dispute over the partition of holding, then it would have been heard in the Chancery Court;   if the divorce did not involve a dispute over the division of belongings, then it would have been heard in the Excursion Courtroom.

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

In the early days of Tennessee, divorce requests had to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly.  The Search the Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 to cheque if there is a listing for a particular individual.  The Library and Archives can, for a fee, copy upward to three chapters from the published Acts of Tennessee.  If an act is located, we can as well check to run into if a legislative petition is on file for the divorce.