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Hamblen County Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 1213

Morristown, Tennessee 37816


The Hamblen County Genealogical Society

The Hamblen County Genealogical Society (HCGS) was organized in October of 1984 as a nonprofit society that helps to preserve the histories of the people of Hamblen County, Tennessee, and help those who are interested in discovering their own lineage. The HCGS meets on the first Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Senior Citizen's Center located at 841 Lincoln Avenue, Morristown, Tennessee. Visitors are welcomed. Society membership is $20.00 per calendar year for an individual and $25 per family, which includes four issues of the Hamblen Heritage newsletter. Members joining mid-year or later receive back issues of the newsletter for that year. Each issue has pages of Hamblen County records, happenings, and other items of interest.

HCGS 2024 Board of Directors

  • Nola Kimbrough
  • Linda Preston
  •  
  •  

2024 Officers

  • Karen Nunan, President
  • Lynda Raitala, Vice President
  • Evelyn Mallicoat, Secretary
  • Ann Blomquist, Treasurer

Contact Information

- We meet at 5:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at the

Morristown Senior Citizen's Center
841 Lincoln Avenue
Morristown, Tennessee


Morristown Senior's Center



- You can visit us on Facebook

- You can send email to HamblenCountyGS@gmail.com

This site was last updated on 22 February 2025. See changes

For website support or to report broken links, email support@hctngenealogy.org

- The Hamblen County Archives

There is a wealth of information in the Hamblen County Archive, located in the Hamblen County Courthouse at 511 West Second North Street in Morristown. The Archive Office is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, except holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

- https://www.hamblencountytn.gov/county-archives/

- Phone (423) 586-1961

or

- send email to archives@co.hamblen.tn.us.

- Carson-Newman College

The Stephens-Bennett Memorial Library at Carson-Newman University in neighboring Jefferson City, Tennessee has a collection of Hamblen County genealogical resources available.

- Online Resources

Popular Commercial Web Sites

NOTE: These links are provided as a courtesy by the Jefferson County Genealogical Society, but this is is not an endorsement of any site. Some of these websites may charge for a subscription. All Website links open in a new browser.


Ancestry
FmmilySearch
MyHeritage
Genealogy
Find My Past
Wikitree
Fold3
AncestorRecords
Storied
Genealogy Bank
Find-A-Grave
BillionGraves

- Genealogy Websites A-Z

Genealogy Websites A-Z

Phone Apps and Browser Extensions

Download these free mobile apps and browser extensions to make connecting with your family across generations easier than ever before.

  • The Family Tree App - A full-featured genealogy app from FamilySearch that allows you to create, edit and share your family story. Available for Android and Apple smart phones.
  • Memories. A digital scrapbook by FamilySearch that brings joy to your family now and in the future. Available for Android and Apple smart phones.
  • The Wikitree Browser Extension adds family tree charts, auto biography builder and more to Wikitree. Available for Mozilla (Firefox) and Chrome browsers (including Opera, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi).

Genealogical Help

  • From Ancestry to Archives: How Libraries Are Revolutionizing Family Tree Research.

  • Relationships explained. What exactly is a first cousin twice removed? This comprehensive article from Ancestry.com explains it all in detail.

  • Cousins Cheat Sheet for those times when you just need a simple reminder of the relationship between you and a third cousin twice removed.

  • Nicknames - You may know that Bill is short for William, and Jos. short for Joseph, but did you know Mary was sometimes called Polly, or Liz, Lisa, Liddie, Liza, Beth, and Betty are all forms of Elizabeth?

  • Alphabetical Index of Occupations from the 1930 Census.

  • "Clues" to Additional Information found in the census - from the National Archives. For example, line 30 of the 1910 census indicates whether the person was a "survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.

  • Tips for Reading Historic Documents from the National Archives.

Record-Keeping Aids

  • Ancestral Chart - This chart from Ancestry.com records the ancestors from whom you directly descend. It also shows at a glance the progress you have made towards your goal and what remains to be done.

  • Research Calendar - The research calendar from Ancestry.com gives an account of every record source you have already searched and serves as a reminder of where you have found pertinent information.

  • Research Extract - The research extract from Ancestry.com summarize information from sources which cannot be photocopied, or may be too large or too difficult to reread quickly when you need only specific information.

  • Correspondence Record - Helps keep track of those with whom you have had correspondence and whether you received a reply.

  • Family Group Record - from Ancestry.com records each piece of information concerning an ancestor and his/her family. Since the end result of your research efforts will be to compile complete, correct and connected families, the use of family group sheets from the beginning will make the compilation much easier.

  • Sources Summary - from Ancestry.com Records a quick reference to information and sources you have found on a particular family.



