Overton County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States

Tennessee

Overton County

Overton County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Overton County (established 1806) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Tennessee Online Genealogy Records

Overton County, Tennessee
Map
Location in the state of Tennessee
Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	September 11, 1806
County Seat	Livingston
Courthouse
Website: www.overtoncountytn.com
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

Description

The County was named for the John Overton. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

Overton County, Tennessee Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1914	1867	1914	1815	1792	1867	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1914. General compliance by 1927.

County Courthouse

[[Image:

Overton County Courthouse, Livingston, Tenn.

]]Overton County Courthouse
317 East University St.
Livingston, TN 38570
Phone: 1-931-823-2536

Overton County; 100 E Court St; Livingston, TN 38570; Ph. 931.823.2536 Details: (Co Clk has m & pro rec from 1867; Clk Cir Ct has div & ct rec; Reg of Deeds has land rec)

Overton County Clerk
Marriage and probate records
317 E. University St., Room #22
Livingston, TN 38470
Phone: 1-931-823-2631

Overton County Register of Deeds
Land records
317 E. University St.
Livingston, TN 38570
Phone: 1-931-823-4011

Overton County Circuit Court Clerk
Court records
317 E. University St.
Livinston, TN 38570
Phone: 1-931-823-2312

Hours:
Mon.,Tues., Thurs., Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Wed. and Sat. 8 a.m.-Noon

History

Middle Tennessee county. Established 1806.

The county is named after "John Overton (1766–1833), one of the cofounders of Memphis, Tennessee."

Parent County

1806--Overton County was established 11 September 1806 from Jackson County. Early records may be found under Jackson County.
County seat: Livingston

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

1865 Fire damaged courthouse records.

• Lost census: 1810
• Lost marriage records: 1806 to 1866
• Lost probate records: 1806 to 1869

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.

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:

Towns
Livingston
Unincorporated communities
Allons Allred Alpine Crawford	Hanging Limb Hardy Chapel Hilham Mineral Springs	Monroe Rickman Timothy

Neighboring Counties

Clay Cumberland

Fentress Jackson

Pickett Putnam

Resources

Getting Started

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Overton County land, military, and tax records. To determine which books are being searched, or to search each publication's index individually, click here. You are now equipped with a checklist of books to pull off the shelves at a genealogy library, or a wish list for your personal book collection.

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Overton 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

• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. [Includes free African Americans in this county.]

• African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).

Cemeteries

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

Additional Cemetery Resources

• Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	5,643	—
1820	7,128	26.3%
1830	8,242	15.6%
1840	9,279	12.6%
1850	11,211	20.8%
1860	12,637	12.7%
1870	11,297	−10.6%
1880	12,153	7.6%
1890	12,039	−0.9%
1900	13,353	10.9%
1910	15,854	18.7%
1920	17,617	11.1%
1930	18,079	2.6%
1940	18,883	4.4%
1950	17,566	−7.0%
1960	14,661	−16.5%
1970	14,866	1.4%
1980	17,575	18.2%
1990	17,636	0.3%
2000	20,118	14.1%
2010	22,083	9.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Overton 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 Overton County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files and scanned images of census microfilm. The USGenWeb Census Project^®.

1810 Lost A Substitute is available:

• Sherrill, Charles A. The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records from Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 2001.

1810 - 1891

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

1820

• Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. FHL 976.8 X22b 1820
• Houston, Martha Lou. 1820 Census of Overton County Tennessee. Washington, D.C.: M. L. Houston, 1900. Free digitized book.
• Waldrep, G.C. "'Free Colored' Heads of Household in the 1820 Tennessee Census," available online, courtesy: Free African Americans website. Includes free African Americans in this county.

1830

• Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2p 1830.

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, Middle District, Overton County on page 157.
• "Overton County, Tennessee, Soldiers, Continental Line, Census 1840," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 15, No. 4 ():139-. For access, see Periodicals.

1850 Agricultural Census

• Green, Linda L. Tennessee 1850 Agricultural Census. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Va.: L.L. Green, 2000. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 X2g v. 1 ff. Overton County is included in Vol. 1.

