Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Jefferson County

Jefferson County

Jefferson County was formed in 1792
from Greene and Hawkins counties

(Ordinance by William Blount, Governor of the Territory

of the United States South of the River Ohio, 1792)

The county seat is Dandridge.

 

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Selected Published County Histories

• Bent Twigs in Jefferson County (Bible, 1991)* [name index]
• Broken Hearts, Broken Lives: Jefferson County, Tennessee 1860-1868: Civilian Life in the Civil War (ed. Wilson & Snapp, 1986)
• Chestnut Hill: A Chronicle, 1783-1986: A History of Chestnut Hill, Jefferson County, Tennessee (1986)
• Crossing: A History of White Pine, Tennessee (White Pine Historical Committee, 1986)
• Diamond Jubilee - Bicentennial; Mossy Creek, 1788-1900, Jefferson City, 1901-1976 (Jefferson City [Tenn.]. Bicentennial-Diamond Jubilee Historical Book Committee, 1976)
• Heritage Jefferson County (Bicentennial Committee of Jefferson County, Tennessee, 1976)
• Hitch Hiking Along the Holston River from 1792-1962: A Peep at East Tennessee from King's Meadows (Bristol) to White's Fort (Knoxville) via McBee's Ferry (Wood, 1986)
• People and Places of Jefferson County (Muncy, 1994) [name index]

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Dandridge and Jefferson City.  Scattered early issues are available from 1854, and a complete run begins in 1965. 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 Jefferson 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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Jefferson County Formation Act

Ordinance by William Blount, Governor of the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio, 1792

 

"An Ordinance, for circumscribing the counties of Greene and Hawkins, and laying out two new counties."

 

Be it ordained that from and after the fifteenth day of the present month of June, the counties of Greene and Hawkins shall be circumscribed by a line beginning on Nolichucky River at the place where the ridge which divides the waters of Bent and Lick Creek strikes it, thence with that ridge to Bull's Gap of Bay's Mountain, thence a direct line to the place where the road that leads from Dodson's ford to Perkin's iron works crosses the watery fork of Bent Creek, thence down that road to the head of Panther Creek, down the meanders of that creek to the river Holston, thence a northwest course to the river Clinch. Again, from Nolichucky River where the ridge that divides the waters of Bent and Lick Creek strikes it a direct course to Peter Fine's ferry on French Broad, then south to the ridge that divides the waters of French Broad and Big Pigeon and with that ridge to the eastern boundary of the territory.

And be it ordained that two new counties be laid out and established below the aforesaid line, that is to the southward and westward of it, to be distinguished from and after the said fifteenth day of June instant by the names of Jefferson county and Knox county. The county of Jefferson to be butted and bounded by the above described line from the eastern boundary of the territory to the river Holston, and down the river Holston to the mouth of Breswell's mill-creek, thence a direct line to the mouth of Dumplin Creek on French Broad, thence up the meanders of French Broad to the mouth of Boyd's Creek, thence south twenty five degrees east to the ridge which divides the waters of Little Pigeon and Boyd's Creek and with the said ridge to the Indian boundary or the eastern boundary of the territory as the case may be, and by the eastern boundary: and Knox county to be butted and bounded by the line of Jefferson county to the mouth of Creswell's mill-creek to the Indian boundary or eastern boundary of the territory as the case may be: Again from the mouth of the said creek up the meanders of the river Holston to the mouth of Panther creek, thence northwest to the river Clinch, thence by the river Clinch to the place where the line that shall cross Holston at the ridge that divides the waters of Tennessee and Little rivers according to the treaty of Holston shall strike it, and by that line.

And be it ordained that Charles M’Clung and James Mabrey be appointed Commissioners to run and mark the northwest line from the mouth of Panther creek to the river Clinch, and the line from the mouth of Creswell's mill-creek to the mouth of Dumplin; and Alexander Outlaw and Joseph Hamilton that from Bull's Gap to the watery fork of Bent Creek and from Nolichucky River to Fine's Ferry on French Broad, and the south line to the dividing ridge between French Broad and Big Pigeon.

And be it ordained, That courts of pleas and quarter-sessions shall be held in and for the said counties for the due administration of justice for the county of Knox on the third Monday of January, April, July and October,  and for the county of Jefferson on the fourth Mondays of the same months and may be continued by adjournments from day to day not exceeding six days.

And be it ordained that the court of pleas and quarter-sessions shall be held for the county of Knox at Knoxville, and for the county of Jefferson at the house of Jeremiah Matthews.