County-Specific Resources

FamilySearch

Hamblen County Genealogy on FamilySearch.org. A guide to Hamblen County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records available on FamilySearch.
TN Genealogy Trails

Hamblen County Genealogy & History on Tennessee Genealogy Trails. A site to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers.
TN Genealogy Net

Ancestry Research & Family Histories on Tennessee Genealogy Net. Records for more than 200 years of Tennessee history available online or from many archives and libraries located throughout the state.
TN GenWeb

The Hamblen County Tennessee GenWeb Project. Features a list of Links under 'Records and Resources' and 'Research Aids and Queries.'
Cyndi's List

New Cyndi's List of Genealogical Websites on the internet has links to other genealogical resources.
Linkpendium

New Linkpendium has information on Family History & Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records and more for Hamblen County.
WeRelate.org

New WeRelate.org - online collaboration for more sources of information.
TN State Sec

Historical version of the Hamblen County Genealogical "Fact Sheet" from the office of the Secretary of State of Tennessee. It contains a list of resources and links to selected manuscripts and records.
TN State Sec

UPDATED The current version of the Hamblen County Genealogical "Fact Sheet" from the office of the Tennessee Secretary of State.
TSLA

Genealogy Research Resources from the Tennessee Secretary of State and the State Library & Archives. An excellent starting point for Family Researchers and Genealogists.
NGS Free

Free Genealogy Resources. A list of eighteen important free web sites for genealogy research recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
Civil War Trails

Civil War Trails: People, places, and artifacts of the Civil War in East Tennessee at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
TN Elec Lib

The Tennessee Electronic Library of the Tennessee State Library and Archives has free genealogy resources for residents of Tennessee.

Genealogy and History Groups on Facebook

You must have a Facebook account. Some groups may be private and you must request permission to join.
Facebook

Tennessee Genealogy Research - (Private group) Anyone can find this group although only members can see who's in the group and what they post.
Facebook

First Settlers of Tennessee - (private group) The First Settlers of Tennessee are people who were living in the area from the early British exploration and settlement of the 1750s up through the Antebellum years (1841–1861).
Facebook

Civil War History of East Tennessee - (public group) A friendly group page for sharing East Tennessee Civil War stories and photographs, both Union and Confederate.
Facebook

East Tennessee Cemeteries - (private group) This group posts information about cemeteries in East Tennessee. It is not for posting grave transcriptions.
Facebook

Hamblen County History - (public group) This group is purely for the preservation of Hamblen County history through photography, art, discussions and stories related to historic landmarks.
Facebook

Jefferson County History & Heritage - (public group) Neighboring Jefferson enjoys a rich heritage of history from early Native Peoples, exploration by David Crockett through the War Between the States and up to the present.

- Free Tennessee Census Records


Note: The 1790-1810 Census schedules for the Southwest Territory (that later became Tennessee) no longer exist as they were burned by the British during the War of 1812. These schedules were merely tally sheets and did not contain names of heads of households.

1790 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1800 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1810 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)


Note: Half of the 1820 census schedules for Tennessee are presumed lost. Of Tennessee's two district courts, records from the Nashville District still exist, while the Knoxville District records no longer exist.

1820 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)


Note: The 1830 Census exists for Hawkins, Jefferson and Claiborne Counties, however, Hancock did not become a county until 1844. The link to Records transcribed by the US Gen Web Census Project leads to directories of text files.

1830 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1830 • Tennessee State Census Records listed by County. (US GenWeb Census Project)

1830 • United States Census Records listed by state. (US GenWeb)

1840 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1840 • Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Service (East Tenn. begins pg 376) you must be logged in (FamilySearch)

1850 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)


Note: 1850 & 1860 Slave Schedules list slave owners and the age, gender and skin color of their slaves. Records are available for Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Slave schedules are not available for other states. The 1850 Hancock and Hawkins Counties Mortality Schedules were transcribed by US Gen Web Project and are hosted on US-census.org

1850 • United States Slave Schedule. (FamilySearch)

1850 • Hancock County Mortality Schedule. (US-census.org)

1850 • Hawkins County Mortality Schedule. (US-census.org)

1860 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)


Note: See note above on 1850 & 1860 slave schedules.

1860 • United States Slave Schedule. (FamilySearch)

1870 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1880 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)


Note: The 1890 Census was mostly destroyed although Some portions remain.

1900 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1910 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1910 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1920 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1930 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1940 • United States Census. (FamilySearch)

1950 • United States Census. (The US National Archives)


Other Free Census Resources

- Tennessee State Census Online - links to all years and all counties. (Census Online)

- 1790-1930 • The US Census, all years. Scanned from microfilm from the collections of the Allen County Public Library and originally from the United States National Archives Record Administration. (The Internet Archive)


Notes: The site Census-Online has restricted access to its repository of census transcriptions and Roots Web has not been updated since 1999. Roots Web plans to archive their data in 2024.


