DEKALB COUNTY, TENNESSEE GENEALOGY

Dekalb County, Tennessee was established by an act of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee on December 2, 1837. The area west of the Caney Fork River came from Warren County and a small strip from Cannon County. The area east of the Caney Fork River came from White County. Generally, much of the area north of the "Indian Boundary" of the Holston Treaty of 1791 that was included in Dekalb County came from Smith County. Dekalb County is located in middle Tennessee, one of the three divisions of Tennessee.

A list of Communities in Dekalb County

TNDEKALB-L. A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Dekalb County, Tennessee. Mailing address for postings is TNDEKALB-L-request@rootsweb.com. To subscribe send the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) as the only text in the body of a message to: TNDEKALB-L-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or TNDEKALB-D-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode)

Genealogy Archives
Administrator's Settlements	Past County Officials
Bible Transcriptions	Postmasters
Cemetery Directions	R. M. Johnson Journal
Cemetery Transcriptions	Salem Baptist Church Membership Lists
Court Records	Slave Records in various documents
Deeds	Social Security Death Index at rootsweb
Eli Vick's Store Ledger	Surnames
Family Histories	Tennessee Death Index at TSLA Years 1908-1912 Years 1914-1928 There were no death certificates in 1913.
Marriages	Wills
Obituaries by Marie Beckman Grucz

Census
1840 transcription by Marie Beckman Grucz	1890 Civil War Veterans Census
1850 with index in progress at the TNLHN Dekalb County site- Dist. 1 and 13 complete	1850 Dekalb County Civil Districts Map
1860 with index	1920 Dekalb County Civil Districts Map
1880 familysearch.org transcription

NOW AVAILABLE   Early Virginia Families with Middle Tennessee Connections has just been published by Justin Potter Library of Smithville, Tennessee. The author is Thomas G. Webb, DeKalb County historian, who has spent more than 60 years researching the history of the several families in the book. The result is a 384-page hardback book with a complete first-name index. Besides related families, more than 30 main families are presented. They are:
Bennett Boykin Braswell Cathcart Childers Cooper Davis Downing Flood Frazier	Gribble Harris Jennings Magness Mason Moser Nicholls Parker Power Rich	Robinson Rowland Smith Snow Spoe Strother Tubb Washer Weedon Wilson Yeargin
Most of these families have been traced to the 1600s in Virginia, then down to the present time. This is more than just a list of names and dates, and many of the people are presented in great detail, so that we can understand their way of life and their reasons for making the decisions they made. All research is thoroughly documented and footnoted, with references to the original documents. The book contains more than 40 pages of family and historical photographs. The hardback cover is done in full color, with photographs of locations in DeKalb County. A limited number of books will be published, and no second printing is planned, so it is important to obtain your book as soon as possible.       The book can be purchased in person or by mail from Justin Potter Library, 101 South First Street, Smithville, TN 37166 (Phone 615-597-4359). The cost is $35.00, or $40.00 postpaid. Checks should be made payable to Justin Potter Library. The book can also be purchased in person at F. Z. Webb Pharmacy and Gifts, 400 Public Square in Smithville.

New! Death Record Search All Tennessee Counties 1949-2005 also Divorces 1980-2005 and Marriage Records 1980-2005

The Shelby County, Tennessee Registrar of Deeds has a website where you can mainly search Shelby County government records. If you go to the link I give below, then go to the far right column on the page where it says "Archives". There will be a drop down list box there where it says "search type". Click on the arrow to make the list appear and at the top of the list will be, not Shelby County, but 3 statewide record categories, where you can choose any of the 3 categories, and then below that choose a county and enter a name and optional years. It works as an index giving information to order the record, but the actual name and death/marriage/divorce date is also given. Also if there are many records that meet your search criteria, all those will be listed. You are also given a link to order the record from the state health department. Death record results contain name, date, age, county, marital status, race, gender, and file number. It doesn't get any better for free.

GO TO THE SEARCH PAGE

New! The Land Laws of Tennessee by Henry D Whitney

This book gives all information about the laws of public and private land sales, grants, deeds- every law concerning land in Tennessee and the changes in the law throughout history. It can help explain why certain things are on deeds, where grants were issued from at various times in Tennessee history, and can possibly help you find in which government office your ancestor's grant might be located. If you want or need any information about Tennessee land, this has it all.

