Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Putnam County

Putnam County

Putnam County was formed in 1854 from
Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Smith and White counties

(Acts of Tennessee 1842, Chapter 169; Acts of Tennessee 1854, Chapter 320 re-established Putnam County)

The county seat is Cookeville.

There were fires at the Putnam County
courthouse in the 1860s and in 1898.

 

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Selected Published County Histories

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Putnam County. The items in the bibliography may not all be available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.  

 

Published Local Records

 

Local Records on Microfilm

An inventory of microfilmed Putnam County records is available on our website.  Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased.

Earliest records include:

 

The following reels are available on interlibrary loan from the Library and Archives:

 

Newspapers on Microfilm 

Newspapers were published in Cookeville.  Scattered early issues are available from 1858, and a complete run begins in 1899.  Microfilms are loaned to Tennessee libraries.  Individual reels may also be purchased.  An Inventory of Newspapers on Microfilm at the Library and Archives is available on our website.

 

Search for Manuscripts Material in our Catalog 

 

Census Records

 

Additional Research Aids for Putnam County

• County Index to Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications
• Early Tennessee Tax Lists at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Funeral Home Records at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912
• Index to Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933
• School Census Records
• Tennessee World War I Veterans

 

* Indicates this title may be borrowed on Interlibrary Loan from the Library and Archives.

 

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Putnam County Formation Act

The original act that created Putnam County was declared to be in violation of the Tennessee Constitution. The act that re-established the county follows the 1842 act.

ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1841-42, CHAPTER 169:

"An Act to establish the county of Putnam to perpetuate the name and public services of General Israel Putnam, of the Revolutionary War."

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That a new county is hereby established, to be known by the name of Putnam County, in honor of the brave Revolutionary general of that name, to be taken from the counties of White, Fentress, Overton and Jackson, and bounded as follows: Beginning where the Cumberland River crosses the line between the counties of Smith and Jackson; running thence up the river, with its meanders to the mouth of Indian Creek; thence southeast upon the extreme height of the dividing ridge to a point, from which an east line will cross Martin's Creek, near the mouth of Shaw's Branch; thence crossing Martin's Creek at a point above the mouth of said branch, continuing east so as to leave Gainsborough twelve miles to the north, to the line of Overton County; thence a direct line to William Marchbanks; thence a direct line to the Walton Road, where the same strikes the Cumberland Mountain; thence with the said road to George M'Cormacks, in Fentress County; thence a direct line to the line of Morgan County; then southward with the same to its corner, at Johnson's stand; thence south-westwardly to the declivity of Cumberland Mountain; then westwardly with the extreme height of the mountain, meandering the bluff, so that, running west, will strike the ridge dividing the waters of the Calf Killer Fork, of the Caney Fork from the Board Valley; thence upon the extreme height of said ridge, west, leaving Sparta twelve miles to the south, crossing the Falling Water, and running near to where Lawler now lives, including Ditty's Stand, to the corner of DeKalb County; thence with the line of said county, west to Smith County line; thence north with the same to the beginning.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That, for the due administration of justice in said county of Putnam, the several different courts, to be holden in said county, shall be held at White Plains, in the said county, until the seat of justice for said county shall be located, and a suitable house erected for that purpose, the county court, in the intermediate time, shall have full power to adjourn to such other place as they may deem proper in said county, better suited for the holding the same for the public convenience, and to adjourn to the seat of justice, whenever, in their judgment, the necessary arrangements are made, and all writs and other processes returnable to either of the places, shall and may be returned to the place where said courts may have been removed by the county court aforesaid, and the said courts to be holden for the said county of Putnam, shall be under the same rules and restrictions, and shall have the same power and jurisdiction as are possessed by other courts of the same character and denomination in the other counties in this state.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That all officers, civil and military, in said county of Putnam, shall continue to hold their offices, and exercise all of the powers and functions thereof, until others are elected under the constitution and laws made in pursuance thereof; and it shall be the duty of the county court of said county, at their first session, to appoint some suitable person to open and hold elections in each civil district and parts of districts, in said county, on the first Saturday in March, 1842, for the purpose of electing county officers, according to the constitution and laws of this state; also all other officers that, by the constitution, the people are entitled to elect, and the officers so elected, shall have the same powers and jurisdiction, subject to the same restrictions, and have the same fees and emoluments as the officers of other counties have by law; and the said county of Putnam shall be placed upon an equal footing, possess equal powers and privileges, in all respects, as other counties in this state; Provided, that nothing in this act shall prevent the counties of Jackson, White, Overton and Fentress from exercising jurisdiction over the territory composing said county, as they now do, until the election of county officers in said county; Provided also, nothing in this act shall be so construed as to prevent the counties aforesaid from entering up Judgment or the sheriffs of said counties from selling, under such Judgment, any lands within the said county of Putnam, for taxes for any preceding year, or to prevent the sheriffs thereof from collecting the taxes due for any preceding year.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That the citizens of the county of Putnam, in all elections, for Governor, members of Congress, for President and Vice-President, and members of the General Assembly, shall vote with the counties from which they have been stricken off, until the next apportionment, agreeable to the constitution.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That Isaac Buck, Burton Marchbanks, Henry L. McDaniel, Lawson Clark, Carr Terry, Richard F. Cook, H. D. Marchbanks, Craven Maddox, Elijah Con, of Jackson County, or any five of them, are hereby appointed commissioners, any three of whom may act, and they shall employ Mounce Gore, of Jackson County, to survey said county, a plat of which shall be deposited, mark the lines calling for natural objects; and he shall designate the center thereof, and if it shall appear, from the measurement, that there is not a constitutional territory, or any of the counties from which the territory is taken, shall be reduced below their constitutional limits, then it shall be the duty of said commissioners, to designate the place for the seat of justice, and report the same to the county court of said county, which place, designated, shall not be more than three miles from the center of said county, as fixed upon by the surveyor aforesaid: Provided, the same shall, in no event, be east of the White Plains.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That, so soon as the said commissioners shall report, it shall be the duty of the county court of said county, to appoint five commissioners, who shall proceed to lay off a town at the place designated, to be known by the name of Monticello, with an many streets, and of such width as they may deem necessary, reserving at least three acres for a public square, a lot for a public jail, and lots for a male and female academies, and for the erection of a church for public worship.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That the commissioners of the town of Monticello, shall sell the lots in said town, on a credit of at least twelve months, first giving due notice thereof, in some newspaper printed in this state, and shall take bond with sufficient security, for the purchase money, payable to themselves and successors in office, and shall make titles in fee simple to the respective purchasers of said lots, and the proceeds of sales of said lots, shall be a fund in the hands of said commissioners, for defraying the expenses incurred in purchasing the land upon which the said town is erected, and erecting the public buildings.