Done at Knoxville, the 11th day of June, in the year of our Lord, 1792

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Jefferson 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! webpage 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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Jefferson County in General

• Allred, Charles E. Acquisition of farm land by credit corporations in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1938. 49 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #77)
• Allred, Charles E. Economic & social factors associated with land class in Jefferson County, TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1938. 74 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #76)
• Allred, Charles E. Relation of land use to land class, Jefferson County, TN, 1938. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1940. 59 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #104)
• Barr, Jimmy L. School finance: Jefferson County, TN, 1945-1965. ETSU thesis, 1965. 79 pp.
• Beth-Car United Methodist Church (Jefferson County, TN). History of Beth-Car United Methodist Church & cemetery. White Pine, the church, 1984. 31 pp.
• Bible, Jean P. Bent twigs in Jefferson County. Dandridge, the author, 1991. 226 pp.
• Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Jefferson County, Preliminary #43). Nashville, TSLA, 1974. 50 pp.
• Bonser, Howard J. Association of crops with soils & other factors, Jefferson County, TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1944. 71 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #169)
• Branner, John C. Centennial literary address of Dr. John Casper Branner... & letter of Col. P.T. Turney. Knoxville, Gaut-Ogden, 1906. 23 pp.
• Brashear, John C. The impact of industrialization upon politics & governmental institutions of Jefferson County, TN. U. NC thesis, 1960. 233 pp.
• Brooks, R.H. "New Market wreck." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 2 (1936), pp. 4-7.
• Carson-Newman College. An educational study of Jefferson County, TN. Jefferson City, Carson-Newman College Bookstore, 1936. 114 pp.
• Chapman, Joe A. The natural vegetation of English Mountain, TN. UT thesis, 1957. 102 pp.
• Cockrum, James E. A study of the development of organized religion in Jefferson County, TN (1785-1950). UT thesis, 1951. 138 pp.
• Couch, Robert C. The zinc industry of Jefferson County, TN. UT thesis, 1953. 82 pp.
• The Douglas project. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1949. 436 pp. (TVA Technical report #10)
• Dykeman, Wilma. The French Broad. NY, Rinehart, l955. pp.
• Feder, Gerald L. The geology of the Oak Grove area, Jefferson County, TN. UT thesis, 1963. 30 pp.
• Fisher, Mark P. Structural geometry of the Rocky Valley thrust system in the vicinity of New Market, TN. UT thesis, 1989. 345 pp.
• Flood insurance study: Jefferson County, TN, unincorporated areas. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1990. 16 pp.
• Goodspeed's history of east TN (Jefferson County, pp. 856-864, 1160-1193). Goodspeed, 1887.
• Hollyday, E.F. Ground-water availability in carbonate rocks of the Dandridge area, Jefferson County, TN. Reston, VA, US Geol. Survey, 1980. 50 pp.
• Jefferson County, TN Bicentennial Committee. Heritage: Jefferson County. Dandridge, the committee, 1976. 38 pp.
• Kemp, Tracy. Jefferson County senior citizens programs: a program vs. need comparison. Jefferson City, Carson Newman College, 1981. 39 pp. (An Honors Project presented to the Honors Council in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree bachelor of arts with honors)
• Kinder, Don R. Secession & Civil War in Jefferson County, TN, 1860-1865. ETSU thesis, 1973. 111 pp.
• Knoxville MSA, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 49 pp.
• Lane, Patricia G. "Birth, marriage, & death: past & present customs in east TN." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 50 (1984), pp. 58-67.
• Luebke, B.H. Farm real estate situation in five areas of TN, 1941-1944. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1945. 52 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #185)
• McAndrews, Roscoe C. This is my story. Jacksonville, FL, the author, 1975. 159 pp.
• McCormick, J.C. "Mound in Jefferson County, TN." (In Smithsonian Institution Annual report, 1887, pp. 571-574)
• McCollough, Major C.R. Archaeological survey of the Taylor Bend Steam Plant site on the Douglas Lake near White Pine, Jefferson County, TN. Knoxville, UT Dept. Anthrop., 1973. 12 pp.
• McGhee, Lucy K., comp. Historical records of east TN: Jefferson County, Dandridge edition. Washington, D.C., n.p., 1954. 2 vols.
• Moody, Douglas R. Leadership for education in Appalachia program, the University of TN: problems paper. Knoxville, n.p., 1971. 1 vol.
• Muncy, Estle P. People & places of Jefferson County. Jefferson City, the author, 1994. 343 pp.
• The newsletter. Vol. 1, Jan., 1989-. (irregular?) Jefferson County Hist. Soc.
• Ranney, W.P. Production capacity of farms of different size groups, Jefferson County, TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1944. 55 pp. (its Rural research series monograph #163)
• Roach, Thomas E. Gleanings from a scrapbook. Rutledge, the author, 1983. 246 pp. (reprinted from newspaper articles previously published in the Grainger County News & the Jefferson County Standard)
• Sappington, Roger E. Reuel B. Pritchett: churchman & antiquarian. Harrisonburg, VA, Park View Press, 1972. 154 pp.
• Service directory for older citizens. (2d ed.) Jefferson City, Office on Aging, 41 pp.
• Soil survey, Jefferson County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1935, 1941.
• Structures of faith: historical churches of Jefferson County. N.p., students of the Jefferson County High School, 1990. 124 pp.
• TN Dept. Education. Jefferson County's survey report. Nashville, the department, 1965. 1 vol.
• TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
• Toomey, Glenn A. History of the lower French Broad Baptist Church... "Down by the French Broad River on Coon's Creek." N.p., the author, 1986. 101 pp.
• Toomey, Glenn A. The romance of a sesquicentennial: the Dumplin Creek Baptist Church of Christ, Jefferson County, TN, organized 1797. N.p., 1947. 93 pp.
• Trent, Emma D. East TN's lore of yesteryear. Whitesburg, the author, 1987. 621 pp.
• Trent, Emma D. Faces, places & things of early east TN: a sequel to East TN's lore of yesteryear. Whitesburg, the author, 1989. 421 pp.
• US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Luttrell, Joppa, Talbott, Morristown, Mascot, New Market TN, Jefferson City, White Pine, Rankin, Douglas Dam, Shady Grove, Chestnut Hill.
• Wilson, Sandra S. & Dennis L. Snapp. Broken hearts, broken lives: Jefferson County, TN, 1860-1868; civilian life in the Civil War. Dandridge, Restore Our County, Inc., 1986. 148 pp.
• Windows to the past: a structural history of Jefferson County. Produced by the Jefferson County High School local history class, individualized studio classes; under the direction of David Noonkesser, John Toomey, Anette Loy. Dandridge, n.p., 1986. 84 pp.
• Wood, Mayme P. Shunem Church & cemetery speak: a living memorial to those who sleep here, 1824-1965. Gatlinburg, Brazos, 1965. 56 pp.