- Tennessee Census Records (by Subscription)

These sites charge a subscription fee to access their data.

1790 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1800 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1810 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1820 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1830 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1840 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1850 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1850 • United States Slave Schedule at Ancestry.

1860 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1860 • United States Slave Schedule at Ancestry.

1870 • United States Census on Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1880 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1890 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1900 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1920 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1930 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

1940 • United States Census at Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage

Additional Census Records on Ancestry.com

  • U.S. Census Reconstructed Records Index. Records in this database come from Census Publishing’s fill-in-the blanks project to reconstruct missing decennial censuses for the early United States.
  • Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index. This collection contains the following indexes: 1810 Federal Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1860 Slave Schedule; 1890 Veterans Schedule; 1891 Voters List; Early Census Index.
  • Early Tennessee Tax List Records, 1783-1895. This database contains early tax lists from 71 of the 95 counties in Tennessee. Tennessee law did not require that tax lists be kept permanently, so many of the early records were destroyed, but in 1836 many counties sent a copy of their tax lists to the state Treasurer, and most of those have been preserved in the State Library and Archives.
  • Enumeration of Tennessee Male Voters, 1891. If your Tennessee relative was old enough to vote in 1891 (and male), this database could be a great 1890 census substitute.


- Census Records by County

Claiborne County

Cocke County

Grainger County

Greene County

Hamblen County

Hancock County

1850

1860

Index of Surnames in the 1860 Hancock County Census is provided courtesy of Sharon Fultz Patterson and hosted on the USGenWeb Archive.

Transcription of the 1860 Hancock County Census is provided courtesy of Sharon Fultz Patterson and hosted on the USGenWeb Archive.

1860 Slave Schedule for Hancock County, TN - donated by Hallie Price Garner. (Roots Web)

1870

Transcription of the 1870 Hancock County Census is provided courtesy of Ellen Finley-Johnson and hosted on the USGenWeb Archive.

1890

Hawkins County

Jefferson County

1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules for all Tennessee Counties, transcribed by Russsell Anderson. (TNGenWeb.)

- Selected Marriages

- Selected Family Biographies

These Biographies hosted on TNGenWeb:

- County Cemeteries

Selected Obituaries

- Publications

The following publications are available for purchase from HamblenCountyGS@gmail.com


Shipping is $8, but may be more with purchase of multiple items.

  • Hamblen County, Tennessee, Histories & Families, 1870-2020 published by the Hamblen County Genealogical Society - Hamblen County's award-winning publication honoring the county’s sesquicentennial. The hard cover, 8x11 book contains 300 family narratives, histories of Hamblen County schools, businesses, organizations and churches, as well as historical photos and general history articles contributed from all sectors of the community.v296 pages with an index of surnames. $75 + postage.
  • Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery - over 2500 names with the location of each grave. Soft cover with alphabetical index. $15 + postage.
  • Cemeteries of Hamblen County, Tennessee, Volume I - includes over 8000 names from 20 cemeteries in Southwest Hamblen County, including the Emma Jarnagin Cemetery. Soft cover, fully indexed. $15 + postage.
  • Cemeteries of Hamblen County, Tennessee, Volume II - includes over 4200 names from 21 cemeteries in Hamblen County, including the Emma Jarnagin Cemetery. Soft cover, fully indexed. $15 + postage.
  • Cemeteries of Hamblen County, Tennessee, Volume III - includes over 5800 names from 32 cemeteries in Hamblen County, including the Emma Jarnagin Cemetery. Soft cover, fully indexed. $15 + postage.
  • Hamblen County, 1870-1970 - covers 100 years of Hamblen County history. Soft cover, no index. $15 + postage.
  • The Lost Rankin Papers, Jefferson County, TN 1824-1866. - Facsimile copies of 115 receipts, school records, and probate papers collected by the Rankin family (2016). 90 pages, soft cover, indexed. $20.
  • Morristown Centennial 1855-1955 - includes historic articles, photographs and advertising from local businesses. 84 pages, soft cover, no index. $15 + postage.
  • 2020 Hamblen County Calendar - 150th Anniversary edition with original artwork. $10 + postage.
  • Blank Family Tree Poster. $3.
  • Back issues of the Hamblen Heritage newsletter. $2 each (pending availability) + postage.

© 2024 Hamblen County Genealogy Society. All material owned and made available online by others is identified, and the copyright of those items remains to the owner(s). No copyright infringement is intended by the inclusion of freely available online information for the benefit of researchers.

Site designed by Bryan T. Lawson and hosted on ionos.com. For website assistance contact: support@hctngenealogy.org.