SECTION 8. BE IT ENACTED, That said commissioners shall superintend the building of a court house and jail, and shall let out the building of the same upon such terms, and of such dimensions as the county court of said county shall direct or order, and shall take bond and good security from the undertaker, payable to themselves and successors, for double the sum for which said buildings may be undertaken, conditioned for the faithful performance of the contract.

SECTION 9. BE IT ENACTED, That the said commissioners, before they enter upon the duties of their office, shall take an oath before the county court of said county, that they will well and truly perform the duties assigned to them by this act, to the best of their ability, and shall, moreover, execute bond and security in the sum of ten thousand dollars to the chairman of the county court, conditioned for the true and faithful performance of their duties as enjoined upon them by this act, which bond shall be filed in the clerk's office of said county, and the said commissioners shall keep a fair and regular statement of all monies received and expended, which statement, when required, shall, from time to time, be laid before the county court, and when all of the public buildings are completed, pay over what may remain, if any, to the county trustee of said county, and it shall be the duty of they county court to make a reasonable allowance to both sets of commissioners and surveyor appointed by this act, to be paid out of the treasury of said county.

SECTION 10. BE IT ENACTED, That the said county of Putnam shall be attached to the chancery court district of Gainesborough, and all appeals in nature of writs of error, and writs of error shall be taken to the supreme court at Nashville, and the first county court shall be held on the first Monday in February next, and afterwards as the county courts of the other counties of the several counties in this state are held.

SECTION 11. BE IT ENACTED, That the said county of Putnam shall constitute one Regiment, and shall be attached to the Brigade to which they are now attached, and the field officers shall meet at White Plains on the first Monday in February next, to lay off and divide the said Regiment into Battalions and companies, and provide for electing all officers in the manner prescribed by law.

