Henderson County

Henderson County

Henderson County was formed in 1821 from Indian lands

(Public Acts of Tennessee 1821, Chapter 32)

The county seat is Lexington.

There was a fire at the Henderson County courthouse in 1896.

 

Selected Published County Histories
  • Henderson County (Stewart, 1979) [name index]*
  • Henderson County Historical Calendar, 1821-1996 (Fiddler, 1995)
  • Henderson County, Tennessee: A Pictorial History [3 vols.] (Fiddler, 2012) [name index for series in volume 3]
  • Henderson County, Tennessee: A Pictorial History (Fiddler & Davis, 1996) [name index]*
  • Henderson County, Tennessee Connections: A Pictorial History (Fiddler, 2005) [name index]
  • Henderson County's History (Bolen, 1922)
  • History of Henderson County (Powers, 1930)
  • History of Tennessee From the Earliest Time to the Present; Together with a Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Henderson, Chester, McNairy (Goodspeed, 1978)

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

 

Published Local Records
  • 1836 Henderson County, Tennessee Tax Listing and Civil Districts (Douthat, 2012) [name index]
  • 1880 Census Henderson County, Tennessee (Sistler, 2001) [alphabetical by surname]*
  • Crossing the Dark River: Henderson County, Tennessee, Obituaries, 1827-1950 (Fiddler, 1999) [name index]
  • A Cultural History of the Education of Henderson County, 1825-1962 (Butler, 1996)
  • Dr. Charles Elsworth Bolen Birth Record Book Wildersville, Tennessee May 14, 1899-May 9, 1944: Includes Marriage Dates, Death Dates and Burial Sites  (Story, 2015)  [section 1 alphabetical; section 2 arranged by surname of mother]
  • Genealogical Miscellany, Henderson County, Tennessee [7 vols.] (Smith, 1997) [surname index in each volume]
  • Henderson County, Tennessee, Cemetery Inscriptions [3 vols.] (Harris, 1976) [surname index in vol. 3]*
  • Henderson County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1860-66 (WPA, 1938) [name index]
  • Henderson County, Tennessee, Will Book no. 3, 1895-1932 (WPA, 1938) [name index]
  • Lexington Cemetery (Henderson County, Tennessee) (Donahue, 2001) [alphabetical]*
  • Ninth Census of the United States, 1870, Henderson County Tennessee (Green, 1983?) [surname index]
  • Promise of Good Things: Longfield Baptist Church, 1831-1981 (Hutton, 1982)
  • Seventh Census of the United States, 1850: Henderson County, Tennessee (Carpenter, 1971) [surname index]*
  • Tennessee, Records of Henderson County, Bible Records & Tombstone Inscriptions (WPA, 1939) [name index]
  • Tombstone Inscriptions From Black Cemeteries in Henderson County, Tennessee (Smith, 1995) [surname index]*

 

Local Records on Microfilm 

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

Earliest records include:

  • marriages from 1893
  • wills from 1895
  • deed index from 1856
  • chancery court minutes from 1880
  • county court minutes from 1860
  • circuit court minutes from 1895
  • tax books from 1895

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

  • Deed Index -- 1856-1935 [gaps in years] (#13, 1 reel)*
  • WPA Records, Henderson County (Record Group #107, Roll 34, 1 reel). Roll includes Will Book 3 (1895-1932), County Court Minute Book (1860-1866) and Bible Records & Tombstone Inscriptions (undated).*

 

Newspapers on Microfilm

Newspapers were published in Lexington, Sardis and Scotts Hill.  Scattered early issues are available from 1858, and a complete run begins in 1932.  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.

 

Selected Manuscripts Material
  • Christian Chapel Church of Christ Records. Henderson County, 1860-1943 (Microfilm Manuscript #550, 1 reel)*
  • Henderson County Miscellaneous Records, 1789-1953 (Microfilm Manuscript #521, 1 reel)*
  • Middlefork Primitive Baptist Church Records. Henderson County, 1823-1978 (Microfilm Manuscript #694, 1 reel)*
  • Rock Hill Baptist Church Records. Henderson County, 1884-1985 (Microfilm Manuscript #888, 1 reel)*
  • Union Baptist Church Records. Henderson County, 1842-1986 (Microfilm Manuscript #909, 3 reels)*
  • Union Baptist Church Records. Lexington, 1915-1993 (Microfilm Manuscript #1433, 1 reel)*
  • Widersville Baptist Church Records. Henderson County, 1871-1976 (Microfilm Manuscript #924, 1 reel)*

Search for Manuscripts Material in our Catalog 

 

Census Records
  • Census on microfilm for Henderson County:  1830-1880, 1900-1930
  • State-wide census index:  1830-1880
  • State-wide census index on microfilm  (Soundex):  1880,  1900-1930
  • Henderson County census records in book form:  1850*, 1870, 1880*

 

Additional Research Aids for Henderson County

* Indicates this title may be borrowed on interlibrary loan from the Library and Archives.

