Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy

Historical populations
	Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.

Washington County
	Washington County, Tennessee
	Map
	; Location in the state of Tennessee, United States Genealogy
	; Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
	Facts
Founded:	November 15, 1777
County Seat	Jonesborough
	Courthouse
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United States Genealogy

Tennessee

Washington County

Washington County, Tennessee ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to Washington County (established 1777) 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.

{{Click|Image:TN_ORP.png|Tennessee Online Genealogy Records}

Quick Dates[edit | edit source]

Washington County's civil records start the following years:^[1]

Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1925	1787	1908	1830	1782	1779

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

[[Image:

Washington County Courthouse, Jonesborough, Tennessee

|Washington County Courthouse, Jonesborough, Tennessee]]

Washington County Courthouse
100 East Main Street P O Box 219
Jonesborough, TN 37659
Phone: 1-423-753-1621

County Clerk has birth records 1908-1912 and 1925-1938, marriage records from 1787
and probate records from 1779.
Register of Deeds has land records. ^[2]

Washington County Clerk
Marriage and probate records
Birth records 1908-1912 and 1925-1938
100 East Main St.
P.O. Box 219
Jonesborough, TN 37659
Phone: 1-423-753-4716

Washington County Register of Deeds
Land records
100 East Main St.
Jonesborough, TN 37659
Phone: 1-423-753-1644

Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friends of the Archive
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History[edit | edit source]

[[Image:

President George Washington (1732-1799)

|President George Washington (1732-1799)]] [[Image:

In the 1780s, this county's land fell within the bounds of the State of Franklin Genealogy

]] The county was named after George Washington (1732-1799) who became the First President of the United States in 1789.^[3]

In 1776 settlers in what would eventually become Tennessee successfully petitioned North Carolina to recognize the Washington District. The District included all of modern Tennessee except two small settlements (North-of-Holston, Fincastle County, and Pendleton, Washington County) in the far northeast that were considered part of Virginia at the time. From the Washington District North Carolina created Washington County in 1777 as the western county of North Carolina.^[4]

In August 1784 delegates from Washington and two other western North Carolina counties which had split off from Washington (all now in Tennessee), declared their Independence from North Carolina because of perceived neglect, and misuse by North Carolina’s legislature. By May 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the new State of Franklin Genealogy. The Franklin statehood request was denied. By 1789 the hopes for a State of Franklin faded. North Carolina refused to recognize several counties created by Franklin out of Washington County.^[5]

North Carolina became a state in 1789 and ceded her westernmost counties to the United States. The ceded counties, including most of Washington County, became the Southwest Territory.

In 1792 North Carolina annexed back some land from Washington County that would later become Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties in North Carolina and attached it to Wilkes County, North Carolina.^[6] In 1796 the remainder of Washington County and the rest of the Southwest Territory became the new State of Tennessee.

East Tennessee county established in 1777. Originally part of the pioneer Watauga Settlements, from 1784 to 1788, this land was also claimed by the abortive, short-lived State of Franklin Genealogy.^[7]

See also Washington (old) County, North Carolina Genealogy, originally called Washington District, North Carolina, for further information about Washington County, Tennessee.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

1777--Washington County was created 15 November 1777 from Washington district.
County seat: Jonesborough ^[8]

County Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

Hear it spoken^[9] (female)
Hear it spoken^[10] (female)

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

1839 Fire damaged courthouse records.^[11]

Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820

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[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

