Houston County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Houston County

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

Houston County, Tennessee
Map
Location in the state of Tennessee
Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	January 23, 1871
County Seat	Erin
Courthouse
Website: houstoncochamber.com/goverment/
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Description

The County was named for Sam Houston. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

Houston County, Tennessee Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1881	1871	1881	1871	1871	1869	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

County Courthouse

[[Image:

Houston County Courthouse, Erin, Tenn. Courtesy: Collection: County Court Houses, Flickr by Jimmy Emerson. Used by permission.]]

Houston County Courthouse
 PO Box 388;
Erin, TN 37061-0388
Phone: 931.289.3870 

County Clerk has marriage records.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records.
County Court has probate records.
Register of Deeds has land records.

[[Image:

Old Houston County Courthouse, Arlington

]]

Houston County Courthouse
4725 East Main Street
Erin, TN 37061
Phone: 1-931-289-3141

Houston County Clerk
Marriage,probate and court records
4725 East Main St., Room 100
Erin, TN 37061
Phone: 1-931-289-3141

Houston County Register of Deeds
Land records
4725 East Main St., Room 103
P.O. Box 412
Erin, TN 37061
Phone: 1-931-289-3510

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

History

[[Image:

Gov. Sam Houston (1793-1863)

]]

Middle Tennessee county on the Tennessee River. Established 1871.

The county is named after Sam Houston (1793-1863), Governor of Tennessee and later of Texas.

Parent County

1871--Houston County was created 23 January 1871 from Dickson, Humphreys, and Stewart Counties. 
County seat: Erin

From 1788 to 1796 people living in what is now part of Houston County were in extinct Tennessee County. Their records for that period are now found in Robertson County, Tennessee.

County Pronunciation

1. Hear it spoken (female)
2. Hear it spoken (male)

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Tennessee county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities

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
Erin
Towns
Tennessee Ridge
Unincorporated communities
McKinnon	Stewart

Neighboring Counties

Benton Dickson

Humphreys Montgomery

Stewart

Resources

Research Guides

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

African American

United States African Americans
Tennessee African Americans

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	WorldCat	Findagrave.com
TNGenWeb	Family History Library	BillionGraves
TNGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
Tombstone Project		Gravestones
TNGenWeb Cemeteries		Epodunk
BillionGraves
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator
• Houston County, Tennessee Cemetery Listing - cemetery information with transcriptions
• Douthat, James L. Kentucky Lake Reservoir Cemeteries. Vol. 2. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1988. Free Surname Index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.
• Maupin, Judith Ann Cemetery Records of Land Between the Lakes (Betweist Rivers) 1814-1982 May 1982. Cemetery records of land between the lakes

Census

1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Houston 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.

1810 - 1891

• Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

1880

• Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area.Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19--?. vol.9 FHL 976.836 X2f
• Sistler, Samuel D. 1880 census - Houston County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler & Associates, 2000. FHL 976.836 X2s 1880

1890 Lost

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. 2 1891. Houston County is included in Vol. 2.

• 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.com — index $

1900

• Finley, Nina. Census of Houston County Area.Erin, Tennessee : Friends of Houston County Library, 19--?. vol.10 FHL 976.836 X2f

1920

• Bush, Marisa, ed.. Houston County, Tennessee Census, 1920 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($)

Church

Court

Family Histories

It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:

• Locate publications about direct ancestors
• Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
• Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors)

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Houston, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 4,000 entries.

Bibliography

• Adams - Proctor, Irene Adams. The Adams Family Kith and Kin: From Halifax County, Virginia to Yellow Creek Valley and Grices Creek, Houston County, Tennessee; a Narrative Account: History, Biography, Genealogy and Legend. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2000. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ad17pi.
• Beasley - Lockhart, William Thomas. The Beasley Family of Benton, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart Counties of Tennessee. Florissant, Missouri: W. Lockhart, 1985. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B38Lw.
• Knight - Garrett, Jill Knight. Knight Cousins. Columbia, TN: Unknown, 1967. Available at FHL US/CAN Film 928090; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).