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. 5 1891. Overton County is included in Vol. 5.
• 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 Male Voters

• 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry.com — index $

1920

• Young, Denise, ed. Overton County, Tennessee Census, 1920 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
• Overton County, Tennessee Census, 1920 at Ancestry.com (Free/$)

Church

Baptist

• Spring Creek. Minutes (1802-1868) available online.

Court

DNA

DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Overton County residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

• Brown - Descendant of Samuel Brown, b. abt 1790 North Carolina, d. abt 1845 Overton County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 109827). Genetic signature available online (labeled Group No. 93), genealogical description available online, courtesy: Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study. Matches have been found.
• Parrett - Descendant of James Forrester Parrett (1830-1868) of Overton County, Tennessee. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 67049). Genetic signature available online (labeled Fr-1), genealogical description available online, courtesy: The Doss DNA Project, World Families. Matches have been found with Doss surname.

Family Histories

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 Overton, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 115,000 entries!

• Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., TN Kin, Family Trees: Family Trees Compiled from 1994-1998. 2 vols. Muncie, Ind.: S. Gray, 1998. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8684 D2g v. 1 ff.
• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Bibliography

• Bates - Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
• Bilbrey - Eldridge, Charles S. History, Tennessee, My People and Me. Dayton, Ohio: C.S. Eldridge, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273EL24ec.
• Carlock - Carlock, Marion Pomeroy. History of the Carlock Family and Adventures of Pioneer Americans: Including the Kimbrough, Goodpasture, Hoyl, Fite, Fancher, Lee, Wells, Judy, Tracy, Settles, Gaddis, Rowell, Moore, Cornelison, Harrold, Brown and other Connecting Families. Los Angeles, CA: M. P. Carlock, 1929. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C196c; FHL US/CAN 1033974 Item 4; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
• Copeland - Orpha Halssell and Charlcie Pauline Carlton Fletcher Ancestors and descendants of Solomon Addison Copeland Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: P.C. Fletcher, 1988 FHL book 929.273 C79
• Crawford - Edward Crawford's Family: With Special Emphasis on those Descendants Who Lived in or Passed through Macoupin County, Illinois: With Eventual Concentrations in Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee. n.p.: Crawford Family Book Committee, 1988. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C856.
• Dale - Edgerly, Dorthea Roach and Raymond Henry William Dale (1783-1857)of Lawrence County, Indiana Oceanside, California : D.R. Edgerly FHL book 929.273 D156e. Digital version available at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Finley - Finley, Carmen J. "John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1990):243-255; Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1991):18-33; Vol. 35, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1991):122-135; Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1991):173-185; Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1991):251-262. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 34 (1990)-v. 35 (1991).
• Finley - Finley, Carmen J. "John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia: Additional Children Identified," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):3-22; Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1995):94-103; Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):202-212; Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1995):282-294. Digital version at Sonoma State University - Schulz Library ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 39 (1995).
• Garrett - Parke, Iris Garrett. Garrett Family of Buckingham County, Virginia and Overton County, Tennessee. Typescript, microfilmed in 1980. FHL US/CAN Film 1035813 Item 18.
• Gerlach - See Carlock.
• Goodpasture - Bates, Madison C. Bates, a Brief History and Genealogy of Joseph Harrison Bates. Galesburg, Ill.: Wagoner Printing Co., 1915. FHL/VAULT US/CAN Film 1145782 Item 3; digital version at Google Books.
• Goodpasture - Goodpasture, Robert Abraham. The Goodpastures of Iowa and Washington: With Related Families. Georgetown, Calif.: R.A. Goodpasture, 1978. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G624gra.
• Gregg - Rucker, Frank. Josiah Gregg. Independence, Missouri: Independence Examiner, 1949. FHL FAM HIST Book 921.73 A1 no. 108.
• Hammons - Williams, Sharon Ruth Hammons. Descendants of Hammons brothers John Milton and Elcanah C., 1820-1990. Chillicothe, Ohio: S.H. Williams, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184w.
• Harp - Smith, Mattie Benson. Harp Strings. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma: M.B. Smith, [1986?]. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H23s.
• Huddleston - Huddleston, George. Huddleston Family Tables. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1933. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H866h 1973; FHL US/CAN Film 928072 Item 8; digital version at Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($).
• Kimbrough - See Carlock.
• Goodpasture - See Carlock.
• Lovell - Pompey, Sherman Lee. Some Descendants of William Lovell of Overton County,Tennessee. Clovis, Calif.: S.L. Pompey, 1970. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 293.
• Parrott - Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P249k.
• Phillips - Sroka, John. A Workbook on the Phillips Families of Overton County, Tennessee. South Jordan, Utah: J. Sroka, 2006. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P541sj.
• Robbins - Gray, Shawn Descendants of Isaac Robbins Muncie, Indiana: S. Gray, [2003] FHL book 929.273 R535g FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Smith - Smith, Oma Ivadell. Smith-Garrett and Allied Families of Overton, Fentress and Pickett Counties, Tennessee: The Genealogy of Joseph Albert Smith and Nova Catherine Garrett. Jacksonville, Fla.: O. Smith, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sm61e.
• Stover - Kelsey, Mavis P. Benjamin Parrott c. 1795-1839 and Lewis Stover 1781-1850/60 of Overton County, Tennessee and Their Descendants. Houston, Texas: M.P. Kelsey, 1979. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P249k.
• Vaughn - Vaughn, Charles P. and Bernice Elizabeth Hoke Vaughn. The Vaughn Genealogy: from Wake County, North Carolina, to Jackson and Overton Counties, Tennessee. Ventura, Calif.: B.E. Vaughn, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 V465vc.

