Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Hardin County

Hardin County

Hardin County was formed in 1818 from Indian lands

(Public Acts of Tennessee 1819, Chapter 6)

The county seat is Savannah.

There were fires at the Hardin County
courthouse in 1859, 1864 and 1949.

 

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Selected Published County Histories

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Savannah.  Scattered early issues are available from 1873, and a complete run begins in 1923.  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 Hardin 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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Hardin County Formation Act

ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1819, CHAPTER 6:

 

"An Act to establish a new county west of Wayne County."

 

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That the following described bounds shall be and is hereby made and constituted a new and distinct county by the name of Hardin County, in honor, and to perpetuate the memory of Col. Joseph Hardin deceased; beginning at the south west corner of Wayne County, and running thence north with the west boundary line of said county to the north west corner thereof; then due west to the Mississippi; thence down said river to the southern boundary line of the state; thence east with the south boundary line aforesaid to the beginning.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That for the due administration of justice, the first court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, and the Circuit Court, and all subsequent Courts, until otherwise provided for by law, shall be holden at the house of Col. James Hardin, under the same regulations and restrictions, and shall have and exercise the same powers and jurisdictions as are or shall be prescribed for the several counties in this state.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall be the duty of the sheriff of said county of Hardin, to hold an election at the place of holding courts in said county on the first Thursday and Friday in March next; for the purpose of electing a Colonel and two Majors for said county of Hardin, which shall be conducted under the same rules and regulations as are prescribed by law in similar cases; and the militia of said county shall compose the sixty fifth regiment and be attached to the fifth Brigade.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That the election for company officers for the county of Hardin shall be held at such places as the commandant of the militia of said county may think proper to appoint, which said election shall be held on the first Monday in April next, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions as are prescribed in like cases.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That the sheriff of said county of Hardin on the days prescribed by law shall hold an election at the place of holding courts for the purpose of electing a Governor, members of the state Legislature, members of Congress, and electors to elect a President and Vice-President of the United States, under the same rules and regulations as prescribed by law.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall and may be lawful for any Justice of the Peace for Hickman or Wayne counties, to attend at the place prescribed by law for holding court in Hardin County at the first court of Pleas and Quarter sessions appointed to be holden for said county for the purpose of administering to the justices of said county the necessary oaths.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That this act shall be in force from and after the passage thereof.

 

Passed on November 13, 1819

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Hardin 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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Hardin County in General

