Franklin County, Tennessee Genealogy

United States Genealogy Tennessee, United States Genealogy Franklin County

Franklin County, Tennessee genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Franklin County (established 1807) 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.

Franklin County, Tennessee
Map
Location in the state of Tennessee, United States Genealogy
Location of Tennessee in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	December 3, 1807
County Seat	Winchester
Courthouse
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: TNGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

Franklin County Tennessee Quick Dates

Franklin County's civil records start the following years:

Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1881	1838	1881	1820	1808	1808

Franklin County Tennessee Courthouse

Franklin County Courthouse
1 South Jefferson Street
Winchester, TN 37398
Phone: 931.967.2541 

County Clerk has marriage records from 1838 and
probate records from 1808; Regiter of Deeds has
land records

[[Image:

Franklin County Courthouse, Winchester, Tenn.]] Franklin County Courthouse
 1 South Jefferson Street
 Winchester, TN 37398
 Phone:1- 931-967-2541

• County Clerk
  Marriage and Probate records
  Phone: 1-931-967-2541

• Register of Deeds
  Land records
  Phone: 1-931-967-2541

• Circuit Court Clerk
  Court records
  Phone: 1-931-967-2923

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

Project Preservation
839 Dinah Shore Blvd., Suite 6
Winchester, Tenn. 37398
We have the court loose records. Indexed through 1890s.
Open Wednesdays 9-3

Judy Phillips, Archivist
E-mail contact: judyp@cafes.net

Franklin County Tennessee History

[[Image:Template:BenjaminFranklin]]

Middle Tennessee county.

The county was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Parent County

1807--Franklin County was created 3 December 1807 from Warren and Bedford Counties.
County seat: Winchester

County Pronunciation

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

Boundary Changes

"Rotating Formation Tennessee County Boundary Maps" (1777-1985) may be viewed for free at the My Tennessee Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

• Lost censuses: 1810, 1890
• Lack of marriage records: 1807 to 1837

Franklin County Tennessee Places/Localities

Populated Places

Cities and Towns:

Alto Anderson Asia Beans Creek Beech Hill Bel-Aire Heights Belvidere Bobtown Branchville Broadview Brown Mill Brownington Capitol Hill Center Grove

Coptown Cowan Decherd Duncantown Eastbrook Elkins Estill Springs Falls Mill Greenhaw Gum Creek Henley Huntland Keese Kissling Crossing

Lakeview Lexie Lexie Crossroads Liberty Maxwell Midway Mountain View Acres Myers Neil Oak Grove Oak Park Old Salem Roark Cove Rockledge

Saint Andrews Sal City Sand Switch Scenic Heights Sewanee Sherwood Tantallon Taylortown Three Forks Walnut Grove Wilder Chapel Winchester Winchester Springs

Neighboring Counties

• Coffee 
• Grundy 
• Jackson County, Alabama Genealogy
• Lincoln
• Madison County, Alabama Genealogy
• Marion
• Moore 

Franklin County Tennessee Genealogy Resources

Getting Started

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

Research Guides

• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Franklin County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)
• "Franklin County Research," The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Spring 1992). For possible FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.

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.]

• Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 Franklin County, Tennessee Census, available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?

Biographies

• Family Biographies from The History of Franklin County, Tennessee (1886) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
  

Cemeteries

• Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.

• Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Franklin County linking to the information about the people buried there,

• Franklin County, TN Cemetery Records, part of the TNGenWeb Cemetery Database, lists many cemeteries in the county, often with indexes and transcripts of the burials.

• Franklin County, Tennessee, USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project lists many cemeteries in the county and has transcripts of the tombstones arranged by cemetery.

• Franklin County cemetery information with transcriptions on TNGenweb Project

• The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Franklin county. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.

• ePodunk list of Campbell County cemeteries

• A volunteer will do free lookups in the Franklin County Cemetery book.

Census

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Franklin 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 Franklin County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project^®]

1810 - Lost, but 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 US/CAN Book 976.8 X2s 1810.

1820

Enumeration listed alphabetically by first letter surname.

• Bentley, Elizabeth P. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. FHL 976.8 X22b 1820
• 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

• Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]

1840

• Scanned census images [in the USGenWeb Archives]
• Phillips, Judy H. Franklin County, Tennessee in the Year 1840 : Featuring the 1840 Census with Abstracts of the 1840 Court Minutes and Deeds. Tullahoma, Tennessee. 1985. FHL 976.863 P2p

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, Franklin County on page 155.]