SECTION 12. BE IT ENACTED, That the first circuit court of said county of Putnam shall be held at White Plains, in said county, on the second Monday of March next, and ever after on the second Monday of March, July and November, and the judge of the fourth Judicial Circuit shall hold the courts thereof, and shall adjourn to the seat of justice whenever the county court of said county shall notify him that a suitable house is erected to held the court in.

SECTION 13. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall be the duty of the commissioners, first in this act appointed, to purchase twenty acres of land, including the town to be laid off, upon the best terms they can, and make report thereof to the county court of said county.

SECTION 14. BE IT ENACTED, That if it shall appear, from the survey directed to be made by this act, that there is not a constitutional territory contained in the bounds of said county of Putnam, or that either of the counties from which it is taken is reduced below the constitutional limits, then this act shall not take effect: Provided, that it shall not be lawful for the county lines of the said county of Putnam to approach nearer than twelve miles to the seat of justice of either of the counties from which it is taken, and, in no case, shall any charge be made upon the state for any cost or charges in establishing the county.

SECTION 15. BE IT ENACTED, That the citizens of said county may file their bills in the chancery court at Gainsborough, Sparta or Livingston, at their option; and each of said courts shall have jurisdiction of all equity causes in said county.

SECTION 16. BE IT ENACTED, That an academy is hereby established at Monticello, in said county, with all of the rights and emoluments of other counties in this state; and the county court shall appoint trustees as in other counties, and shall name the same; and may, at their option, change the name of the county town from Monticello to any other name they may see proper

Passed on February 2, 1842

 

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ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1853-54, CHAPTER 320:

"An Act to re-establish the county of Putnam."