• Allred, Charles E. Economic aspects of one-variety cotton communities in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1940. 37 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #111)
• Allred, Charles E. Farm housing in TN, with regional comparisons. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1937. 45 pp. (its Monograph #26)
• Allred, Charles E. Home conveniences on TN farms, with regional comparisons. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1937. 41 pp. (its Monograph #30)
• Bass, Frank E. Report on instruction in the Pickwick School. Nashville, TN Dept. Ed., 1936. 42 pp.
• Bingham, James M. Northwest Hardin County: a study in industrial development. MSU thesis, 1965. 86 pp.
• Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Hardin County, Preliminary #27). Nashville, TSLA, 1971. 61 pp.
• Brazelton, B.G. A history of Hardin County, TN. Nashville, Cumberland Presbyterian Pub. House, 1885. 135 pp. (reprinted 1965 by Savannah Pub. Co., 109 pp.-- appendix omitted)
• Brown, Jack. Impact study of major public projects on Hardin & McNairy counties, TN: TN-Tombigbee Waterway, Yellow Creek TVA Nuclear Power Plant, & Yellow Creek Port Facility. Nashville, n.p., 1977. 140 pp.
• Burchard, Ernest F. The brown iron ores of the western highland rim, TN. Nashville, TN Div. Geol., 1934. 227 pp. (its Bulletin #39)
• Durbin, Lear P. Economic & social development of Hardin County, TN since 1865. George Peabody College thesis, 1930. 76 pp.
• Dye, David H. Phase II archaeological investigations at site 40HR29, Hardin County, TN. MSU Dept. Anthrop., 1988. 91 pp.
• First United Methodist Church (Savannah, TN). First United Methodist Church, Savannah, TN: 129th year of service to Hardin County & the world. Savannah, the church, 1975. 29 pp.
• Flood insurance study: Hardin County, TN, unincorporated areas. (Rev. Apr. 2, 1991). Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1991. 16 pp.
• Goodspeed's history of TN (Hardin County, pp. 829-841, 894-908). Goodspeed, 1887.
• Harbert, P.M. "Early history of Hardin County. " WTHSP 1 (1947), pp. 38-67.
• Hardin County Area Redevelopment Committee. Overall economic development program for Hardin County, TN. Savannah, the committee, 1961. 55 pp.
• Hardin County historical quarterly. Vol. 1, 1982-. (quarterly) Hardin County Hist. Soc.
• Hardin County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
• Hardin County, TN, pictorial history book. Paducah, KY, Turner Pub. Co., 1995. 144 pp.
• Hardin County, TN: water use survey, TN-Tombigbee corridor study. Auburn, AL, Auburn U. Water Resources Institute, 1981. 16 pp.
• Hays, Tony. From forest to farm: Hardin County history to 1860. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1986. 105 pp.
• Hays, Tony. A Hardin County directory, 1820-1850. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1987. 57 pp.
• Hays, Tony. Hardin County hodgepodge. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1987. 72 pp.
• Hays, Tony. Moving forward: Hardin County history from 1870 to 1930. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1987. 90 pp.
• Hays, Tony. No man's land: the Civil War & reconstruction in Hardin County. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1986. 117 pp.
• Hays, Tony & Hannah Hays. Hardin County's people: miscellaneous records from the 19th century. Chattanooga, Kitchen Table Press, 1986. 94 pp.
• Hitt, Andrew P. Short life sketches of some prominent Hardin countians. Savannah, Fundco, 1988. 120 pp.
• Illustrated account of the Mt. Vinson-Shiloh cyclone, Oct. 14, 1909. Adamsville, Wilson Pub. Co., 1909. 36 pp.
• Jewell, W.B. Geology & mineral resources of Hardin County, TN. Nashville, TN Div. Geol. 117 pp. (its Bulletin #37)
• McNairy-Hardin counties: Gen. Marcus J. Wright's reminiscences of the early settlements & early settlers of McNairy County, TN, originally published in 1882 by the author; & P.M. Harbert's Early history of Hardin County, TN, taken from the West TN Hist. Soc. papers, vol. 1, no. 1, 1947. Ramer, republished by C.L. Majors, 1968. var. pp.
• Paulson, Oscar L. The fauna of the Ross limestone. MS State College thesis, 1955. pp.
• Raskopf, B.D. Improving incomes of small farms in area 6, west TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1948. 56 p. (its Monograph #237)
• Roberts, Russ. Moonshine, murder, mercy & more: west TN-north MS, 1889- 1989. Pickwick Dam, the author, 1989. 67 pp.
• Seeber, R. Clifford. A manual of public service agencies in Hardin [& other] counties. Murray, KY, TVA, 1942. 118 pp.
• Soil survey, Hardin County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1930, 1963.
• Swanson, James M. An educational survey of Hardin County, TN . UT thesis, 1933. 194 pp.
• TN Dept. Transportation [county maps ] issued periodically.
• TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of Hardin County, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1934. var. pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Land Acq. Dept. Background appraisal study, KY reservoir area. Knoxville, TVA, 1939. (vol. 5, Hardin & Wayne counties)
• TN Valley Authority. Social & Ec. Div. Research Sec.. The effects upon local finance of real property purchases by the TVA, survey #3: Pickwick Landing Reservoir counties. Knoxville, TVA, 1937. 28 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Social & Ec. Div. Research Sec. Government & finances of Hardin County, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1935. 29 pp.
• US Geological survey [topographic maps ] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Sardis, Thurman, Bath Springs, Milledgeville, Hookers Bend, Olive Hill, Eagle Creek, Stantonville, Pittsburg Landing, Savannah, Wolf Pit Ridge, Martins Mills, Michie, Counce, Pickwick, Lowryville, Ransom Stand, Kendrick, Dosakie, Yellow Creek.
• Water use survey, TN-Tombigbee corridor study, Hardin County, TN. Nashville, US Army Corps of Engineers, 1981. 10 pp.

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Battle of Shiloh / Shiloh National Military Park