Adams Mill	Embreeville	Kincheloe Mill	North Johnson City
Asbury	Fairview	Kitzmiller (hist.)	Oak Grove
Austin Springs	Fall Branch	Knob Creek Mill	Oakland
Barnes	Flourville	Leesburg	Painter Spring
Big Cherokee	Gabtown	Liberty	Philadelphia
Big Sandy	Garber	Limestone	Piney Grove
Boone	Gladstone	Little Cherokee	Pleasant Valley
Boones Creek	Glendale	Locust Mount	Princeton
Bowmantown	Graham Mill	Luke (hist.)	Reeves
Brownsboro (hist.)	Gray	Matuta (hist.)	Roan Hill
Broylesville	Greenwood	Maucks (hist.)	Spurgeon
Buffalo Ridge (hist.)	Hacker (hist.)	Mayday	Stewart Hill
Camp Wildwood	Hale	Mayflower (hist.)	Sulphur Springs
Carnegie	Harmony	McKinley	Taylor Mill
Cherokee	Hartmantown	Midway	Telford
Christie (hist.)	Haws Crossroads	Mill Brook	The Y
Clarkson (hist.)	Johnson City	Miller	Washington College
Conklin	Jonesborough	Mitchell Springs	Watauga Flats
Crouch Crossroad	Kansas City	Mount Carmel	Wheelocktown (hist.)
Dove (hist.)	Keebler Crossroads	Nanatluqunyi (hist.)	Woodlawn
Dry Creek	Keys Mill	New Victory
Ducktown	Keystone	Nolichucky (hist.)

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Unicoi

Resources[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

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

Getting Started[edit | edit source]

For early settlers, Fischer's book is a great place to start searches. She created a comprehensive index to pre-1800 Washington County court, land, marriage, probate, and tax records, see:

Fischer, Marjorie Hood. Tennesseans before 1800: Washington County. Galveston, Texas: Frontier Press, 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 N22f.

Use the free Search for Surnames at Mountain Press's website to quickly search a variety of published Washington County biography, court, and probate 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.

African American[edit | edit source]

United States African Americans Tennessee African Americans

Bibles[edit | edit source]

Watauga Association of Genealogists. Tennessee Bible and Family Records. Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 1996. FHL 976.8 V2wa. Free Lookups Available! Washington County families are the primary focus.

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Biographical Sketches Washington County (transcribed by Louise M. Jackson from Goodspeed's History of Tennessee County Histories Nashville, Tenn., 1886-1887), available online, courtesy: David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

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

Additional Cemetery Resources

Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Bennett, Charles M. Washington County, Tennessee Tombstone Inscriptions by Charles M. Bennett and Watauga Association of Genealogist, compiled by Loraine Bennett Rae in 3 volumes. Nashville, TN: TRAECO Printing, 1977.

Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map showing the locations of Washington County cemeteries. It may be purchased for a small fee through his website.

Census[edit | edit source]

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Washington 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 Washington County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project^®.

1790 Lost Only statistics survive^[12], but substitutes are available see Taxation, and:

Eakle, Arlene. Tennessee Research. 2010. Purchase information at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Genealogy Blog. Includes a reconstructed 1790 census, sources: "Contemporary lists–tax lists, militia rolls, land grants and deeds, claims for pre-emption lands, names recorded in diaries and journals. And numerous histories compiled by local historians from records that we have not seen or read ourselves."
Jackson, Ronald Vern. Ohio, 1790, Volume Two. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1986. FHL 977.1 X2o 1790. Includes "Territory Southwest of the River Ohio," i.e. East Tennessee.^[13]
McGhee, Lucy Kate. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as Taken from the North Carolina Land Grants. 3 Parts. Microfilmed in 1990. FHL 1728882 Item 4 and FHL 1683130 Item 3.

1800 A substitute is available, see Taxation.

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. FHL 976.8 X2s 1810; Google Books.

1810 - 1891

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

1820 Lost ^[14]

1820 Manufactures

The original manufactures schedules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee are kept at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL 1024517 - FHL 1024518.

Published abstracts:

National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. Covers this county.

1820 Census of Manufactures: Washington County, East Tennessee Roots, Vol. 8, No. 4 ():247. For availability and an online description, see Periodicals.

1830

Sistler, Byron H. 1830 Census, East Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: n.p., 1969. FHL 976.8 X2p 1830.
Streleski, Nelda. Washington County, Tennessee, 1830 Census. Champaign, Ill.: Decatur Genealogical Society, 1968. FHL 976.897 X2p.

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 973 X2pc 1840; FHL 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Washington County on page 154.

