Benton County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Benton County

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

County Facts County seat: Camden Organized: December 19, 1835 Parent County(s): Henry, Humphreys Neighboring Counties Carroll  • Decatur  • Henry  • Houston  • Humphreys  • Perry  • Stewart 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 David Benton (1779-1860), who was an early settler in the county and a member of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Militia in the Creek War. The County is located in the west area of the state.

County Courthouse

Benton County Courthouse
1 Court Square 101
Camden, TN 38320
Phone: 731-584-6053
Benton County Courthouse

County Clerk has marriage records from 1836 and probate records from 1840.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records.
Register of Deeds has land records.

County Pronunciation Hear it spoken (female) Hear it spoken (male)

Benton 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
1881	1836	1881	1836	1820	1836	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

1835--Benton County was created 19 December 1835 from Henry and Humphreys Counties. County seat: Camden 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
Camden
Towns
Big Sandy
Unincorporated communities
Holladay	Post Oak
Census-designated places
Eva

Neighboring Counties

Carroll Decatur Henry

Houston Humphreys

Perry Stewart

History Timeline

Additional Information
The county is named after "Creek War veteran David Benton (1779-1860), an early settler in the county."

Resources

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. Includes Benton County.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Benton 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 BillionGraves Linkpendium Gravestones Epodunk
See Tennessee Cemeteries for more information.

 

• Tennessee cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

Census Records

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Benton 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 Benton County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®

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

1810-1891

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

1840

• Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson, An Abtract of the 1840 United States census for Benton County, Tennessee (S.I.: s.n.), 1977 (Memphis: R.H. Harris) FHL US/CAN Book 976.833 X28s

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, Benton County on page 158.

1880

• Sistler, Byron and Barbara 1880 census Benton County, Tennessee (Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler and Associates, 1990) FHL US/CAN Book 976.833 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. 2 1891. Benton 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

1891

• Benton County 1891 Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of 21 years of Age and Up. Henry County Tennessee Archives. Free lookups available!
• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

1900

• Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1900 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?) FHL US/CAN book 976.833 X22

1910

• Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1910 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?) FHL US/CAN book 976.833 X22

1920

• Dunlap, Linda and Denham, Laura 1920 every-name census index, Benton County, Tennessee (Paris, Tennessee: W.G. Rhea Public Library, 2003?) FHL US/CAN book 976.833 X22

Church Records

Church records include baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as information about family members and clues about family migration.For additional information about church records, religions, and religious archives in Tennessee, see Tennessee Church Records.

• Church histories tell when a church started in the area, who the early members were, give data about church leaders, etc.

- FamilySearch Catalog - Benton County Church History

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

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

  - List of Benton County churches (TN HomeTownLocator)

The churches with the largest membership in Benton County are the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. For more information about religions in the county, see the charts showing membership by faith created by the Association of Religion Data Archives.

• In 1936, a helpful guide to early Benton 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 the county are listed.

Court Records

County Court

• Minutes of the County Court of Benton County, Book No. 2, 1842-1854, Part 1 and 2, available online through Danville Crossing Archives.
• Benton County, TN. Records 1836-1855: Includes administrations, guardians, clerk, trustees, probate of deeds, record of wills and the scholastic population WPA Free lookups available!

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.

Genealogies

More than 65 genealogies have been published about Benton County, Tennessee families. For more information visit Benton County, Tennessee Compiled Genealogies.

Land and Property Records

The Benton County Register of Deeds is located at the Courthouse, E. Court Square, Rm. 101, Camden, TN 38320-0008; Telephone: (901) 584-6053. It has has land records beginning with the county's organization in 1836. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Other records available include:

• Benton County Deed Books Vol. 2-May 1843-Jan 1849 ([Mayfield, KY?]:Simmons Historical Publications,s.d.). Digital version available at World Vital Records ($). Available for purchase at Simmons Historical Publications.
• Benton County Deed Books Vol. 3-Feb 1849-Nov 1852, ([Mayfield, KY?]:Simmons Historical Publications,s.d.). Digital version available at World Vital Records ($).
• The Family History Library has microfiled records from the Register of Deeds Office of Deed Books 1836-1885 and Trust Books 1874-1882. It also has some published land records.
• Wills, Laura Benton County, Tennessee, Deeds Volume 1 (June 1830 - April 1843) Free lookups available!

Local Histories

• Perry, Larry T. A Pictorial History of the Old 23rd District. L.T. Perry, 198? Free lookups available!
• Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson Historic Benton a people's history of Benton County, Tenn. Memphis, Tennessee:Richard H. Harris, 1976FHL US/CAN book 976.833 H2sk. Free lookups available!

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 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, Benton County on page 158.

War of 1812

• Armstrong, Zella Twenty-four hundred Tennessee pensioners:revolution - War of 1812 Baltimore, Maryland Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987. FHL US/CAN book 976.8 M2az 1987. Free lookups available!

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 1861-1865 - Tennessee, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 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
• 1891-1965 - Tennessee, Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows, 1891-1965 at FamilySearch
• Civl War Research Database
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Regiments. Men in Benton 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 Benton County:

Confederate Soldiers

• 5th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies E and M.
• 27th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company A.
• 49th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company I.
• 55th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Brown's) - CSA - Companies A and B.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Benton County:

• Tennesseans in the Civil War (Parts One and Two) Civil War Centennial Commission, Nashville, TN 1964. FHL US/CAN book 976.8 M2t. Free lookups available!
• Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant (Volumes 1 and 11) Charles L. Webster and Company, New York, 1886 printed by J.J. Little and Co., NY. Family History Library holdings: Volume 1: FHL US/CAN film 962513 item 1. Volume 2: FHL US/CAN film 1697318 item 2 and FHL US/CAN book 921.73 G767gu. Free lookups available!
• 49th Tennessee Infantry History. Brief history, roster of Company I.
• TNGenWeb, Benton County in the Civil War. Includes links to units, soldiers, etc., both Union and Confederate.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Benton 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.Benton County, page 317.
• CWSAC Battle Summaries, Johnsonville. Location: Benton County.
• Ezell, Norman L., Tragedy at Duck Hill Station, Collision of the James Brown & The A. M. West. This page gives a brief description of the battle, a roster of those killed and an incomplete list of those soldiers wounded.
  