• Bassham, Ben. "Through a mist of power & excitement: a southern artist at Shiloh. " THQ 47 (1988), pp. 131-141.
• The battle of Shiloh: 125th anniversary official souvenir program. N.p., Shiloh Reenactment Association, 1987. 56 pp.
• Benny, Mrs. John. Brief history of battles of Shiloh & Corinth. Corinth, MS, the Rankin Printery, 1936. 21 pp.
• Biel, John G., ed. "The battle of Shiloh: from the letters & diary of Joseph Dimmit Thompson. " THQ 17 (1958), pp. 250-274.
• Bloody stalemate [videorecording]. Produced, written & directed by Peter Batty. Chicago, IL, Home Vision, 1987. 1 videocassette, 52 min. (series title: Divided union: the story of the American Civil War, 1861-1865. v.2)
• Campbell, Bernard T. "Shiloh National Military Park. " THQ 21 (1962), pp. 3- 18.
• The Civil War: 125th anniversary series [videorecording]. Columbia, MO, Classic Images, 1986-1990. 10 videocassettes, 60 min. each. (Shiloh: surprise & slaughter in TN, part 2, produced by Jack Foley in cooperation with the Shiloh Reenactment Association, 1987)
• Clarke, H.C. Diary of the war for separation, a daily chronicle of the present revolution, to which is added notes & descriptions of all the great battles, including Walker's narrative of the battle of Shiloh. Augusta, GA, Steam Press of Chronicle & Sentinel, 1862. 191 pp.
• Cox, Brent A. The only Confederate reinforcements at the "battle of Shiloh. " Shady Grove, Gibson in Grey Publications, 1986. 59 pp.
• Crummer, Wilbur F. With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh & Vicksburg, & an appreciation of General U.S. Grant. Oak Park, IL, the author, 1915. 190 pp.
• Deaderick, John B. Battles of Shiloh & Memphis. Memphis, S.C. Toof & Co., 1961. 26 pp.
• Deaderick, John B. Shiloh, Memphis & Vicksburg. Memphis, West TN Hist. Soc., 1960. 32 pp.
• Deaderick, John B. The truth about Shiloh. Memphis, S.C. Toof & Co., 1942. 36 pp.
• Dillahunty, Albert. Shiloh National Military Park, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1955. 47 pp.
• Dosch, Donald F. "The Hornet's Nest at Shiloh. " THQ 37 (1978), pp. 175-189.
• Eisenschiml, Otto. The story of Shiloh. Published under the auspices of the Civil War Round Table & decorated by Joseph Trautwein. Chicago, IL, Norman Press, 1946. 89 pp.
• Frank, Joseph A. & George A. Reaves. "Seeing the elephant.": raw recruits at the battle of Shiloh. NY, Greenwood, 1989. 215 pp.
• Gentry, Claude. Shiloh. Cover illus. & map by the author. Baldwin, MS, Magnolia Pub., 1966. 38 pp.
• Gentsch, James F. A geographic analysis of the battle of Shiloh. U. Memphis thesis, 1994. 137 pp.
• Hickenlooper, Andrew. The battle of Shiloh. Cincinnati, OH, n.p., 1903. 82 pp.
• Howard, Samuel M. Fiftieth anniversary of the great battle of Shiloh held at Pittsburg Landing, TN, April 6, 1912, by the National Association of Survivors; oration by Samuel M. Howard of Gettysburg, SD. Gettysburg, SD, the author, 1912. 24 pp.
• Howard, Samuel M. The illustrated comprehensive history of the great battle of Shiloh. Gettysburg, SD, the author, 1921. 317 pp.
• Hurst, T.H. "Battle of Shiloh. " AHM 7 (1902), pp. 22-37. (reprinted THM 5 (1919), pp. 81-96.
• Jones, Otis H. Shiloh: an account of the decisive battle at Shiloh, TN, during the Civil War, April 6 & 7, 1862; a supplement to TN history. Memphis, Memphis City Schools, 1975. 14 pp.
• Jones, Ronald L. The vascular flora of Shiloh National Military Park, Hardin County, TN. Atlanta, GA, US National Park Service, 1981. 49 pp.
• Kiner, F.F. One year's soldiering, embracing the battles of Fort Donelson & Shiloh, & the capture of two hundred officers & men of the fourteenth Iowa infantry, & their confinement six months & a half in rebel prisons. Lancaster, PA, E.H. Thomas, 1863. 219 pp.
• Livaudais, Edmond E. The Shiloh diary of Edmond Enoul Livaudais. Translated by Stanley J. Guerin; Earl C. Woods, ed.; Charles E. Nolan, assoc. ed. New Orleans, LA, Archdiocese of New Orleans, 1992. 59 pp.
• Logsdon, David R., comp. Eyewitness at the Battle of Shiloh. Nashville, Kettle Mills Press, 1994. 108 pp.
• McDonough, James L. "Bayonets & blunders: Confederate tactics against the hornet's nest. " WTHSP 32 (1978), pp. 5-19.
• McDonough, James L. "Glory cannot atone-- Shiloh, April 6, 7, 1862. " THQ 35 (1976), pp. 279-295.
• McDonough, James L. Shiloh: in hell before night. Knoxville, UT Press, 1977. 260 pp.
• McWhiney, Grady. "Braxton Bragg at Shiloh. " THQ 21 (1962), pp. 19-30.
• McWhiney, Grady. Braxton Bragg & Confederate defeat. NY, Columbia U. Press, 1969. 407 pp.
• Manual of the panorama of the battle of Shiloh. Chicago, IL, A.T. Andrews, 1885. 15 pp.
• Martin, David G. The Shiloh campaign: March-April, 1862. Bryn Mawr, PA, Wieser & Wieser, Inc., 1987. 184 pp.
• Milligan, Mancil A. Seeing Shiloh, 1862 & today: an authentic history of the battle of Pittsburg Landing together with interesting incidents & stories. Illus. with copies of old drawings of the battle scenes true to life, made amid the very scenes which they so vividly illustrate, as well as many photographs of the monuments, cannon, cemetery & park as it is today. A detail map of Shiloh National Military Park will be found on the double page spread in the middle of this book. Indianapolis, IN, Jobbers Pub. Co., 1940. 47 pp.
• Nevin, David. The road to Shiloh: early battles in the west. Alexandria, VA, Time-Life Books, 1988. 175 pp.
• Reports of officers in relation to recent battles at Pittsburg Landing. Millwood, NY, Kraus Reprint Co., 1977. 275 pp. (reprinted from the reports submitted to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, which were first published by order of the US Senate in Washington in 1862, & issued as Senate Executive Document n. 66, 37th Congress, 2d session)
• Rice, DeLong. The story of Shiloh. Nashville, Brandon, 1919. 64 pp. (reprinted by Julia M. Rice, Memphis, 1961.)
• Rich, Joseph W. The battle of Shiloh. Iowa City, IA, State Historical Society, 1911. 134 pp.
• Shiloh [videorecording]. Shawnee, KS, Kaw Valley Films, 1975. 1 videocassette, 17 min.
• Sword, Wiley. The battle of Shiloh. Philadelphia, PA, Eastern Acorn Press, 1982. 50 pp.
• Sword, Wiley. Shiloh: bloody April. NY, Morrow, 1974. 519 pp. (reprinted 1983 by Morningside Bookshop Press)
• US Shiloh National Military Park Commission. The battle of Shiloh & the organizations involved. Compiled from the official records of Maj. D.W. Reed under the authority of the Commission, 1902 (rev. 1909). Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1913. 122 pp.
• Wagoner, Bill. Stories about Shiloh & the TN Valley area. Adamsville, Banner Pub. Co., 1994. 64 pp.
• Wallace, Harold L. "Lew Wallace's march to Shiloh revisited. " IN Mag. of Hist. 59 (1963), pp. 19-30.
• Wiley, Bell I. "Johnny Reb & Billy Yank at Shiloh. " WTHSP 26 (1972), pp. 5- 12.
• Williams, T. Harry. "Beauregard at Shiloh. " CW Hist. 1 (1955), pp. 17-34.
• Witham, George F. Shiloh, shells, & artillery units. Memphis, Riverside Press, 1980. 163 pp.
• Worthington, Thomas. Shiloh, or the TN campaign of 1862: written especially for the army of the TN in 1862. Washington, D.C., M'Gill & Witherow, 1872. 164 pp.