1860

Padgett, Hilda Britt. Washington County, Tennessee 1860 Census. n.p.: H.B. Padgett, 2000. FHL 976.897 X2p 1860.

1870

Padgett, Hilda Britt. Washington County, Tennessee 1870 Census. n.p.: H.B. Padgett, 1997. FHL 976.897 X2p 1870.

1880

Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Washington County, Tennessee. Nashville: B. Sistler & Associates, 1994. FHL 976.897 X2s 1880. Free Lookups Available!

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 976.8 X2r v. 7 1891. Washington County is included in Vol. 7.
Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Ill.: Byron Sister and Associates, 1978. FHL 976.8 X2s 1890.

1891 Male Voters

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

Church[edit | edit source]

Antioch Baptist Church Records, 1950-1981

Court[edit | edit source]

Superior Court

Rogers, Pauline and WPA. Washington County, Tennessee, Superior Court Minutes 1791-1804. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1999. FHL 976.897 P2r.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

More than 25 genealogies have been published about Washington County families. To view a list, visit Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy.

Immigration[edit | edit source]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding 8 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Washington County.^[15]

Land[edit | edit source]

Deeds

The original Washington County Deed Books are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1969, TSLA microfilmed Deed Books 1 to 53 (1782-1887) and an Index (1783-1900). FHL copies: FHL 825522 - FHL 825541.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Washington 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:

Some Washington County land records have been abstracted:

c1771-1815 - Pruitt, A.B. North Carolina Land Warrants in Tennessee, Valid and Invalid. Whitakers, N.C.: A.B. Pruitt, 2004. FHL 976.89 R2p.
1775-1817 - Rae, Lorraine. Washington County, Tennessee, Deeds (1775-1817). 2 vols. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1991. FHL 976.897 R2r v. 1.
1778-1783 - Meier, Oveda. Entry Taker's Report, 1778-1783, Washington County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1987. FHL 976.89 R2m.
1779-1866 - Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.). General Index to Deeds, 1779-1866, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed in 1940. FHL 24850 Items 1-2.
1780-1820 - Meier, Oveda. Washington County, Tennessee, Index to Early Land Owners, 1780-1820. Salt Lake City, Utah: O. Meier, 1989. FHL 976.897 R2m index.
1802-1904 - Pruitt, A.B. Washington Co., TN, Land Entries: 1802-1805, 1824-1875, 1879-1904. n.p.: A.B. Pruitt, 2007. FHL 976.897 R2pa.
1803-1899 - Toms, Gary R. and William R. Gann. Widows’ Dowers of Washington County, Tennessee, 1803-1899. Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Pub. Co., 2004. FHL 976.897 P2t.

Local Land Entries Issued by North Carolina

The original Washington County land entries issued by North Carolina are kept at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. On their website, users can bring up a list of land entries issued in Washington County, both before and after its land became a part of the state of Tennessee. Years covered: 1770-1803.

Instructions:

Follow this link to conduct a "Call Number Search" using the MARS Catalog on their site.
Using the pull down window, change "Call Numbers starting" to "A MarsID matching."
Type 12.14.20 (Windows Vista users may need to include a period after the last digit, for example 12.14.20.) and click Search. This is the specific MarsID for Washington County.
Click on the entry that is returned: "Tennessee, Washington County."
In the window that pops up, click Show List of Child Records and a list of Washington County land entries will be produced. Browse to find abstracts of the original records.^[16]

N.B. You can also search by name through the Basic Search, but it lacks soundex capabilities.

Law and Legislation[edit | edit source]

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. ^[17] 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[edit | edit source]

Cox, Joyce and W. Eugene (eds). History of Washington County, Tennessee. Jonesborough TN: Washington County Historical Assn., 2001.
Watauga Association of Genealogists. History of Washington County, Tennessee, 1988. Johnson City TN: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 1988. LC 88-51330.

Washington County

Maps[edit | edit source]

1777-1985 - Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
1779 - Reeves, Charles A. Sullivan & Washington Counties [Tennessee], the County Bounds in 1779. Published 2000. Purchase at ReevesMaps.com; website includes a scaled-down version of the map.