1850

• Carpenter, Mrs. V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Franklin County, Tennessee. S.p., 1970. FHL 976.863 X2p 1850

1860

• Swenson, Helen S. Franklin County, Tennessee, 1860 Census with Kead of Household Marriages. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1981. FHL 976.863 X2s

1870

• Phillips, Judy H. 1870 Census, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.H. Phillips, 1986. FHL 976.863 X2p

1880

• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census Franklin County, Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: B. Sistler & Associates, 1994. FHL 976.863 X2s 1880

1890 Lost, but a subtitute is available:

• Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Sistler. 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1978. FHL 976.8 X2s 1890

Church

Baptist

• Primitive Baptist Church of Beans Creek 1822-1876. TSLA MF No. 1611 Franklin County Roll 1/1. Book lent to TSLA by George W. Scott. Church located on bank Beans Creek between Old Salem and Huntland. Some African American's are mentioned.
  

Church of Christ

Episcopal

• Otey Memorial Parish Records. Sewanee, 1942-1972. TSLA interlibrary loan.

Methodist

• Marble Plains Methodist Church Records. Franklin County, 1880-1960. TSLA interlibrary loan.

Court

A variety of courts serve Franklin county, Tennessee. Court types include: Chancery Court, Circuit Court, County Court and the court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Each of these courts have some common record types such as the Minute Books; but some have records unique to their court such as the deeds and wills found in the County Court. Information regarding deeds is found in the Land section of this page. Information regarding wills is found in the Probate section of this page.

County Court

• W.P.A. Franklin County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, Vol. 2, 1832-1837. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1930s-1940s. FHL US/CAN Film 24648. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• [1832-1837] Franklin County, County Court Minutes, Vol 2, Part 1, May Term 1832 and 1834-1837 Franklin County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1832-1837, Part 2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
• [1837-1843] Franklin County Settlement Book, Vol 1. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Circuit Court

MINUTE BOOKS

• [1832-1907] Circuit Court Minute Books. See FHL Film. For an index to the 1832-1837 books see Circuit Court Minute Book for Franklin County, Tennessee, 1832-1837 (Tenn. : Tullahoma Chapter, DAR, 1990) Available at Allen Co Public Libary or TSLA.

Chancery Court

MINUTE BOOKS

• [1834-1845] Chancery Court Minute Books. See FHL films.
• [1846-1849] Missing.
• [1850+] Chancery Court Minute Books. See FHL films.

Pleas and Quarter Sessions

• [1832-1837] Franklin County, County Court Minutes, Vol 2, Part 1, May Term 1832 and 1834-1837 Franklin County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1832-1837, Part 2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.

Loose Court Records 1800- 1899. Index search and copies available from Project Preservation. See also the FHL collection "Loose court records (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1800-1930".

Family Histories

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

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

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Franklin, Tennessee at World Connect, results in more than 10,000 entries.

• Family Histories, Franklin County, Tennessee, 1807-1996. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 1996. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 D3f.
• Thomas, Don M. Documentation History: of Some "Martins", "Jones", "Dials", "Stewarts", "Smiths", "Ragsdales", "Sanders", "Carlisles", "Morrows", and "Beans" of Johnson, Pope and Sebastian County, Arkansas, ... Franklin County, Tennessee, Marion County, Illinois and Parker County, Texas. 4 vols. [Salt Lake City, Utah]: D.M. Thomas, [1993], 1995; Waldron, Arkansas : Scott County Historical & Genealogical Society (Arkansas). FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M363t ff.

Bibliography

• [Bennett] Morris, Lovell Jason. Bennett of Franklin County, Tennessee and Related Families. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: L.J. Morris, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B439mL.
• [Burnett] Weston, Edgar Earl; Burnett, L.H. and Gladys The Burnett Family Pelham, Tennessee : L.H. and G Burnett, c1983 FamilySearch Digital LibraryFHL book 929.273 B934w.
• [Gipson] Phillips, Judy Henley. The Gipson Family of Franklin County, Tennessee: Their Ancestors and Descendants. Tullahoma, Tenn.: J.H. Phillips, 1995. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G44p.
• [Hammontree] Strang, Vivia Hammontree. Fall Lick Creek and Hammontree Roots: Franklin County, Tennessee. Phoenix, Ariz.: V.H. Strang, 2004. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H184sv.
• [Lewis] McBride, Robert Martin. A Footnote to a History of the Lewis Family. Nashville, TN: Unknown, 1954. Digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
• [McGavock] Aiken, Leona Taylor. The Descendants of James McGavock Sr. and the McGavock Mansions, Fort Chiswell, Va. & Carnton, Franklin, Tenn. [Kingsport, Tenn.]: L.T. Aiken, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 5141; another copy: FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 M172aL.
• [Shelly] Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Shelly Family of Scott County, Virginia and Franklin County, Tennessee Data. Typescript, 1964. FHL US/CAN Film 875370 Item 9.
• [Simpson] Miner, Ethel Nerim. Descendants of Rice and Rachael Simpson: of Franklin and Moore Counties, Tennessee. Fountain Hills, Arizona: Four Peaks Enterprise, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Si58me.
• [Wakefield] Wakefield, Gerald L. Nelson Wakefield and Bird Langford: A Genealogical Study. [S.I.]: G.L. Wakefield, 2008. FamilySearch Digital LibraryFHL US/CAN Book 929.273 W137.
• [Willis] Sherrill, Charles A. Peter Willis of Tennessee and His Descendants. Cleveland, Tenn.: C.A. Sherrill, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W679s.