SECTION 1. Whereas, An act of the General Assembly, passed on the 1st February, 1842, entitled "an act to establish the county of Putnam, to perpetuate the name of General Israel Putnam of the Revolutionary War," chapter 179, and under the operations of said act and other acts subsequent thereto, the county was completely organized by the election of all the proper officers, both civil and military, and by the holding of circuit and county courts at the time established by law. This state of things continued until the spring of 1844; and a bill in equity and for an injunction was then filed in the chancery court of Overton County against Wm. H. Carr, clerk of the circuit court and Joseph A. Ray, clerk of the county court, and other officers in Putnam County, enjoining them from further acting in their official capacity; and no answer or demurer or plea being put in, the bill was taken for confessed and the said injunction was rendered perpetual, and the said county was declared by the court of chancery not to have been legally and constitutionally established, and the functions of all the officers have ceased since that period. And whereas, the supreme court of this state have decided in the case of Ford vs. Farmer, et. al., 8th Humphreys, page 152, that after the organization of a county is complete, and the original commissioners have executed their duty, that it is not the province or within the jurisdiction of the courts of justice to enjoin the civil officers of a county from proceeding in their official duties; and, therefore, the decree of the court of chancery rendered in the case above specified was and is not binding, except as to the parties on record; and it is represented to this Legislature, by petition and otherwise, that the constitution has not been violated by the establishment of the county of Putnam, and the citizens residing within the limits of said county are desirous that the county may be reestablished.  Therefore, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That the said county of Putnam is hereby re-established, with all the powers and privileges of other counties in the state of Tennessee, and with all the butts, bounds and lines that governed the limits of said county at the time said bill of injunction was filed against the officers of said county, except such as shall or may hereinafter be provided for in this act.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That the bounds of said county of Putnam shall be as originally run by Mounce Gore, principal surveyor, and his deputies, with such alterations as may be necessary to preserve the constitutionality of said county, or better promote the interest of her citizens; provided, that in no case the change of any of the original lines shall affect the constitutional right of the old counties; and the beginning corner shall be on the south bank of Cumberland River where the line dividing Smith and Jackson counties crosses said river, running up said river with its various meanders to the mouth of Indian Creek; thence in a southeast direction with Mounce Gore's last line, upon the extreme height of the dividing ridge, to a point from which an east line crosses Martin's Creek, near the mouth of Shaw's branch; thence in an eastern direction with said Gore's line as last run, crossing the road leading from Sparta to Gainesboro, between the twelve and thirteen mile post at about twelve and a half miles from Gainesboro; thence with the said Gore's line through Jackson County to the west boundary line of Overton County, to the original corner of Putnam County on said line; thence with said Gore's last line through Overton County, bearing twelve miles south of Livingston to George McCormack's old stand in Fentress County, on the road leading from Brady's turnpike gate to Jamestown; thence with the original line of Putnam County in the direction of the Morgan County line, as far as two miles, if necessary to preserve the constitutional limits in territory to the said county of Putnam; thence in a southeastern direction, so as to strike the Morgan County line north of Johnson's stand on Walton's road, at or near the same distance that it may be necessary to run east of George McCormack's; thence with said Morgan County line south to said Johnson's stand on Walton's road; thence south two degrees, west five miles to the southeast corner of said county, marked P.C.; thence west five miles with said original line to the declivity of the Cumberland mountain; thence with John Welsh's last line through White County, leaving the town of Sparta at the distance of twelve miles, to the mouth of Hutchins' Creek; thence down the Falling Water with its various meanders to the east boundary line of DeKalb County, where said line crosses said Falling Water near the falls; thence in a southern direction crossing said river and with said DeKalb County line one and a half miles; thence in a northwestern direction, crossing said Falling Water between the mouth of Cane Creek and Riley Medly's old place on said river, and crossing Mine Lick Creek twelve miles from the town of Smithville in DeKalb County; and thence in a western direction bearing twelve miles north of Smithville to the Jackson County line; thence west with the north boundary line of DeKalb County to the Caney Fork River; thence down said river with its various meanders to the mouth of Rock Spring Creek in Smith County; and thence in a northern direction to a point in the line dividing Smith and Jackson counties south of Walton's road and opposite and upper end of Major James McDaniel's farm; thence north, crossing Walton's road with said Jackson County line to the beginning.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That for the due administration of justice in said county of Putnam, the several different courts to be holden in said county shall be held at the house of Lewis Huddleston, or some other house on his premises, in the county of Putnam as originally established, until the seat of justice for said county shall be located, and a suitable house erected for that purpose; the county court in the intermediate time shall have full power to adjourn to such other place as they may deem proper in said county, better suited for the holding of the same for the public convenience, and to adjourn to the seat of justice whenever, in their judgment, the necessary arrangements are made, and all writs and process returnable to either of the places shall and may be returned to the place where said courts may have been removed by the county court aforesaid; and the said county of Putnam shall be under the same rules and restrictions, and shall have the same power and jurisdiction as are possessed by other courts of the same character and denomination in the other counties in this state.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That all officers, civil or military, in said county of Putnam, shall continue to hold their offices and exercise all of the powers and functions thereof, until others are elected and qualified under the constitution and laws made in pursuance thereof; and it shall be the duty of the justices of the peace within the limits of Putnam County, as above described, including the fraction of Smith and DeKalb counties, at the first term of the county court, a majority of said justices being present, to proceed to appoint a suitable person to open and hold elections in each civil district in the county of Putnam and the fractions of the counties of Smith and DeKalb, as above described, for the purpose of electing county officers, according to the constitution and laws of the state; and said officers so appointed by said county court shall have and exercise all the authority and power of the sheriffs of other counties in this state, in holding said elections and appointing deputies and administering oaths, and in all things pertaining to holding said elections and making returns, be governed by the laws that govern such elections in this state.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That said election shall be held on the first Saturday in June, 1854, and all future elections at the same time of other elections in this state, as established by law; and it shall be the duty of said county court to appoint a clerk, whose duty it shall be to prepare the necessary and usual bonds required by law, and to qualify the officers so elected under this act; and the officers so elected and qualified shall have the same powers and jurisdiction, subject to the same restrictions, and have the same fees and emoluments as the officers of other counties have by law; and the said county of Putnam shall be placed on an equal footing, possess equal powers and privileges, in all respects, as other counties in this state; provided, that nothing in this act shall prevent the counties of Jackson, White, Overton, Fentress, DeKalb and Smith from exercising jurisdiction over the territory composing said county of Putnam, as they now do, until the election of county officers, and said officers shall have been qualified and given bonds according to law in said county; provided, also, that nothing in this act shall be so construed as to prevent the counties aforesaid from entering up judgment, or the sheriffs of said counties from selling under such judgment, any lands within said county of Putnam for taxes for any preceding year, or to prevent the sheriffs thereof from collecting the taxes due for any preceding year.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That the citizens of the county of Putnam, in all elections for governor, members of congress, for president and vice president, and members of the general assembly, shall vote with the counties from which they have been stricken off, until the next apportionment under the constitution.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That the county of Putnam shall be attached to the 4th Judicial Circuit, and the circuit courts shall be held by the judge of said circuit on the second Monday of April, August and December, in each and every year. The first court in said county shall be held on the second Monday in December next, and the citizens of said county may file bills in chancery in either of the chancery courts held at Sparta, Livingston or Gainesboro, at their option, and all appeals in nature of writs or error shall be taken to the supreme court at Nashville; and the first county court shall be held on the second Monday in April, 1854, and afterwards as the county court of the other counties of this state; and when a suitable building is prepared at the established seat of justice, it shall be the duty of the county court to inform the judge of the 4th judicial circuit, and it shall be his duty to adjourn the court over to the same.