Lusk identified 82 early land grants on the Watauga River and prepared a map showing their locations, along with abstracts of the grants, in:

Lusk, Ann. "Early Settlers on the Watauga River," Bulletin of the Watauga Association of Genealogists, Vol. 35, No. 1 (2006):60-71.

Migration[edit | edit source]

Lusk identifies many residents of Augusta County, Virginia Genealogy who migrated to pioneer Washington County, Tennessee in:

Lusk, Ann. "Some Early Settlers in Washington County, Tennessee," Bulletin of the Watauga Association of Genealogists, Vol. 34, No. 3 (2005):143-145.

Military[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]

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

1835 Pension Roll
1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
Washington Countians in the Revolutionary War
1840 Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services Tennessee-Eastern District From Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, c1841 Southern Book Co., 1954
Washington County Revolutionary War Veterans, courtesy of TNGenWeb.

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 973 X2pc 1840; FHL 2321. 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. See Tennessee, Eastern District, Washington County on page 154.
Allen, Penelope Johnson. Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution: A Roster of Soldiers Living During the Revolutionary War in the Counties of Washington and Sullivan. n.p.: Tennessee Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1935. FHL 976.89 M23a.
King's Mountain Participants (sel.), Holston Pastfinder, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Sep. 2001).
Loyalists, 1778-82 (selected), Greene County Pioneer, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Feb. 1991).
Pension Office Names, 1836, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 2 (1996).
Pension Roll, 1835, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2000).
Pensions, 1834, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 2 (1994).
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.
Rejected or Suspended Revolutionary War Pensions, June 7, 1832, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2007).
Revolutionary & Military Pensioners, Ansearchin' News, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1983).
Revolutionary War Stub Indents Books, 1782, North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1975).
Washington County Tennessee Men at Kings Mountain, Holston Pastfinder, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Sep. 1999).

War of 1812[edit | edit source]

Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98; Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1961):122-124. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 8 (1961); digital version at journal website. Includes Washington County pensioners 8(3):95, 8(4):122.
War of 1812 - Soldiers from Washington County, Tennessee Courtesy:TNGenWeb

Indian Wars[edit | edit source]

Service against Chickamaugas, 1790 Claims, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Dec. 1989).
Certificates of Capt. J. Hadley, 1788, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1995).

Civil War[edit | edit source]

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
Civl War Research Database $
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.

Confederate Soldiers

1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Carter's) - CSA - Company M.
19th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
26th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (3rd East Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA - Company B.
29th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies G and I.
34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company F (Walker's Battalion).^[18]
37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (7th Infantry) (1st East Tennessee Rifles) - CSA - Company F.
60th Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Crawford's) (79th Infantry) - CSA - Companies A, C, D, F and K.
63rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Fain's) (74th Infantry) - CSA

Union Soldiers

8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies D, E and F.
9th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Company M.
13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - Companies I and M.

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Washington County:

Worsham, William J. Old Nineteenth Tennessee Regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, l865. Knoxville, Tennessee: Press of Paragon Printing Co., 1902. Free digital copy.
USGenWeb Archives, Washington County Tennessee Archives. Military Records.
Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Washington 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. Washington County, page 381-384.
TNGenWeb, Washington County Tennessee Civil War Veterans. Links to the 2nd NC Mounted Infantry, 4th TN Cavalry Company B and Battle of Limestone Station.

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

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 Washington County click on the following cities or towns:

The Kingsport Times (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free^[19]/$)
Kingsport News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free^[20]/$)
Kingsport Times News (Kingsport, Tennessee) at Ancestry.com (Free^[21]/$)

Occupations[edit | edit source]

Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FHL 976.8 U2m. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Purchase at Genealogical.com. Includes Washington County.

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

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 Washington 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.

East Tennessee Roots

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy records have been published in East Tennessee Roots (10 vols.). A subject index to these articles is available online. Surname indexes to Volumes 9 and 10 are also available online. The Family History Library has collected most issues of East Tennessee Roots FHL Book 976.8 D25e.

