Dyer County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Dyer County

Guide to Dyer County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Dyersburg Organized: October 16, 1823 Parent County(s): Chickasaw Indian Lands Neighboring Counties Crockett  • Gibson  • Lake  • Lauderdale  • Mississippi (AR)  • Obion  • Pemiscot (MO) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The County was named for Robert Henry Dyer (circa 1774-1826). The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Dyer County Courthouse
P.O. Box 1360
115 Market Street
Dyersburg, Tennessee 38025-1360
Dyer County Website Phone: 731-286-7814
County Clerk Phone: 731-286-7818
Register of Deeds Phone: 731-286-7814

County clerk has marriage and probate records from 1850, divorce and court records from 1927, and funeral records from 1914-1956
Recorder of Deeds has land records

County Pronunciation

Hear it spoken (female) Hear it spoken (male)

Dyer County, Tennessee Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1908	1850	1881	1927	1820	1853	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

1864 Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. Lost marriage records: 1823 to 1859 Lost probate records: 1823 to 1853 For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

1823--Dyer County was created 16 October 1823 from Chickasaw Indian Lands. County seat: Dyersburg For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Dyersburg
Towns
Newbern	Trimble
Unincorporated communities
Beech Grove Big Boy Junction Bogota Bonicord Boothspoint	Finley Fowlkes Hawkinsville Lenox Midway	Millsfield Nauvoo RoEllen Tatumville Tigrett

History Timeline

Additional Information
West Tennessee county.

The county is named after "Tennessee state legislator Robert Henry Dyer."

Resources

Biographies

• Family Biographies from The History of Dyer County, Tennessee (1887) published by Goodspeed are available on the My Genealogy Hound website.
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Purchase at Genealogical.com. [Includes Dyer County.]

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Dyer County, Tennessee online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com TNGenWeb TNGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project TNGenWeb Cemeteries BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Gravestones
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	1,904	—
1840	4,484	135.5%
1850	6,361	41.9%
1860	10,536	65.6%
1870	13,706	30.1%
1880	15,118	10.3%
1890	19,878	31.5%
1900	23,776	19.6%
1910	27,721	16.6%
1920	29,983	8.2%
1930	31,405	4.7%
1940	34,920	11.2%
1950	33,473	−4.1%
1960	29,537	−11.8%
1970	30,427	3.0%
1980	34,663	13.9%
1990	34,854	0.6%
2000	37,279	7.0%
2010	38,335	2.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Dyer County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide online indexes.

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

See Dyer County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®

1810-1891

• Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry ($)

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Dyer County on page 158.

1850

• Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh census of the United States, 1850; Dyer County, Tennessee,population schedules Huntsville, Arkansas Century Enterprises, Genealogical SErvices, 1969 FHL US/CAN book 976.815 X2

1860

• Felldin, Jeanne Robey and Tucker, Charlotte Magee 1860 United States census, Dyer County, Tennessee, surname index Tomball, Texas Genealogical Publications, c1976 FHL US/CAN book 976.8 A1

1880

• Sistler, Samuel 1880 census, Dyer County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Byron Sistler and Associates, 2002 FHL US/CAN book 976.815 X2

1890 Lost, but substitutes are available:

• Reed, Sue S. Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-one Years of Age and Upward, Citizens of Tennessee, January 1, 1891, as Provided for by an Act of General Assembly of Tennessee, Passed January 15, 1891, and Approved January 22, 1891. 8 vols. Houston, Texas: S.S. Reed, 1989. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2r v. 3 1891. Dyer County is included in Vol. 3.
• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1890.

Male Voters

• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Church Records

• If the records you need are not found in the Family History Library collection, contact the church(es) in the area where your ancestor lived.Two sites that give information about churches in Dyer County are:

- List of Dyer County churches with addresses and phone numbers (Yellowbook)

- List of Dyer County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

• In 1936, a helpful guide to early Dyer County church records was published by the Works Project Administration. Use this guide to locate which church records exist and where they were housed in 1936. The Tennessee State Library and Archives has filmed some of these records. To locate which records are available at the TSLA, go to the appropriate "county fact sheet" on the TSLA Web site and scroll down to "selected manuscript material". All filmed church records at the TSLA for Dyer County are listed. Many of these filmed records are also available at the Family History Library.
• Tennessee Diaries, Memoirs and Church Records in the Manuscript Division, Tennessee State Library and Archives: Listed by County. Nashville, Tenn.: Manuscript Division, 1965. Digital versions of this guide are available at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).

Court Records

Law and Legislation

• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. January 25, 2005. In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service. The TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. To read more about this valuable resource Click here. The searchable index is available at the TSLA; another version is available at World Vital Records.

Land and Property Records

Dyer County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1823 and is located at Courthouse Square, P.O. Box 1360, Dyersburg, Tennessee 38025-1360; Telephone: (731) 286-7814. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deed books 1824-1882 with indexes 1822-1915, land survey books 1827-1860, and survey entries 1820-1911.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
• Map of 1888 Dyer County, Tennessee with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
  

Military Records

Revolutionary War
The following Dyer County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:

• 1835 Pension Roll
• Select Pension applications

Additional resources include:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. FHL US/CAN Book 973 X2pc 1840; FHL US/CAN Film 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Dyer County on page 158.

War of 1812
There were no War of 1812 pensioners or widows of pensioners living in Dyer County on 2 January 1883.