Funeral Homes

• J.C. Moore & Sons Funeral Home Records, 1931-1966, Winchester. (TSLA interlibrary loan)

Land

• Franklin County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1807 and is located at Courthouse, 1 S Jefferson St, Winchester, TN 37398; (931) 967-2541. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.
• The Family History Library has microfilm copies of deeds 1807-1882; land entry books 1824-1891; land records 1790-1924; records of stray livestock; survey books 1868-1879; various records listing names od slaves 1830-1871.

The following Franklin County land records have been abstracted or indexed:

• W.P.A. Franklin County Record Book, Volume A, 1808-1810. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24649 Item 3. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• [1808-1810] W.P.A. Franklin County Record Book, Vol A, TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local 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

• Fairbanks, George Rainsford.History of the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tennessee. H. and W.B. Drew Co., 1905. Free digital copy.

• Goodspeed firm, publishers, Chicago. History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin and Moore counties.Nashville, Tenn., The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886. Free digital copy.

Maps

• Map of 1888 Franklin County, Tennessee with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
  

Military

Revolutionary War

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

• 1835 Pension Roll
• 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions
• Select Franklin County, Tennessee Revolutionary War 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, Franklin County on page 155.]
• 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.]
• Sherrill, Charles A. Revolutionary War Pension Applications from Franklin County, Tennessee. Ohio: n.p., 1982. FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 M2r.
• Tennessee County Court (Franklin County) and Tennessee Circuit Court (Franklin County) Military records and pension applications (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1812-1994 Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of utah, 2005. FHL US/CAN Film 1148880 item 2.

War of 1812

• Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1960):40-45. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 B2a v. 7 (1960); digital version at journal website. [Includes Franklin County pensioners (p. 44)]
• Select Franklin County, Tennessee War of 1812 applicants Courtesy: TNGenWeb
• Military records and pension applications (Franklin County, Tennessee), 1812-1994, (Salt Lake City, Utah, Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2005) 1 Microfilm FHL Film 1148880 Item 2
  

Indian Wars

• Franklin County Men in the Indian Wars  Courtesy: TNGenWeb

Civil War

• Civl War Research Database $
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Civil War service men from Franklin 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 Franklin County.

Confederate Soldiers

• 1st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Turney's) - CSA - Company B, C, D, E and F.
• 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (McLemore's) - CSA
• 17th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies D, E and I.
• 20th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
• 23rd Battalion, Tennessee Infantry (Newman's) - CSA - Companies D and E.
• 32nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company K.
• 34th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (4th Confederate Infantry) - CSA- Company C.
• 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies G and I.
• 44th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Franklin County:

• Franklin County, Tennessee Men in the 41st Tennessee Infantry, (accessed 22 Oct 2011).
• Franklin County, Tennessee men in the 44th Tennessee Infantry, (accessed 22 Oct 2011).
• USGenWeb Archives, Franklin County Tennessee Archives, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  Civil War Records.
• Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications : Franklin County, (accessed 30 Jan 2012). 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), (accessed 30 Jan 2012). Online at Internet Archive. Franklin County, page 334.
• The Civil War in Franklin County, Tennessee, by Judy Henley Phillips, (accessed 30 Jan 2012).  A variety of links for the Civil War.
  

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 Franklin County click on the following cities:

• Cowan
• Winchester

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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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.

Franklin County Historical Review

The "Review" has been discontinued as of 2005, but back issues are available at their website: www.tngenweb.org/franklin/society.htm
The Family History Library has Volume 1 (1970) - volume 30 (2000). FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 B2f.
The Review" is indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History

Genealogical articles with abstracts of records of Franklin County, Tennessee have been published in The Middle Tennessee Journal of Genealogy and History, the quarterly of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society (23+ Vols.). To view a list of these articles, visit their online Index to Articles (1988-2005). Surname indexes are also available online for Vols. 2-22. The website also offers back issues for sale in paper and on CD. The Family History Library has a complete collection of this quarterly FHL US/CAN Book 976.85 D25m.