The Pellissippian

Several genealogical articles with abstracts of Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy records were published in the The Pellissippian (25 vols., 1980-2004), the quarterly of the Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society. The society has posted tables of contents for all 25 volumes on their website. They also have back issues available for purchase. The Family History Library has acquired the first 20 volumes FHL Book 976.8 D25p.

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Washington County, Tennessee Genealogy records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001.

Prisons[edit | edit source]

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

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Records

1779-2008- Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
1779-1800 Images of Wills and Estates Southeastern Genealogy ($)
1779-1857 Index to Will Bk 1 Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Wills

The original Washington County Wills are kept at the County Courthouse. They have been microfilmed twice:

Will Books 1 to 4 (1779-1889). Microfilmed in 1969 by TLSA. FHL copies: FHL 825521; FHL 1012321.
Wills and Index 1779-1889. Microfilmed in 1999 by the Genealogical Society of Utah: FHL 2138815 Items 2-3, FHL 2138830.

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 index, 1779-1889
Wills, 1779-1924 (7 vols.)
Bonds, Letters, 1875-1950 (9 vols.)
Insolvent estate records, 1852-1867
Inventories, 1779-1924 (14 vols.)
Settlements, 1790-1935 (19 vols.)

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

The following Washington County probate records have been abstracted and/or indexed:

1777-1872 - Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Washington County, Tennessee, Wills, 1777-1872. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1983. FHL 976.897 P28w. Free Lookups Available!
1778-1820 - Huffine, Ethel Depew and Ruth Stuart. Washington County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills. Johnson City, Tenn.: Parrish Print., 1961. FHL 976.897 V2h.
1779-1860 - Historical Records Survey (W.P.A.). Washington County Will Books, 1779-1860; Estate Records, 1779-1860. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn. Microfilmed in 1940. FHL 24849, FHL 24852 - FHL 24853.
1779-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills & Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1990. FHL 976.8 P22s. Includes an index to this county's wills. Free Lookups Available!
1779-1889 - Strictly By Name (see above).
1790-1841 - Shell, Vera E. and WPA. Washington County, Tennessee, Settlements of Estates (1790-1841). Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1999. FHL 976.897 P2s.
1790-1841 - Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. Washington County, Tennessee Settlement of Estates: 1790-1841. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1999. FHL 976.897 P2L.
1803-1899 - Toms, Gary R. and William R. Gann. Widows’ Dowers of Washington County, Tennessee, 1803-1899. Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Pub. Co., 2004. FHL 976.897 P2t.

Taxation[edit | edit source]

The original Washington County Tax Books (1778-1885) are held at the County Courthouse. TSLA microfilmed these records in 1969. FHL copies: FHL 825545 - FHL 825548.

The original Washington County Record of Land Sales 1911-1914 for Delinquent Taxes were microfilmed by TSLA in 1969. FHL copies: FHL 1012303 Item 2.

The earliest Washington County tax records, through 1850, have been published and indexed:^[22]