Schools
Oakland Institute, 1850, Sligo area- includes teachers' names and students' names from the 1850 census of the dormitory	A history of Pure Fountain College at Smithville from "A Bicentennial History of DeKalb County, Tennessee", by Thomas G. Webb- includes students' names
Holmes Creek School, 1927 Photo	Bright Hill school, 1922 Photo

Dekalb County Funeral Homes
Dekalb Funeral Chapel (with obits)	Love-Cantrell Funeral Home (with obits) You have to enter at least 2 letters, or better a surname, into their search box to see any past obits- they do have a lot, but you can't simply browse all.
Avant Funeral Home- no website 109 High St., Alexandria, TN (615) 529-2323 24hr Obituary line: (615) 529-2221	Anderson Funeral Home- no website 302 West Main Street, Alexandria, TN (615) 529-2173 or Smithville, TN (615) 529-2988
Smithville Memorial Chapel- no website 614 Murphy St Smithville, TN 37166 (615) 597-6277

Newspapers
Alexandria Times abstracts 1894-1895	Smithville Review Newspaper
Liberty Herald Newspaper Abstracts 1886-1900	The Middle Tennessee Times
Reminiscences of Smithville- articles from the Smithville Review

Military
---REVOLUTIONARY WAR---
Revolutionary War Veterans Who Settled in Dekalb County	Revolutionary War Pension Applications: http://www.tngenweb.org/projects/ Then choose "Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War" This is mostly copied from the pensions book. There is no listing for Dekalb County, because the pensions started before Dekalb County was formed. Look in Smith County and nearby.
---CIVIL WAR---
Dekalb County in the Civil War by Will T Hale	Index of Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionaires
Southern Claims Commission claims in Dekalb County	Look up any Union or Confederate soldier anywhere in US- by name
Everything you ever wanted to know about the 16th Infantry Regiment, CSA	Tennessee and the Civil War- a TNGenWeb project 16th Tennessee Infantry Regement 35th Tennessee Infantry Regiment 84th Tennessee Infantry Regiment
16th Infantry Regiment, CSA photos
16th Infantry Regiment, CSA burials in Dekalb County
Savage Goodner Camp 1513- Sons of Confederate Veterans	Allison's Cavalry Squadron

Photos
Pictoral History of Dekalb County	More Photos at the TNLHN Dekalb County site
Photo of Adam Dale (1st settler) at DAR site	Photo of Street Scene and Courthouse at the Presswood Hanging, 1872, with Dekalb's 1st courthouse
Robert Lack's Photos- he needs help with identification of many	Photo of the teacher and students of Holmes Creek School in 1927- need help with identification of these people
Photo of the Teachers and Students of Bright Hill School- Most are named	Roy- Vick- Yeargin Photos- Submitted by Marie Wingate
Salem Cemetery Photos	Foutch Family Photos- Submitted by Marie Wingate

The University of Tennessee has placed copies of it's yearbooks with all the pages and photos for the years 1897 through 2004 online. If any of your kin or ancestors attended this University, you might find their photo at that web site. The main page has a search box where you can enter any name, and all occurrences of that name, with links to the yearbook page, will be listed. For students, their hometown is also given. The link is here.

Lookup Volunteers
1840 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1850 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1860 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1870 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1880 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1900 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1910 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
1920 DeKalb Co. Census	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. Marriages 1848-1950	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. Will Book A (1838-1854)	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. Cemeteries	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. Administrators' Bonds (1860-1892)	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. Administrators' Settlements (1846-1907)	Darrell Spencer
DeKalb Co. History by The Goodspeed Publishing Co. (1887)	Darrell Spencer
The Fite Family History	Dale Cantrell
Salem Baptist Church Minutes 1809-1909	Dale Cantrell

Reunions

Local History

Goodspeed's History of Dekalb County and Goodspeed's Biographies

History of Dekalb County, Tennessee by Will T Hale

Google Books has "History of Middle Tennessee Baptists" by John Harvey Grime- The Dekalb County churches start on pages 60 and following- read it all online- starts abt 1800

"You Can Go Home" by James W Lee Jr

"Historian Unravels Liberty Mule Mystery", by Thomas G. Webb

"The Last Bear Fight" from The Smithville Review

"The Foutch/Malone Feud" by Chris Tramel

John Presswood, Jr hanging in 1872, from the Smithville Review

"Dekalb Countians in State and US Government" by Thomas Webb

Genealogy Room Named For Thomas G Webb

More history at the TNLHN Dekalb County site -pioneer roads and migration, map and discussion of the Holston Treaty Indian Boundary that ran through Dekalb County, bios of early settlers, photo of Center Hill Dam construction, etc.

Genealogy Resources

The Webb Families of Dekalb County, Tennessee and 23 Related Families- by Thomas Webb

An Inventory of Dekalb County Books at the library - 3 Titles For Sale

An Inventory of Dekalb County Records on Microfilm Available at TSLA

Tennessee State Library and Archives main page

Libraries in Dekalb County

Introduction to Tennessee Land History - an explanation of how Tennessee land was surveyed and the Surveyor's Districts

County offices contact information

Tennessee GenWeb Special Projects main page

OUR NEIGHBORS' SITES

Go to Cannon County page

Go to Putnam County page

Go to Smith County page

Go to Warren County page

Go to White County page

Go to Wilson County page

Return to TNGenWeb page

See my Jackson County, Tennessee page at TN-ALHN