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

• 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 - Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1891-1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Dyer County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Dyer County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Neely's) - CSA - Company K.
• 12th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
• 12th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies D and F.
• 13th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
• 15th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Stewart's) - CSA
• 20th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Russell's) - CSA - Company D.
• 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I and K.
• 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Freeman's) - CSA - Companies I and K.
  
• 47th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, C, D and E.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Dyer County:

• Dyer County Tennessee Military History. Links available for Confederate and Union forces, Dyer County TN Civil War Veterans Index, etc.
• Genealogy Trails, Men from Dyer County in the Civil War. Includes, name, service, date of death, place or cause of death and rank.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Dyer County. Includes soldier's name, county, pension #, unit or widow.
• United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883: Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for ... (Washington Printing Office; 1883). Online at Internet Archive. Dyer County, page 333.
  

Newspapers

Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the TSLA. Most of these newspapers may be accessed by interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee, although there are some newspapers which are not available in or outside of Tennessee. For further information regarding interlibrary loan policies and newspapers not available for interlibrary loan click here. For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Dyer County click on the following cities or towns:

• Dyersburg
• Newbern

For deaths of Methodists in Dyer County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try:

• Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Nashville Christian Advocate. (1847-1914) 10 vols. Jackson, Tenn.: J.K.T. Smith, 1997-2003. FHL US/CAN Books 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851 ff; digital versions at David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository. Website expands upon the publications and includes deaths from the 1830s, 1840s, 1910s and 1920s.

Other Records

Prisons

• 1831-1850 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
  
• 1851-1870 - Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

Genealogical periodicals can contain unique sources and can be local, regional, or statewide. The following periodicals cover this county:

• Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website; FHL Book 976.8 B2a.
• Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search. FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.

• Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
• Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
• Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
• Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)

• West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. FHL US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records

The County Court has responsibility for Dyer County probate records.

Online Records

• 1779-2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
• 1853-1893 - Dyer County portion of Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 at FamilySearch - images only; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.- How to Use this Collection

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1853-1893 - Lambert, Agnes and Mary N. Gilmore, transcribers for Works Progress Administration. Dyer County, Tennessee Wills. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1998. (FHL book 976.815 P2L v. 1.)
  
• 1853-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL US/CAN 976.8 P22s. Includes an index to this county's wills.
• USGenWeb's Dyer County page has links to several transcribed wills.

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.

• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

The original Dyer County Tax Books 1862, 1873-1884 were microfilmed by the TSLA in 1970. FHL copy: FHL US/CAN Film 833249.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1836 - Tatum, Ausborn C. "Dyer County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Winter 1982):177-180. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 29-30 (1982-1983);digital version at society's website. For further access, see Periodicals.
• 1836 - Tax List, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History. Signal Mountain TN: Aug 1997. Vol. 1 Iss. 2-3.
• 1836 - Douthat, James L. 1836 Dyer County, Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Listing. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2003. FHL US/CAN Book 976.815 R4d; online: index and purchase details.
• 1836 - Alsup, Samuel. "1836 Tax Rolls, Dyer Co., TN," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
• 1859 - Appling, Lynn Pierce. "Dyer County Tax Sales 1859," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Spring 1998):36-38. FHL US/CAN ;Book 976.8 B2a v. 45-46 (1998-1999). For access, see Periodicals

Vital Records

Birth

• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Marriage

Online Indexes and Records

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1790-1962 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 [1790-1962] - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.- How to Use this Collection
• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1860-1880 - Marriage records, 1860-1880, Dyer County, Tennessee FHL US/CAN 24642 item 3 (click on camera)
• 1860-1895 - Dyer County Marriage Index 1860-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1980-2014 - Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1794-1851 - Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2L.
• 1860-1879 - Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 1 ff. Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates in this county for the specified years.

Death

• Hays, Tony. West Tennessee Death Records [ca. 1823-1852]. 2 vols. n.p.: Kitchen Table Press, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 976.8 V2ht v. 1-2. [Dyer County is included in Vol. 2]
• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1933 - Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1933 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1914-1966 - Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
• 1949-2014 - Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce

Online Records

• 1796 - 1850 - Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
• 1980-2014 - Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Online Titles

• W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp - Inventory stating where divorce records are housed.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Dyer County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Dyer County. For state-wide library facilities, see Tennessee Archives and Libraries.

Hamilton Parks Public Library
74 Parks Plaza
Trimble, TN 38259
Phone: 731-297-3601
E-mail: trimblelibrary@hotmail.com
Facebook

McIver's Grant Public Library
204 N Mill Ave
Dyerburg, TN 38024
Phone: 731-285-5032
E-mail: library38024@yahoo.com
Facebook
website

Newbern City Library
220 E Main St
Newbern, TN 38059
Phone: 731-627-3153
E-mail: newber_c@bellsouth.net
Facebook

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center
Paul Meek Library
University of Tennessee at Martin
Phone: 731-881-7060
Website

The Heritage Study Center holds a variety of genealogical resources including materials relating to the following counties in Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley and Carlisle (KY), Fulton (KY), and Hickman (KY) counties in Kentucky.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Dyer County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Tennessee Societies.

Dyer County Historical Society
120B McGaughey Street E.
Dyersburg, TN 38024
Phone: 731-286-7829
Website

West Tennessee Historical Society
P.O. Box 111046
Memphis, TN 38111
Phone: 901-475-6608
E-mail: efrank@memphis.edu
Website

Websites

• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
• Dyer County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Dyer County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Dyer County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library