SECTION 8. BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the said county of Putnam shall constitute one regiment, and shall be attached to the brigade to which they now belong, and the field officers of said county shall meet at the house of the said Lewis Huddleston on the first Saturday in June, and proceed to divide the militia of said county into two regiments and designate the bounds of each regiment and the place of holding each regimental muster; the senior officer in command shall preside and proceed to organize both regiments as soon as practicable.

SECTION 9. BE IT ENACTED, That John West, Amos Maxwell, John Lee, Burton Marchbanks, and John Bohanon, and Riley Medlin, are hereby appointed commissioners to superintend the resurvey of said county of Putnam agreeable to the provisions of this act, any three of whom may act, and shall employ Madison F. Conner, of White County to survey said county, a plat of which shall be returned to said commissioners designating the center of said county, which survey shall be made as near as possible in conformity to the boundaries of said county as described in the second section of this act, having due regard to the legal rights of Putnam County, and the constitutional rights of the old counties, and it shall be the duty of said commissioners to furnish said surveyor with all the information in their power to the faithful and speedy discharge of his duty, and deposite said plat in the County Court Clerk's office at as early a day as possible.

SECTION 10. And whereas, a small fraction of the north east corner of DeKalb County, adjourning the county of Putnam, and a small fraction of the eastern boundary of the county of Smith, has by the citizens of said fractional parts of DeKalb and Smith County, prayed this Legislature by petition to be attached to said county of Putnam; therefore That so much of the county of DeKalb, as lies north of the south boundary line, of the county of Putnam as described in the second section of this act, be and the same is hereby attached to the county of Putnam, to wit: beginning at the north-east corner of said DeKalb County, and running south with the east boundary line of said county, crossing the Falling Water near the falls, and with said line one mile and a half to a corner on the White County line, thence in a north western direction, crossing the Falling Water between the mouth of Cane Creek and Riley Medlin's old place; and crossing Mine Lick Creek, bearing twelve miles from Smithville to the north boundary line of DeKalb County, and said last described line shall be regarded as the line dividing the county of DeKalb and Putnam counties, and the said county of Putnam shall have and exercise jurisdiction over the fraction north of said line, and which shall hereafter be and constitute a part of the county of Putnam, any law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding. That so much of the fractional part of the county of Smith as lies east of the Caney Fork River, and a line running from the mouth of Rock Spring Creek in a northern direction to the eastern boundary line of said county of Smith as described in the second section of this act, establishing the boundary line of the county of Putnam, is hereby established as a part and parcel of the said county according to the prayer of the petitioners, and said Caney Fork River and line as above described, shall be the boundary line between the counties of Smith and Putnam counties; and all the citizens east of said river and line shall be subject to the authority, and under the jurisdiction of the county of Putnam, any former law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding; and it shall be the duty of the surveyor that surveys the county of Putnam, to include said territory in the county of Putnam as described by the second section of this act.