Prisons

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

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

Probate

The Franklin County Court and County Clerk have responsibility for the probate records.

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, 1808-1940 (2 vols.)
• Bonds, 1872-1898
• Bonds, Letters, 1898-1968 (8 vols.)
• Letters, 1882-1898
• Settlements, 1835-1917, 1958-1968 (9 vols.)

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

1. Will Book 1: 1808-1826
2. Will Book 2: 1827-1847

The following Franklin County probate records have been abstracted or indexed:

• [1808-1861] 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
• [1808-1875] Ingmire, Frances T. Abstracts of Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills, 1808-1875. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1984. Indexed. (FHL book 976.863 P28i or interlibrary loan from TSLA.)
• [1808-1876] W.P.A. Will Books, 1808-1876, Franklin County, Tennessee. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24649 Item 4. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• [1808-1876] W.P.A. Franklin County Will Book Vol. 1-2, TSLA, Roll 8 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
• [1808-1876] W.P.A. Franklin County Will Book Vol. 1-2. TSLA, Roll 20 of Record Group 107. Microfilmed in the 1930s. Free online index, created by Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a small fee, the company sells four Franklin County CDs, which include a digitized version of this book, and a variety of other local records.
  
• [1808-1876] Partlow, Thomas E. Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills 1808-1876 and Deeds 1801-1840. Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1991. Indexed. (FHL book 976.863 P2pt. or via interlibrary loan from TSLA.)
• [1808-1847] Strictly by Name (see above).
• [1837-1843] Franklin County, Tennessee, Settlement Book, Volume 1, 1837-1843. Free index by Steve Carson available online at GSC Associates Historical Record Products.
• USGenWeb's Franklin County page includes select will abstracts.
• [1876-1891] Ingmire, Frances T. Franklin County, Tennessee, Wills, 1876-1891. St. Louis, Missouri: Ingmire, 1985. Indexed. (FHL book 976.8 A1 no. 107.)

Taxation

The following Franklin County tax records have been abstracted:

• [1812] Moore, Betty Givens. "Index to the Franklin County, Tennessee Tax and Voter List, 1812," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):157-162. For FHL and online access, as well as indexes, see Periodicals.
• [1812] Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists. Evanston, Ill.: B. & B. Sistler, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 R4s. [Includes 1812 tax list.]
• [1812] Free Taxable Inhabitants, Voters, 1812, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: 1988. Vol. 19 Iss. 1.
• [1812] Phillips, Judy Henley. "1812 Franklin County, Tennessee Tax List," available online, courtesy: TNGenWeb.
• [1812] Gant, Wanda. "Franklin County, TN - Census - 1812 Tax List," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
• [1816] List of Taxes Due in 1816, Franklin County Historical Review. Winchester TN: Jul 1977. Vol. 8 Iss. 2.This list was for taxes due in Warren, Franklin, White and Overston counties.
  
• [1861] Tax Roll, 1861, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Jul 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 3; Oct 2001. Vol. 33 Iss. 4; Feb 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 1; Apr 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 2; Jul 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 3; Oct 2002. Vol. 34 Iss. 4; Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1.
• [1865] Tax List, 1865, Historical Tidings. Winchester TN: Feb 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 1; Jul 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 3; Oct 2003. Vol. 35 Iss. 4; Feb 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 1; Apr 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 2; Jul 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 3; Oct 2004. Vol. 36 Iss. 4; Feb 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 1; Apr 2005. Vol. 37 Iss. 2.
• [1890] Stovall, Cora, Jeanne Bigger and Lona Koltick. Franklin County, Tennessee 1890 Tax List. Tullahoma, Tennessee: J.R. Bigger, 1984. FHL 976.863 R4b

The following Franklin County tax records are on microfilm:

• [1812, 1816, 1852-1857, 186-1863, 1865-1900] Available at Tennessee State Archives.
• [1852-1859] Trustee's Office Tax Book, 1852-1859. FHL US/CAN Film 1,011,409 item 1. This is not a traditional tax list. No districts. It may be that only one district was represented many times as different revenue reports were generated. List includes names and dollar amounts. Lists of Grand Jurors and Constables containing names and dollar amonts are among this records.
• [1861-1871] Trustee's Office Tax Book, 1861-1871. FHL US/CAN Film 1,011,409. "Traditional" tax lists. For 1861 Districts 1-6, 11-16 represented. Sorted alphabetically by first letter of surname.