Genealogy

• Overton County, Tennessee: Genealogical Records at Ancestry.com (Free/$)

Land

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Overton County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:

1. Deed Book A: 1806-1809
2. Deed Book B: 1801-1809
3. Deed Book C: 1811-1813

• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

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.

Local Histories

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)

Military

Revolutionary War

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

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, Middle District, Overton County on page 157.
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($). Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr. 1961):49-52. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Overton County pensioners (p. 49).
• Transcription typed and formatted by Harold Keisling. Third? Regiment Tennessee Militia, Capt. Wiley Huddelston's Company  Raised from men who were from Overton, Pickett and Fentress County, Tennessee. Courtesy: TNGenWeb

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

Regiments. Civil War service men from Overton County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Overton County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B and F.
• 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Gore's) - CSA - Companies A, B, E, and F.
• 25th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B, D, and H.
• 28th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies A and K.
• 28th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (2nd Tennessee Mountain Volunteers) - CSA - Companies B and C.
• 84th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA

Union Soldiers

• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry - Company K.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Overton County:

• USGenWeb Archives, Overton County Tennessee Archives, (1 Feb 2012). Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Overton 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. Overton County, page 367-368.
• TNGenWeb, Overton County Tennessee Civil War. Biographies and photographs of Overton County Civil War Soldiers, letters, Confederate and Union regiments.

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 Overton County click on the following town:

• Livingston

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 Overton 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:

Ansearchin' News

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Overton County, Tennessee Genealogy records have been published in Ansearchin' News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. To view a list of these articles, visit their county index. To read digitized versions of the first 36 years of articles (Vols. 1-36), browse their archive or conduct a surname search. The Family History Library has a complete collection of the Ansearchin' News quarterly FHL Book 976.8 B2a.

Overton County Historical Society Newsletter

Family History Library has volume 1 - 8 FHL US/CAN 976.8684 B2n. Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)
For further information see Overton County Historical Society website: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnoverto/OCHS/index.htm

The Upper Cumberland Researcher

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Overton County, Tennessee have been published in The Upper Cumberland Researcher, the journal of the Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. To view a list of the first 17 years of these articles, visit their online Seventeen Year Index to The Upper Cumberland Researcher (Vols. 1-17, 1975-1992). The Index contains a "Counties" section beginning on page 19. The Family History Library has most issues through the present FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1975-1993) and FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2u (1994-present).

Prisons

Learn if your Overton County, Tennessee Genealogy ancestors went to prison!

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850.
• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870.

Probate Records

The Overton 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:

• Wills, 1870-1926 (2 vols.)
• Bonds, 1871-1886
• Bonds, Letters, 1887-1968 (3 vols.)
• Insolvent estate records, 1873-1948 (2 vols.)
• Inventories, 1848-1861
• Probate records, 1867-1887
• Settlements, 1870-1907 (3 vols.)