Land

• Houston County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1871 and is located at the county Courthouse, P.O. Box 388, 100 Main St., Erin, Tennessee 37061; Telephone: (931) 289-3141. 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 1871-1967; probate deed books 1871-1957; trust deed books, 1872-1967; Plat books 1853-1967.

Local Histories

• Goodspeed firm Goodspeed history of Tennessee The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886 for histories of Montgomery, Robinson, Humphreys, Stewart, Dickson, Cheatham, and Houston Counties of Tennessee.
• Finley, Nina - compiled from records housed at Houston County Board of Education Houston County School Data Pre-1930. 1991
• McClain, Iris Hopkins A history of Houston County. 1966 FHL US/CAN book 976.836 H2

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. Includes Houston County pensioners (p. 68)

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861 - 1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861 - 1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1891 - 1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch — images
• Civil War Research Database $
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Other Resources

• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Houston 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. Houston County, page 348.
  

Newspapers

Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at 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 Houston County click on the following city:

• Erin

Occupations

• Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Houston County.

Periodicals

Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers who are new to their area would not likely discover. This type of material may be found in local, regional, or statewide genealogical society journals. The following periodicals cover this county:

The River Counties

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Houston County, Tennessee records were published in The River Counties Quarterly, (14 vols.) edited by Jill K. Garrett. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2rc.

Probate Records

The Houston County Court has responsibility for the probate records.

Online Records

• 1779 – 2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

FamilySearch has placed scans of the following records online in the Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927 collection. These are browse-only collections. Handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes:

• Inventories, Wills, 1869-1966 (Vols. 1-4)
• Appropriation records, 1889
• Bonds, Letters, 1926-1966 (Vol. 2)
• Settlements, 1914-1953 (Vol. 3)

Taxation

Vital Records

See also How to order Tennessee Vital Records or order electronically online.

Birth

• 1881 - 1882 - Houston County Birth Index 1881-1882. Batch C519333 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org- free.

• 1908 - 1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

The original Houston County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Marriages are available from the time the county was created in 1871.

The following Houston County marriage records are microfilmed:

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1871 - 1991 - Available at the TSLA.
• 1871 - 1967 - Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.FHL 547752

The following Houston County marriage records have been abstracted and/or indexed:

• 1871 - 1937 - Houston County Marriage Index 1871-1937 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.</ref>
• Finley, Nina. Newspaper clipping collection: from the attic of Mr. and Mrs. James T. Brigham. Erin, Tennessee: Friends of Houston County Library, 19--. FHL 976.836 B39f
• 1780 - 2002 - Many county marriage records are indexed with images at Ancestry.com's Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. ($) Be aware that this index is not complete for many counties.
• 1790 - 1950 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 at FamilySearch.org- covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1838 - 1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Houston County is not included in Sistler's Early Middle Tennessee Marriages.

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Houston County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, see the following resources:

• W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 A3gp.

Death

• 1874 - 1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1908 - 1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

• 1914 - 1966 - Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

For deaths of Methodists in Houston County (or what later became Houston County) between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:

• 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.

Societies and Libraries 

See also a List of Tennessee Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Houston County Historical Society
c/o Nina Finley
P.O. Box 401
Erin, TN 37061

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
PO Box 330948
Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507
The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Houston County is one. It publishes The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, a quarterly containing articles of genealogical and historical interest. Little-known Tennessee records are published and indexed, along with family genealogies, Bible records and material submitted by members. There is an alphabetical Index to articles in the Journal 1988-summer 2005

Houston County Public Library
PO Box 183
Erin, TN 37061-0183
Phone: 1-931-289-3858

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee at Martin Phone: 1-731-881-7060 Hours vary by semester

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, Fulton, and Hickman counties in Kentucky.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

• FamilySearch Catalog (FamilySearch) — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
• Houston County, Tennessee by Dan Martin. Genealogy Resources, Local History, Queries
• Houston County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Houston County, Tennessee Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Houston County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
• RootsWeb Mailing List: DanvilleCrossing-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: DanvilleQueries-L (Tennessee River County Genealogy and History List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
• Houston County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)

References

Family History Library