SECTION 11. BE IT ENACTED, That as soon as the survey of Putnam County is completed, and the center of the county found and shown to the commissioners by the said surveyor, and a plat of the same furnished them by the said surveyor, they shall deposite the same in the Clerk's office of the County Court, and it shall be the duty of said County Court to appoint at least nine commissioners to lay off said county, into not less than nine nor more than twelve civil districts of as near an average number of voters as practicable, and to suit the convenience of the citizens, and designate the place of holding the elections in each district describing the boundary, and the number of each civil district; the center district being (No.1). And it shall be the duty of said County Court to appoint three of said commissioners from the fractional part of Jackson County, and two from the fraction of Overton, and two from the fraction of White, and one from the fraction of DeKalb, and one from the fraction of Smith, and one from the fraction of Fentress County, and if any of said commissioners fail or refuse to act, the vacancy may be filled by the appointment of another commissioner in said fraction by any three of the board, and any five shall constitute a quorum, and do the business and report to the next County Court.

SECTION 12. BE IT ENACTED, That Joshua R. Stone, and Doctor Green H. Baker, of White County; Austin Morgan, and Maj. John Brown, of Jackson; and William Davis, and Isaiah Warthon, of Overton County; and William B. Stokes, and Bird S. Rhea, of DeKalb County; and Benjamin A. Vaden, and Nathan Ward, of the county of Smith, be and the same are hereby appointed commissioners to locate the seat of Justice for the county of Putnam, any five of whom shall have the power to act as a body; seven members shall constitute a quorum, and one from each county may act and adjourn from day to day, or fill any vacancy that may occur by the refusal of any of said commissioners to act, or from any other cause by appointing a disinterested man from the same county, such vacancy or refusal to act may occur, and it shall be the duty of the commissioners first appointed by this act, to superintend the surveying of said county on the receipt of the plat, and the center of said county, being shown to them by said surveyor, to appoint a day giving said commissioners ten days' notice at least to meet at the said center of the county of Putnam, and proceed to examine the different sites or places in the vicinity of the said central point of said county of Putnam, which may be deemed suitable for the county seat of said county, and after full examination it shall be the duty of said commissioners to select the nearest suitable site to said central point for the location of said town or county seat, taking properly into consideration the necessary quantity of water as well as the situation of the ground, and then and there place a stake at or near the spot where said court-house, for said county shall be erected, which spot so selected shall not exceed two miles and a half from the center of said county; and it shall be the duty of said commissioners or a majority of those who may act, to report to the next County Court of said county, specifying the place where they have selected as the site of said county of Putnam, and which shall be thereby established.

SECTION 13. BE IT ENACTED, That so soon as the said commissioners shall report, it shall be the duty of said County Court to appoint five commissioners, who shall proceed to lay off a town at the place designated, to be named Cookeville, in honor of Maj. Richard F. Cooke, of Jackson County, with as many streets and of such width as they may deem proper, or necessary, reserving at least two acres and a half for a public square; a lot for a public jail, and for a male and female academy, and for the erection of a church for public worship.

SECTION 14. BE IT ENACTED, That said commissioners, of said town shall first proceed to purchase or procure by donation, at least twenty acres of land, including the town to be laid off on the best terms they can, and report the same to the County Court, which title shall be made to the chairman of said court and his successors in office for the use and benefit of said county of Putnam.

SECTION 15. BE IT ENACTED, That the said commissioners of said town shall, after said purchase and the laying off of said town is completed and a plan of said town laid down, proceed to sell the lots in said town on a credit of at least twelve months, first giving due notice thereof in some newspaper printed in this state, and shall take bond with sufficient security for the purchase money, payable to themselves and their successors in office, and shall make titles in fee simple to the respective purchasers of said lots; and the proceeds of the sale of said lots shall be a fund in the hands of said commissioners for defraying the expenses incurred in purchasing the land on which the town is erected, and for erecting the public buildings.

SECTION 16. BE IT ENACTED, That said commissioners shall superintend the building of a courthouse and jail, and let out the building of the same and upon such terms and of such dimensions as the county court of said county shall direct or order, and shall take bond and good security from the undertaker,

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Putnam County Bibliography

 PLEASE NOTE that the Tennessee State Library and Archives does not hold copies of all of the items listed in this bibliography. Please check the Tennessee State Library and Archives Online Catalog or visit the Ask Us a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives and verify we have an item in our collection. We will respond to e-mail requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of research required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If you need immediate assistance you may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.