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Henderson County Formation Act

PUBLIC ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1821, CHAPTER 32:

 

"An Act to form and establish new counties West of Tennessee River."

 

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That a new county to be called and known by the name of Henry County, be, and is hereby established, on the west side of Tennessee River, and shall be bounded as follows, to wit: Beginning on the west bank of Tennessee River, where the north boundary of the state leaves the same, running thence with said boundary west to the second range line in the 12th surveyor's district; thence south to a point, two miles and a half south of the 6th sectional line in said district; thence east parallel with the said sectional line to the west boundary of Humphreys County; thence with said county line northwardly to the Tennessee River; thence down the said river with its various meanders to the beginning.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described lines shall be the bounds of two other counties, which may hereafter be established west of Henry County; the first one beginning at the north west corner of Henry County, running west with the state line to a point four miles west of the north west corner of range 2, fractional section 10 in the 13th district; thence south to the fourth sectional line in said district running parallel with the range lines; thence east on the fourth sectional line to the second range line in the 12th surveyors district; thence north with said range line to the beginning.  The second, beginning on the north west corner of the last mentioned bounds, and running thence south with the west line of said bounds to the fifth sectional line in the 13th district; thence west with said sectional line to the middle of the Mississippi River; thence up the main channel of said river to the north west corner of the state; thence east with the north boundary line of the state to the beginning; which two last described bounds shall be attached to, and remain a part of Henry County until otherwise provided for by law, and shall enjoy all the privileges, and be subject to all the duties as citizens of Henry County, with this exception, that no tax shall be laid or collected in said bounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings in Henry County.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That all the territory included in the lines hereafter mentioned shall constitute a county by the name of Carroll County: Beginning on West boundary of Humphreys at the south east corner of Henry County; running thence west with the south boundary of said county to the south west corner of Henry County; thence south parallel with the range lines to a point two and a half miles south of the line dividing the 9th and 12th districts; thence east parallel with the sectional line to the second range line in the 9th district; thence north to the north east corner of range 2, section 11, in said 9th district; thence east with the district line to the west boundary of Perry County; thence northwardly with the west boundary of Perry and Humphreys counties to the beginning.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described lines shall be bounds of two other counties which may hereafter be established west of Carroll County; the first one beginning at the northwest corner of Carroll county, running thence west on the fourth sectional line, to a point four miles west of the second range line in the 13th district; thence north to the fifth sectional line; thence west on said fifth sectional line to the fifth range line; thence south with said range line to a point two and a half miles south of the line separating the 10th and 13th districts; thence east parallel with said line to a point directly south of the south west corner of Carroll County; thence north to the beginning; the second beginning on the north west corner of the last mentioned bounds; thence south on the 5th range line to the district line; thence west on the said district line to the middle of the Mississippi River; thence up the main channel of said river to the 5th sectional line of the 13th district; thence east with said sectional line to the beginning; which two last bounds shall be attached to, and remain a part of Carroll County until otherwise provided for by law, and shall enjoy all the privileges and be subject to all the duties as citizens of Carroll County, with this exception that no tax shall be laid or collected in said bounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings for Carroll County.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That all the territory included in the lines hereafter mentioned shall constitute a county to be called and known by the name of Madison county; Beginning two miles and a half south of the north east corner of range 2, section 11, in the 9th district, running thence west parallel with the sectional line to the 3d [sic] range line in the 10th district; thence south on said range line to a point two miles and a half south of the sixth sectional line in said district; thence east parallel with said sectional line to the second range line in the 9th district; thence north on said range line to the beginning.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described lines shall be the bounds of two other counties which may hereafter be established west and south of Madison County; the first one beginning on the south west corner of Madison County; running thence north with the west boundary of the same, twenty five miles to the north west corner; thence west to the south west corner of the first county west of Carroll County; thence north to the line dividing the 10th and 13th districts; thence west to a point two miles west of the first range line in the 11th district; thence south parallel with said range line to the 5th sectional line in said district; thence east to a point four miles east of the 5th range line in the 10th district; thence north two and a half miles; thence east to the beginning. The second, beginning on the south west corner of Madison County, running thence west six miles to a point one mile west of the fourth range line in the 10th district; thence south parallel with said line to the south boundary of the state; thence east on said boundary to a point two miles east of the meridian separating the 9th and 10th districts; thence north to Madison County line; thence west with the same to the beginning. Which two last described bounds shall be and remain a part of Madison County until otherwise provided for by law, and shall enjoy all the privileges, and be subject to all the duties as citizens of Madison County, with this exception, that no tax shall be laid or collected in the said bounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings in the county of Madison.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described lines shall be the bounds of one other county which may hereafter be laid off west of the said last described bounds: Beginning on the south west corner of the last described bounds, running thence north to the 5th sectional line in the 10th district; thence west to a point one mile west of the 3d [sic] range line in the 11th district; thence south parallel with said range running with the south boundary of the state; thence west with said boundary to the beginning. And that the following described lines shall be the bounds of another county which may hereafter be laid off north of Shelby County:  Beginning on the line separating the 11th and 13th districts, at a point two miles west of the range line in the 11th district; running thence west on said dividing line to the middle of the Mississippi River; thence down the main channel of the line to the north west corner of Shelby County; thence east with the north boundary of Shelby County, and the last mentioned bounds, to a point three miles east of the 2d [sic] range line in the 11th district; thence north parallel with the said line to the beginning. Which two last described bounds shall be attached to, and be a part of Shelby County until otherwise provided for by law, and shall enjoy all the privileges, and be subject to all the duties as citizens of Shelby County with the exception, that no tax shall be laid or collected in the said bounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings in the county of Shelby.