1778 - Taxpayers, 1778,East Tennessee Historical Society Publications. Knoxville TN: 1962. Issues 34 and 35.
1778, 1814, 1819 - Mary Barnett Curtis, Early East Tennessee Tax Lists (Fort Worth, Texas: Arrow Printing Company, 1964), FHL 976.8 R4c. Includes 1778, 1814, and 1815 tax lists.
1778, 1787 - Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1980. FHL 976.8 R4cp and Silas Emmett Lucas's Revised Index FHL 976.8 R4cp index. Includes 1778 and 1787 tax lists.
1778-1850 - Rasmussen, Geoffrey D. East Tennessee Tax Records Index. [1778-1850] 3 vols. Westminster, Md.: Heritage Books, 2005. FHL 976.897 R42r v. 1.
1778-1801 - McCown, Mary Hardin, Nancy E. Jones Stickley and Inez E. Burns. Washington County, Tennessee Records, Vol. 1: Washington County Lists of Taxables, 1778-1801; Abstract of Washington County Minutes; Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1778-1801; Lists of Officers of Washington County, 1778-1801; Miscellaneous Records in Washington County. Johnson City, Tenn.: Mary Hardin McCown, 1964. FHL 976.897 N2m.
1787-1799 - Tax Lists, 1787-99, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Aug. 2001).
1787-1790 - Taxpayers, 1787-90, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Aug. 1989).
1788 - East TN Taxpayers, 1788, Tennessee Ancestors, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Apr. 1989).
1790 - DeLoach, Javan Michael. "Washington County 1790 List of Taxables," [4 parts] available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. Source: MSS., Washington County Courthouse.
1798-1852 - List of Taxables, 1798-1852, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1995). For further access, see Periodicals.
1814-1819 - Historical Records Project. Tax List, 1814-1819, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville, Tenn.; FHL 24853 Item 2.
1814, 1819 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. & B. Sistler, 1977. FHL 976.8 R4s. Includes 1814 and 1819 tax lists.
1814 - Tax List, 1814, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Summer 1973). For further access, see Periodicals.
1815 - Tax List, 1815, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1982). For further access, see Periodicals.
1815-1819 - Washington County, Tennessee, Lists of Taxables, 1815-1819 (photocopies), in Watauga Association of Genealogists Collection, Accession No. 295, Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn.
1816 - Tax List, 1816, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 1 (1983); Vol. 12, No. 2 (1983). For further access, see Periodicals.
1817 - Tax List, 1817, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 1 (1984); Vol. 13, No. 2 (1984). For further access, see Periodicals.
1818 - Tax List, 1818, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1984); Vol. 14 Iss. 1 (1985). For further access, see Periodicals.
1819 - Tax List, 1819, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 2 (1985); Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 1986). For further access, see Periodicals.
1830 - Williams, Sherman (Mrs.). "Washington County, Tennessee Tax Lists - 1830," Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Summer 1972):63-78. FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w v. 1. For further access, see Periodicals. Source: original manuscripts, Courthouse, Jonesboro, Tenn.
1831-1833 - Washington County, Tennessee, Lists of Taxables, 1831-1833 (photocopies), in Watauga Association of Genealogists Collection, Accession No. 295, Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn.
1840 - Tax List, 1840, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1975). For further access , see Periodicals.
1850 - Tax List, 1850, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 2 (1975). For further access, see Periodicals.
1890 - "Washington County 1890 Tax List Images," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
1891 - "Washington County 1891 Tax List Images," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth[edit | edit source]

1828-1939 - Tennessee Births and Christenings 1828-1939 at FamilySearch.org — index

1869-1909 - Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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

Marriage[edit | edit source]

For a detailed discussion about accessing Washington County marriage records, see the following resources: WeRelate.

State Marriage Records

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

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 original Washington County Marriage Licenses and Bonds are kept at the County Courthouse. They have been microfilmed twice:

Marriage Record Books 0 [sic] to 12 (1787-1962) and Marriage Bonds and Licenses (1886-1929). Microfilmed in 1969 by TSLA; FHL copies: FHL 825502 FHL 825508, FHL 1012312 - FHL 1012313.
Marriage Licenses and Bonds, 1787-1950. Microfilmed in 1999 by the Genealogical Society of Utah; corresponding FHL call numbers are not consecutive and some of the films remain in the Granite Mountain Records Vault; link to title page.

These records have been abstracted several times. Each editor was selective in the amount of detail he or she published. As guides to lead you back to the original sources, Huffine and Hougland surpass the others as they cite pages numbers from the original volumes. The following is a list of these publications:

1778-1820- Huffine, Ethel Depew and Ruth Stuart. Washington County, Tennessee, Marriages and Wills [1778-1820]. Johnson City, Tenn.: Parrish Print., 1961. FHL 976.897 V2h. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates of license and marriage, as well as citations to volume and page numbers. Source: original courthouse records.