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Big Ivy

• Kerr, Margaret H. Laurels of Big Ivy. Columbia, P-Vine Press, 1981. 332 pp.
• Kerr, Margaret H. Southern childhood passages (early 1900s). N.p., the author, 1994. 184 pp.

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Crump

• Flood insurance study: city of Crump, TN, Hardin County. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1993. 11 pp.

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Morris Chapel

• Swanson, Lois. A way of living: study of a hundred homes in the Morris Chapel community in Hardin County, TN. UT thesis, 1933. 94 pp.

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Pickwick Dam area

• Ellers, & Reaves, Inc. Pickwick Landing Dam, Hardin County, TN, feasibility study: development of a state park. Memphis, Ellers & Reaves, 1968. 96 pp.
• Pickwick Landing project, main lock: final geologic & foundation treatment report. Knoxville, TVA, 1983. 36 pp.
• Roberts, Russ. Pickwick people & TVA: how it was 1935, how it is 1985. Pickwick Dam, the author, 1985. 116 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. The Pickwick Landing project, a comprehensive report on the planning, design, construction, & initial operations of the Pickwick Landing project. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1941. 431 pp.

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Savannah

• Stelle, J. Parish. "An account of aboriginal ruins on the Williams farm in Hardin County, TN, two miles below Savannah, TN. " (In Smithsonian Institution Annual report 1870, pp. 408-420)

 

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