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Benton County:

• November 4-5, 1864 - Johnsonville[11]

Map showing Civil War battles in Tennessee

Spanish American War

• Hale, Will T.The First Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. Nashville, 1899. Free digital copy.

World War I and II

• Service Record - World War I and II Camden and Community. American Legion circa 1947 Free lookups available!

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 Benton County click on the following city:

• Camden

This newspaper has been partially abstracted:

• Smith, Jonathan Kennon Thompson. Selective Gleanings from Camden, Tennessee Newspapers, 1882-1932. Memphis, Tenn.: J.K.T. Smith, 1977. FHL US/CAN book 976.833/C1 V2s. Free lookups available!

The following publications are based on early newspapers:

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
• 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL 976.8 V2L.

For deaths of Methodists in Benton 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 976.855/N1 V48s 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.
• Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly: Family History Library has volume 3, no. 1 (Jan - Mar 1991) - 21, no. 4 (Dec 2009) with some issues missing.
  FHL 976.833 D25b. Free lookups available for 1989-1997 Quarterly.
• Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. Back issues online and table of contents for newer issues; FHL US/CAN 976.8 B2f.
• West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: FHL US/CAN Book 976.81 B5w. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)

Probate Records

The County Court Clerk has responsibility for the probate records of Benton County. Some probate records are kept at the Benton County Archives($).

Online Records

• 1779-2008 - Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry($)

• 1855-1968 - Benton 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.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1836-1910 - Benton County Genealogical Society. Wills of Benton County 1836-1910. Camden, Tennessee: The Benton County Genealogical Society, 2009.
• 1837-1861 - 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 probate records.

Tax Records

The original Benton County Tax Books 1836-1909 were microfilmed by TSLA in 1968. FHL copies: FHL US/CAN Films 944046, 557667.

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1836 "1836 Land and Poll Tax List," Transcript, Benton County Public Library, Camden, Tenn. Digital version, by Brian Nichols, available online at TNGenWeb.
• 1836 "1835 Map of Civil Districts, Benton County, Tennessee" and "Benton County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Summer 1994):56-61. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Benton.
• 1836 Tax List, 1836, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Camden TN: Jul 1997. Vol. 9 Iss. 3.
• 1836 Poll Tax Payers, 1836, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly
• 1837 - Cleveland, Harry Milton. "Benton County, Tennessee 1837 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Fall 1994):107-110. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Benton.
• 1844 Land Tax List, 1844, Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Camden TN: Dec 2005. Vol. 17 Iss. 4.
• 1865-1866- Smith, Jonathan K.T. United States Direct Tax Commission, District of Tennessee, Benton County, 1865-1866. Jackson, Tenn.: n.p., 1992. FHL US/CAN Book 976.833 R4s.

Vital Records

Birth

Online Records

• 1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch
• 1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1912 - Tennessee, Birth Records (ER Series), 1908-1912 at FamilySearch
• 1925-1939 - Benton County Birth Index 1925-1939. Batch C000285 at FamilySearch

Marriage

Online Indexes and Records

• 1780-2002 - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 - Ancestry ($), Incomplete
• 1790-1962 - Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950 - at FamilySearch. index and images. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
• 1796-1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch
• 1832-1957 - Benton County, Tennessee Marriages 1832-1957 at FamilySearch Digital Book
• 1838-1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch
• 1846-1850 - Benton County, Tennessee Marriage Book #1 at FamilySearch Digital Book
• 1851-1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)

Book Abstracts and Indexes

• 1832-1869 - Early West Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. FHL 976.8 V2sbff
• 1837-1900 - Benton County, Tennessee marriage records, 1837-1900 FHL 976.833 V2b

Death

Online Records

• 1874-1955 - Tennessee Deaths and Burials 1874-1955 at FamilySearch
• 1908-1958 - Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry $
• 1914-1966 - Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 at FamilySearch
• 1925-1939 - Benton County Death Index 1925-1939. Batch B000160 at FamilySearch

Divorce

• 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

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

Paris Tennessee Family History Center
1921 Lone Oak Rd
Paris, TN 38242
Phone: 731-642-2285
Website

Online catalog

Libraries

Big Sandy Branch Library
12 Front St.
Big Sandy, TN 38221
Phone: 731-593-0225
E-mail: sandylib@bellsouth.net
Website

Benton County Library
121 S Forrest Ave
Camden, TN 38320
Phone: 731-584-4772
E-mail: bentoncolibrary@bellsouth.net
Website

Note: The County Archives is located in the basement of the main facility of the Benton County Public Library

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

Benton County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 775
Camden, TN 38320
Website

Website lists current leadership and publications for sale. The members receive the Benton County Genealogical Society which is published in March, June, September, and December.

West Tennessee Historical Society
P.O. Box 111046
Memphis, TN 38111
Phone: 1-901-475-6608
E-mail: efrank@memphis.edu

Websites

• Benton County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Benton County, TN Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Benton County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb) - county site, transcriptions and other resources helpful on the county level.
• 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.

Research Guides

Research Guides

• "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Benton County at TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
• Welcome to Benton County Tennessee, web page has a history of the are and many links to cities and interests, such as biographies, births, census, military, newspaper articles, etc.

Family History Library