The following Overton County probate records have been abstracted, indexed, or both:

• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Tennessee Genealogy Records: Overton County. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 976.868 D2w; digital versions available at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).

Taxation

The following Overton County tax records have been abstracted:

• 1814 - "Direct Federal Tax-Delinquent Property Owners Listed for 1814," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Fall 1996):115-120. For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals. Includes Overton County.
• 1836 - Tatum, Ausborn C. "Overton County, Tennessee 1836 Tax List," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Spring 1983):15-20; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1983):80-82. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
• 1836 - Douthat, James L. 1836 Overton County, Tennessee Civil Districts & Tax List. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8684 R4d.
• 1836 - Tax List and Civil Districts, 1836, Tennessee Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, Nos. 1-2 (2001).
• 1836 - Tax List, 1836, Overton County, Tennesse Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 2004).
• 1836 - County Tax Records, 1836 (sel.), Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Winter 2004).
• 1860's - "Civil War Union Tax Assessments," The Upper Cumberland Researcher, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Dec. 1977):14-; Vol. 3, No. 1, (Feb. 1978):4-. For access, see Periodicals.
• 1862 - Tax List, 1862, Overton County, Tennessee Kin, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul. 2003); Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct. 2003).
• 1867 - Released from Paying Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Winter 1999).
• 1867 - African American Poll Tax, 1867, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2001).
• 1874 - 1875 - Sales of Land for Unpaid Taxes, 1874-1875, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 2003).
• Men in Army Released from Poll Tax, Overton County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 2001).

Vital Records

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

Birth

• 1886 - 1895 - Overton County Birth Index 1886-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C519602.

• TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988. FHL 1928804

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

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

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

• 1914 - 1955 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1955 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Marriage

The original Overton County marriage records are kept at the County Courthouse. Due to fire, marriages were lost in Overton County until 1867. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:

• 1625-1966 - Tennessee, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

• 1794 - 1751 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978. FHL 976.8 V2L.

State Marriage Records

• 1780 - 2002 - Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry.com — index $

• 1780 - 2002 - Tennessee State Marriage Index 1780-2002 at FamilySearch.org— index

• 1790 - 1950 - Tennessee County Marriages 1790-1950 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

• 1796 - 1950 - Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1838 - 1888 - Tennessee Civil Marriages, 1838-1888 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1851 - 1900 - Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry.com— index and images $

The following Overton County marriage records are microfilmed:

• 1867 - 1994 - Available at the TSLA.

• 1867 - 1953 - Available at the Family History Library. Each volume is indexed.FHL 981126

The following Overton County marriage records have been indexed:

• 1867 - 1910 - Overton County Marriage Index 1867-1910 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.

• 1867 - 1927 - Gray, Shawn. Overton Co., Tn., Marriage Index, 1867-1927. Muncie, Indiana: S. Gray, 1996. FHL 976.8684 V22g

• TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988. FHL 1928804

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

Divorce

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Overton County divorce papers in diverse County Courthouse records, 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

• 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index

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

• 1914 - 1955 - Tennessee Death Records 1914-1955 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

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

• TSLA. Overton County Vital Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Filmed by the TSLA, 1988. FHL 1928804

For deaths of Methodists in Overton County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following records:

• 1847 - 1914 - 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 1830's, 1840's, 1910's and 1920's.

Societies and Libraries

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

Overton County Historical Society
P.O. Box 753
Livingston, TN 38570
Phone: 1-931-403-0909

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
PO Box 330948
Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507
The society serves the 40 counties of middle Tennessee of which Overton 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

Millard Oakley Public Library
107 East Main St.
Livingston, TN 38570
Phone: 1-931-823-1888

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

• Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

• Tennessee Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• 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.
• Overton County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Overton County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• Rootwalker: Genealogy Pages for Northern Middle TN Free Genealogy Resources for the Region
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-ROOTWALKER-L (North Central Tennessee Genealogy List)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND-L (Upper Cumberland Tennessee Region Genealogy List)
• Overton County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)

References

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Family History Library