1780-1870 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: Byron Sistler & Associates, Inc., 1987. FHL 976.8 V2s v. 1. Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage or marriage bond dates for weddings in this county for the specified years. Free Lookups Available!

1780-1870 - Burgner, Goldene Fillers. Washington County, Tennessee Marriages, 1780-1870. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1985. FHL 976.897 V2bu. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, as well as dates of license and marriage.

1787-1922 - Washington County Marriage Index 1787-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org - free.^[23]

1787-1859 - Historical Records Survey. Marriage Records of Washington County, Tennessee, 1787-1859. Nashville, Tenn.: TSLA, 19--. FHL 464149 Item 2.

1787-1840 - Grammer, Norma Rutledge and Marion Day Mullins. Marriage Record of Washington County, Tennessee, 1787-1840. 1949; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1973. FHL 976.897 V25g 1973; earlier edition: FHL 844967 Item 8. Free Lookups Available! Abstracts names of brides, grooms, bondsmen and dates of license and/or marriage.

1787-1814, 1892 - Hougland, Margaret et al. "Washington County, Tennessee Marriage Records, 1787-1814, 1892," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Abstracts names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates associated with the marriages, as well as many citations to volumes and page numbers; additional details recorded for 1892 entries.

1838-1846 - Historical Records Project. Marriage Records, 1838-1846, Washington County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA, Nashville. Microfilmed in 1940. FHL 24853 Item 1.

1871-1899 - Hougland, Margaret W. et al. Washington County, Tennessee Marriage Records, 1871-1899. Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2004. FHL 976.897 V2hm. Abstracts portions of Marriage Books 2 and 5; complete abstracts of Books 3 and 4. Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, and officiators, dates of license and marriage, as well as citations to volume and page numbers. Introduction identifies religions of many officiating ministers.

Divorce[edit | edit source]

In 1940 and 1941, W.P.A. workers pinpointed the location of Washington County divorce papers in diverse manuscript collections, including some separate divorce dockets, see the following sources:

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[edit | edit source]

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 $

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

1891-1907 - Burns, William A. Abstracts of Death and Obituaries Notices Garnered from Herald-Tribune, Washington County. Phoenix, AZ: W.A. Burns, 1967-1973.

1908-1916 - Nikazy, Eddie M. Washington County, Tennessee, Death Record Abstracts, 1908-1916. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1994. FHL 976.897 V28n.

1925-1936 - Hougland, Margaret W. et al. Washington County, Tennessee Death Records 1925-1936. Johnson City, TN: Watauga Assocation of Genealogists NE TN, 2009.

For deaths of Methodists in Washington 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 976.855/N1 V48s 1847-1851; 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[edit | edit source]

Watauga Association of Genealogists
P.O. Box 117
Johnson City, TN 37605-0117

The Jonesborough Genealogical Society
c/o Washington County-Jonesborough Library
200 Sabin Dr.
Jonesborough, TN 37659-1306

East Tennessee Historical Society
601 S. Gay St.
P.O. Box 1629
Knoxville, TN 37901-1629
Phone: 1-865-215-8824
E-mail: eths@east-tennessee-history.org

Washington County Public Library
200 Sabin Dr.
Jonesborough, TN 37659-1306
Phone 1-423-753-1800
Fax: 1-423-753-1802
Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tues., Wed. and Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sat. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Home of the Jonesborough Genealogical Society

Johnson City Public Library
100 West Millard St.
Johnson City, TN 37604
Phone: 1-423-434-4450
E-mail: phoneroom@jspl.net
Genealogical Research: The Special Collections in the "Tennessee Room" contains many books and periodicals relating to local, regional and state history and also holds census and county records.

Charles C. Sherrod Library, East Tennessee State University
P.O. Box 70665
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: Information desk 1-423-439-4307
Hours vary depending on the time of year because of school sessions. See website for hours.
The Sherrod Library has genealogical information concerning the East Tennessee Region.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

211 Mayflower Rd.
Johnson City, TN
Phone: 423-926-6152

This is not a mailing address. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.