SECTION 8. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described lines shall be the bounds of one other county which may hereafter be established west of Hardin County; Beginning at the south west corner of Hardin County; running thence north with the west boundary of the same, twenty seven and a half miles; thence west putting the south east corner of Madison County, to a point three miles west of the first range line in the 9th district; thence south parallel with said range line to the south boundary of the state; thence east on said boundary to the beginning. Which last described bounds shall be attached to, and be a part of Hardin County, until otherwise provided for by law, and shall enjoy all the privileges, and be subject to all the duties as citizens of Hardin County, with this exception, that no tax shall be laid or collected in said bounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings for Hardin County.

SECTION 9. BE IT ENACTED, That the following described line shall be the bounds of one other county, which shall be called and known by the name of Henderson County in honor of, and to perpetuate the memory of Col. James Henderson; Beginning at the south east corner of Madison County, running thence east to the west boundary of Hardin County; thence north with Hardin County line to the north west corner of Hardin on the 6th sectional line of the 9th district; thence east on said sectional line to the west boundary of Perry County; thence north with said boundary to the line separating the 9th and 12th districts; thence west with said line to the north east corner of Madison County; thence south with the east boundary line of said county, on the 2nd range line in the 9th  Surveyors district to the beginning.

SECTION 10. BE IT ENACTED, That for the due administration of justice, the Courts of Pleas and Quarter Sessions in said counties shall be held at the following places and times: For the county of Henry, at the house of Henry Wall, on the first Monday in December, March, June and September; for the county of Carroll, on the second Monday in December, March, June and September, at the house of R. E. C. Doherty; for the county of Madison, at the house of Adam R. Alexander, on the third Monday in December, March, June and September; for the county of Henderson, at the house of Samuel Wilson, on the fourth Monday in December, March, June, and September, at which places the said courts shall be holden until otherwise provided for by law, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions, and shall exercise the same power and jurisdiction that is possessed by said courts in other counties of this state.

SECTION 11. BE IT ENACTED, That the sheriffs of the counties of Henry, Carroll, Madison and Henderson shall each hold an election at the places appointed for holding courts in said counties on the first Friday and Saturday in March next, for the purpose of electing held officers of the militia for said counties, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions as are pointed out by law in similar cases; and the militia of the county of Henry shall compose the Regiment, and shall be attached to the Brigade; and the militia of the county of Carroll shall compose the ___ Regiment, and be attached as aforesaid; and the militia of the county of Madison shall compose the ___ Regiment, and be attached as aforesaid; and the militia of the county of Henderson shall compose the ___ Regiment, and be attached as aforesaid.

SECTION 12. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall be the duty of the commandants of said ___ and ___ Regiments, having first been commissioned and sworn according to law, to divide their regiments into such number of companies as they shall think best for the convenience of said companies, and it shall be the duty of each of said commandants to issue writs of election for company officers according to law.

SECTION 13. BE IT ENACTED, That all person who were appointed and are now acting justices of the peace for Stewart county, that live in the bounds of Henry County, be, an they are hereby continued in office with as full power and authority as though they had been appointed for Henry County.