Subjects :

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Putnam County in General

• Allred, Charles E. Rural credit in TN, 1923. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1938. 48 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #82)
• Assessment for potential resource recovery project in Putnam County, TN. Chattanooga, TVA, 1981. 33 pp.
• Brinker, William J., ed. A time for looking back: Putnam County veterans, their families, & the Vietnam War. Cookeville, TTU, 1990. 109 pp. Buck, James. A history of the library resources of Putnam County. TN Polytechnic Institute thesis, 1961. 87 pp.
• Burgess Falls natural area, Putnam County TN: master plan. N.p., 1974. 49 pp.
• Chatham, Carrie G. Water quality of streams affected by acid mine drainage in the Upper East Fork Obey River Watershed, TN. TTU thesis, 1990. 132 pp.
• Community data: Cookeville & Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, n.p., 1961. var. pp.
• DeLozier, Mary J. "The Civil War & its aftermath in Putnam County." THQ 38 (1979), pp. 436-461.
• DeLozier, Mary J. Putnam County, TN, 1850-1970. N.p., 1979. 377 pp.
• Grime, John H. Recollections of a long life. Lebanon, n.p., 1930. 26 pp.
• Hatfield, James M. A history & educational survey of Putnam County, TN. UT thesis, 1937. 99 pp.
• Historic Putnam County [audiovisual]. Cookeville, Putnam County Bicentennial Commission, 1976. 159 slides + guide (14 p.)
• Hogan, Colin A. A study of the use of the Putnam County soil survey & supplement in the site selection for selected non-agricultural uses in Putnam County. UT thesis, 1973. 72 pp.
• Hopson, Mary. Siftings from Putnam County, TN: towns, communities, people. Cookeville, Diversified Graphic, 1991. 324 pp.
• Hopson, Mary. Stray leaves from Putnam County history: pioneer families, sights & sounds from the past, old school groups, Civil War soldiers. Cookeville, the author, 1990. 296 pp.
• Hudelston, Jesse. "The ballad of the Braswell boys -- a Putnam County incident." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 46 (1980), pp. 25-30.
• Jones, William C. The history of education, grades one through twelve in Putnam County, TN, from 1900 to 1960. Cookeville, TN Polytechnic Institute, 1963. 121 pp.
• Kailasam, Ramachandran. A socioeconomic analysis of non-migrants, return migrants, & primary migrants in Putnam County, TN. UT thesis, 1978. 76 pp.
• McClain, Walter S. A history of Putnam County, TN, by Walter S. McClain. Chapter eight by Quimby Dyer. Cookeville, Q. Dyer, 1925. 152 pp.
• Nichols, Earl Y. An analysis of Putnam County's ability to support education, based on a study & comparison of assessed value to real value of property. TN Polytechnic Institute thesis, 1959. 67 pp.
• Nolen, Jewell. Putnam County Health Dept. cooperating with the Putnam County Court presents information on the history, development, & services of the Putnam County Health Dept., Cookeville, TN, August, 1965. Cookeville, n.p., 1965. 169 pp.
• Pictorial history of Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, First American Bank, 1988. 259 pp.
• Putnam County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
• Putnam County Area Redevelopment Committee. Overall economic development program for Putnam County, TN. N.p., n.d. 37 pp.
• Railroading in Putnam County. Cookeville, Cookeville Depot Museum, 1987. 16 pp.
• Redmon, Thomas L. Employment opportunities of Putnam County High School graduates & post graduates, & type of training desired by employers. TTU thesis, 1969. 59 pp.
• Rogers, E.G. "Switching for water." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 21 (1955), pp. 108- 111.
• Social survey of Putnam County, TN. Prepared under auspices of Putnam County Chapter, American Red Cross, under direction of Marguerite Thompson. N.p., 1920. 24 pp.
• Soil survey, Putnam County, TN. Washington D.C., US GPO, 1912, 1963.
• Spurlock, Donald E. The Brassell hangings of Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, Southland Printing Co., 1981. 230 pp.
• Stedman, Stephen J. Birds of Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, TTU Printing Services, 1993. 146 pp.
• TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
• Tennessee treasures: recipes of Putnam County. Collierville, Fundcraft, 1994. 90 pp.
• Thompson, Arthur. A study of health services in the Putnam County, TN, public schools. TTU thesis, 1967. 82 pp.
• Throckmorton, Harry B. A history of commercial banking in Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, the author, 1977. 62 pp.
• Trials for the murder of Raphael Harris Perlmutter in Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, TTU, 1987. (typed copy of transcripts from the trials & of newspaper articles & pertinent letters from Army personnel, etc.)
• US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Dodson Branch, Windle, Buffalo Valley, Baxter, Cookevile West, Cookeville East, Monterey, Obey City, Clarkrange, Center Hill Dam, Silverpoint, Burgess Falls, Dry Valley, Monterey Lake, Campbell Junction, De Rossett.
• Upper Cumberland Development District. Comprehensive water & sewage plan: Putnam County, TN. Cookeville, the district, 1971. 115 pp.
• Watters, George W. Elmer Lincoln Wirt, editor & politician: a study of grassroots populism & progressivism in TN. TTU thesis, 1973. 122 pp.
• Webb, Thomas G. "The pottery industry of Dekalb, White & Putnam counties." THQ 30 (1971), pp. 110-112.
• Wilson, Dick. The physical, chemical & biological recovery of Pigeon Roost Creek following the closing of a sewage treatment plant. TTU thesis, 1985. 73 pp.