Additional sources for tax lists:

• [1814] John Tedder papers, 1814-1857. Tedder appointed as Deputy Collector of Revenue for the Third Collection District of Tennessee in 1814 by Thomas Brown, Collector of Revenue for his district. Includes Franklin county. See TSLA on-line catalog.
  

For missing years, alternative resource to consider is "Tennessee Legislative Petitions".

Vital Records

Birth

• 1881-1885 - Franklin County Birth Index 1881-1885. Batch C710434 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
• 1881-1885 - Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk. FHL 576318

Marriage

Marriages were not officially recorded in Franklin County until 1838, when a law was passed mandating the practice. The following publication, based on early newspapers, helps to alleviate this genealogical obstacle:

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

The following Franklin County marriage records are microfilmed:

• [1838-1987] Available at the TSLA. Marriages 1838-1886 are available for interlibrary loan.
• [1838-1964] Available at the Family History Library. Some volumes are indexed.FHL 576303
• [1879-1939] Includes colored and bride's index. Listed alphabetically by groom's surname. FHL 1148880
• [1881-1885] Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk. FHL 576318

The following Franklin County Courthouse marriage records are indexed:

• 1838-1917 - Franklin County Marriage Index 1838-1917 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
• 1838-1875 - W.P.A. Franklin County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, Vol. 2, 1832-1837. Typescript, TSLA. Microfilmed 1939. FHL US/CAN Film 24649 Items 1-2. Free index, available online, thanks to Steve Carson, courtesy: GSC Associates Historical Records Products (the pages may load slowly). For a reasonable fee, the company sells Franklin County CDs, one of which includes a digitized version of this book.
• 1838-1870 - Lucas, Silas Emmett and Ella Lee Sheffield. 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds 1783-1870. 3 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1981. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2t v. 1 ff. [Abstracts include names of brides, grooms, bondsmen, marriage bond dates, and officiators for weddings in this county for the roughly specified years. Marriage data taken from an index card file at the TSLA. Authors do not specify whether or not the card index completely indexes this county's marriages.]
• 1838-1874 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Early Middle Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville, Tenn.: B. Sistler & Associates, 1988. FHL US/CAN Book 976.8 V2sb v. 2 ff. [Indexes names of brides and grooms, and marriage dates for weddings in this county for the specified years.] 
• 1838-1874 - Sistler, Byron H. and Barbara Franklin County, Tennessee marriages, 1838-1874 Nashville, Tennessee : B. Sistler, 1985. FHL US/CAN book 976.863 V2si Free lookups available!
• 1838-1875 - Burks, Billie and Hall Marriage Records of Franklin County, Tennessee 1838-1875 [Winchester, Tennessee]: Franklin County Historical Society (Tennessee), c1979. FHL US/CAN book 976.863 V2b Free lookups available!
• 1850-1866 - Marriage Records, 1850-1866, Franklin County, Tennessee.  Nashville: TSLA, Historical Records Project, 1939.  Typescript. FHL 24649 Items 1-2
• 1884-1903 - Conn, Ronald W. annd Shiley Conn. Franklin County, marriages, 1884-1903. LaVergne, Tennessee: R.W. Conn and S.R. Conn, 1991. FHL 976.863 V2c
• 1751-1874 - Marriage Records.
• 1838-1850 - Marriage Records: Early–1850.

Divorce

• Some Franklin County Divorces. S.l.: s.n., 198-? FHL 976.863 V2s
• Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Available at Ancestry ($).

Death

• 1881-1885 - Vital Statistics, 1881-1885. Nashville: TSLA, 1969. Manuscript from the Franklin County Clerk. FHL 576318

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

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

Franklin County Tennessee Genealogy Societies and Libraries 

Franklin County Historical Society
P.O. Box 130
Winchester, TN 37398 
Phone: 1-931-962-1476

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

Franklin County Library
105 South Porter Street
Winchester, TN 37398
Phone: 1-931-967-3706
Hours for the Local History and Genealogy area:
Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Contact: Virginia Ellington
Phone: 1-931-962-1476
E-mail: fshistorical@bellsouth.net

Family History Centers

• Introduction to Family History Centers

Franklin County Tennessee Genealogy Websites

• Family History Library Catalog (FamilySearch)
• Franklin County, TN Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Franklin County, TN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
• Franklin County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: TN-SOUTHCENTRAL-L (South Central Tennessee List)

Franklin County Tennessee Genealogy References

Family History Library

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