Passed on November 7, 1821

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Henderson 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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Henderson County in General
  • Allred, Charles E. Educational status of rural relief families in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1936. 41 pp. (its Report #22)
  • Allred, Charles E. Mobility of rural relief families in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1936. 35 pp. (its Report #14)
  • Allred, Charles E. Relation of education to economic & social status of relief clients in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1937. 36 pp. (its Report #24)
  • Allred, Charles E. Rural relief & rehabilitation possibilities in Henderson County, TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1936. 55 pp. (its Report #7)
  • Allred, Charles E. Some problems of rural relief in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1935. 17 pp. (its Report #1)
  • Atkins, Samuel W. Cotton production practices in type-of-farming area 6, western TN, 1947. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1950. 33 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #258)
  • Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Henderson County, Preliminary #12). Nashville, TSLA, 1970. 30 pp.
  • Bolen, H.J. Henderson County history. Murfreesboro, the Home Journal, 1922. 14 pp.
  • Butler, Virginia. A cultural history of the education of Henderson County. MSU thesis, 1962. 62 pp.
  • Community information, Henderson-Chester counties, TN. Prepared by the city of Henderson, Office of the County Executive, Chester County Chamber of Commerce & West TN Ind. Assoc. Jackson, the Association, 1988. 31 pp.
  • Davis, Emily and Brenda Kirk Fiddler. Henderson County, Tennessee: A pictorial history. Humboldt, Rose Publishing Company, 1996. 368 pp.
  • Deere, J.A. A brief history of 100 years of Beech River Baptist Association. Lexington, the author, 1971. 16 pp.
  • Flood insurance study: Henderson County, TN & incorporated areas. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1988. 17 pp.
  • Goble, William E. Farm equipment in six west TN counties, 1948. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1949. 56 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #248)
  • Goodspeed's history of TN (Henderson County, pp. 798-806, 841-862). Goodspeed, 1887.
  • Harrison, Bethany J. Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church: the early years, 1873-1908, with church covenant & articles of faith from original church record book of 1873. Alpharetta, GA, DeskTop PrintShop, 1993. 14 pp.
  • Henderson-Chester County, TN, emergency operations plan. Nashville, TEMA, 1987. 1 vol.
  • Henderson County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
  • History, Henderson County communities & schools, 1940-1941. Lexington, n.p., 1941. 43 pp.
  • Holmes, Tony. "Henderson County, TN history: a bibliography." WTHSP 36 (1982), pp. 91-116.
  • Holmes, Tony. "Wind out of Beech River Bottoms & Isanabelle's last visit with Henry." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 55 (1991), pp. 56-59.
  • Houston, Kenneth. An analysis of the process & product of the Henderson County TN school system. MSU thesis, 1975. 128 pp.
  • Kennerly, Dan. Forrest at Parker's Crossroads: The dawn of lightning war. Houston, TX, Parkers Crossroads Press, 1993. 54 pp. (first published 1982)
  • Powers, Auburn. History of Henderson County, comprising an account of the facts connected with the early settlement of the county, the origin & the development of the county, slavery, the Civil War, & the reconstruction days, the World War & present conditions. N.p., 1930. 169 pp.
  • Raskopf, B.D. Improving incomes of small farms in area 6, west TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1948. 56 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #237)
  • Soil survey, Henderson County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1905, 1954, 1960.
  • Stewart, George T. Henderson County. MSU Press, 1979. 133 pp.
  • Survey of archaeological resources of the Henderson County portion of the Beech River watershed. Knoxville, UT Dept. Anthrop., 1963. 11 pp.
  • TN Dept. Emp. Sec. Occupational survey Henderson County. Nashville, the department, 1963. 4 pp.
  • TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
  • TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of Henderson County, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1935. var. pp.
  • US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Cedar Grove, Clarksburg, Yuma, Holladay, Juno, Lexington, Chesterfield, Parsons, Luray, Life, Reagin, Scotts Hill, Enville, Sardis, Durham.
  • W.V. Barry's Lexington progress, 1884-1946: a project of the Henderson County Bicentennial Committee. Brenda Kirk Fiddler, ed. Lexington, TN, C. and B. Fiddler, 1995. 254 pp.

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Lexington
  • Community information, Lexington, TN. Prepared by Lexington Electric System, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce & West TN Ind. Assoc. Jackson, the association, 1989. 35 pp.

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Scotts Hill
  • Scotts Hill, TN: sesquicentennial, Oct. 2-5, 1975: history, 1825-1975. Scotts Hill, n.p., 1975. 124 pp.
  • A souvenir of the Scotts Hill Church of Christ homecoming, new church house completed Sunday, May 29, 1960. Scotts Hill, n.p., 1960. 25 pp.
  • Turner, Gordon H. The history of Scotts Hill, TN. Southaven, MS, Carter Print. Co., 1977. 436 pp.

 

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