The index Tennessee Biographical Index (formerly 30,000 Tennesseans) lists the location of brief biographies on many Tennessee politicians, clergy, military leaders, businessmen and craftsmen. The Library and Archives will, for a fee, copy up to three (3) specified listings from this index.
City directories and telephone books for many Tennessee cities and towns are available for scattered dates. A list of city directories showing which years are available by city is found on our web site; a list of telephone books showing which years are available by city and/or county is also available. These volumes can be searched for a particular surname and copies mailed. Inquiries should specify up to three directories or telephone books to be searched. Relevant pages will be copied and mailed for a search fee.
A list of newspapers and available dates, arranged by town of publication, can be consulted to determine what papers are available for searching. This list of Tennessee newspapers on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives is available on our web site. Because the newspapers are not indexed, you must specify the newspaper to be searched, the name or subject of the article, and the exact date of the event or the issue to be searched.
A list of collections of funeral home records and published indexes held at the Tennessee State Library and Archives can be found on our web site.
Books and published materials can be searched by the Library and Archives staff. Visit the Ask Us a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives with the name of the individual you are researching; please be sure to include the title and call number of the book. Due to the number of requests received daily, we ask that you only submit one request at a time for a single name to be searched in one book. Only one request will be handled at a time. Please do not send a second search request while you have a request pending. Please do not send several searches in separate e-mail messages, or a request that asks to search multiple names. When you receive a reply to your first look-up, you may send in your next look-up request, and so on. The Library and Archives can, for a fee, photocopy all of the listings for one specified surname. The Library and Archives 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.
The Library and Archives will, for a fee, search microfilmed funeral home records which have been indexed or alphabetically arranged. If a microfilm collection has not been indexed or alphabetically arranged, then the records will not be searched by the Library and Archives staff. The entries on the funeral home web page will indicate if an index is available for a particular microfilm collection, or if the records have been alphabetically arranged.
The manuscript collection finding aids & guide, the governor's papers finding aids, the guide to manuscript materials on microfilm and the state record group collection finding aids are available on our web site. If you are interested in copies from a manuscript collection, please visit the Ask Us a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives first, so that staff can determine the number of pages and confirm the final cost for copying. If you know the name of the collection, the box and folder number, and/or the exact item(s), please include this information in your e-mail. The Library and Archives 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.