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Carson-Newman College

• Appalachian (college yearbook, Carson-Newman College). Annual.
• Carr, Isaac N. History of Carson-Newman College. Jefferson City, the college, 1959. 367 pp.
• Faculty studies, Carson-Newman College. Jefferson City, the college. (annual, 1964-).

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Chestnut Hill

• Chestnut Hill & surrounding areas. N.p., 1986. 50 pp.
• Ethier, Lena M. & Edward P. Walker III. Chestnut Hill: a chronicle, 1783-1986. N.p., the authors, 1978. 354 pp.

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Dandridge

• Beaumont, Henry F. "Dandridge, the namesake of Martha Washington." AHM 7 (1902), pp. 274-280, 296-305.
• Bible, Jean, Jewell Hodge & Mary Jo Henry, eds. Historic Dandridge, yesterday & today. Dandridge, Homecoming '86 Festival Committee, 1986. 48 pp.
• Smith, David C. The battle that history lost: an episode during the Civil War in Dandridge, Jefferson County, TN. Dandridge, Restore Our County, Inc., 1982. 47 pp. (excerpt from the author's work Campaign to nowhere)

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Jefferson City

• First United Methodist Church history. Jefferson City, n.p., n.d.
• Oder, Nelle B. A history of the First Presbyterian Church, Jefferson City, TN. Jefferson City, the church, 1967. 26 pp.
• Singewald, Joseph T. Mining districts of the eastern states. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1932. 161 pp.
• Toomey, Glenn A. Milestone sixty: history of the Jefferson County Baptist Association, 1919-1978, Jefferson City, TN. N.p., the author, 1978. 286 pp.

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Mossy Creek

• Diamond Jubilee bicentennial: Mossy Creek, 1788-1900; Jefferson County, 1901-1976. N.p., 1976. 47 pp.
• Smith, David C. Lilly in the valley: Civil War at Mossy Creek. N.p., the author, 1986. 105 pp.

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Strawberry Plains

• Campbell, Connie S. Coming home to Strawberry Plains: a history of Strawberry Plains. N.p., 1986. 15 pp.
• The centennial program commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the Strawberry Plains Presbyterian Church, Strawberry Plains, TN, 1873- 1973. Strawberry Plains, the church, 1973. 32 pp.
• Wood, Mayme P. Hitchhiking along the Holston River from 1792-1962: a peep at east TN from King's Meadows (Bristol) to White's Fort (Knoxville) via McBee's Ferry (Strawberry Plains): How? Let's See! Gatlinburg, Brazos Print. Co., 1964. 237 pp. (reprinted 1986 by Richland Press)

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White Pine

• Flood insurance study: town of White Pine, TN, Jefferson County. (Rev. Sept. 3, 1992.) Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1992. 1 vol.
• Hill, Howard L. The Herbert Walters story. Morristown, Morristown Print., 1963-1966. 2 vols. (vol. 1 published by Kingsport Press)
• Tew, Shannon. River View (Fairfax), ca 1845-1856, White Pine, TN: an historical analysis. N.p., the author, 1989. 238 pp.
• White Pine Hist. Comm. The crossing: a history of White Pine, TN. Rogersville, East TN Print. Co., 1986. 125 pp.

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