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Algood

• Algood Extension Homemakers Club. The Algood story, 1857-1935. Algood, the club, 1986. 58 pp.
• Algood School Alumni Assoc. Algood School, 1892-1992. Algood, Anderson Performance Printing, 1992. 120 pp.
• Lutin, Philip A. Building numbers & streets for the city of Algood, TN, Putnam County. Cookeville, TTU, 1966. 55 pp.

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Baxter

• Dyer, Quimby. Baxter, TN. Cookeville, n.p., 1924. 17 pp.
• Matthews, Ruth R. A light on the Cumberland Plateau: the story of Baxter Seminary. Nashville, Commission on Archives & History, TN Annual Conference, United Methodist Church, 1975. 134 pp.

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Cookeville

• Boyd, Ernest H. Address of Ernest H. Boyd on the part TN has played in the history of the Union. Cookeville, the Press, 1899. 28 pp. (delivered at the annual commencement of the Cookeville Collegiate Institute, May 19, 1899)
• Brinker, William J. "Cookeville's 109th cavalry troop." THQ 53 (Winter 1994), pp. 228-245.
• Cookeville's government; a study of the organization & administration of the government of Cookeville, TN. Prepared by the Bureau of Public Administration, UT, & the Bureau of Research, College of Business Administration & others. Knoxville, UT, 1948. 118 pp.
• Merrill, George P. A recently-found iron meteorite from Cookeville, Putnam County, TN. Washington, D.C., n.p., 1917. pp.
• Whitney, Gertrude. Cookeville in retrospect. Reprinted from Cookeville's Putnam County Herald, 1943. Dallas, TX, 1943. 47 pp.

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Dry Valley

• Smith, Flavious J. Enduring memories: growing up in Dry Valley the heart of the Upper Cumberland. Cookeville, the author, 1984. 75 pp.

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Monterey

• Dillard, John R. Standing Stone, TN, Monterey, early history. Nashville, Harris Press, 1989. 428 pp.

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Tennessee Technological University

• Neufeldt, Harvey G. & W. Calvin Dickinson. "Dark & mysterious channels": the creation of TN Polytechnic Institute. THQ 48 (Fall, 1989), pp. 144- 150.
• Neufeldt, Harvey & W. Calvin Dickinson. The search for identity: a history of TTU, 1915-1985. Memphis, MSU Press, 1991. 216 pp.
• Smith, Austin W. The story of TN Tech. Cookeville, n.p., 1957. 326 pp. (reprinted by McQuiddy, 1957.)
• TN Technological University. Register & announcement. 1916/17 -. Cookeville, 1916 --. Annual. (Title varies slightly. Vols. for 1916/17- 1964/65 issued by the university under its earlier name: TN Polytechnic Institute)
• TN Technological University. The TN Tech journal. v. 1, Spring 1966-. (quarterly)

 

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