Lawrence County

Lawrence County

Lawrence County was formed in 1817 from
Hickman County and Indian lands

(Acts of Tennessee 1817, Chapter 42)

The county seat is Lawrenceburg.

 

 

Selected Published County Histories
  • Brief History of Early Lawrence County, Tennessee (Morrison, 1968)*
  • Communities of Lawrence County, Tennessee (Alford, 1999)* [name index]
  • Factory Creek: The People, the Place, and the Times (Hollis, 1998)* [name index]
  • Glimpses of Lawrence County history: A Class Anthology for American History 2121 (Moore, 1970)*
  • Henryville (Henervull): A History of the First Settlement in Lawrence County, Tennessee (Dickey, 199?)* [surname index]
  • Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee [1817-2008] (Lawrence County Heritage Book Committee, 2008) [name index]
  • Historic Material by Early Lawrence County Writers, 1846-1933 (Alford, 1998) [name index]
  • History of Idaho Area in Lawrence County, Tennessee (Sills, 200?)* [name index]
  • History of Lawrence County, Tennessee [5 vols.] (Alford, 1994)* [name index in each volume]
  • History of Loretto, Tennessee Area: As We Remember; As We've Been Told (Cole, 1986)
  • History of Springer Station and Pleasant Point (Sims, 1982)*
  • History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present: Together with a Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Lawrence, Wayne, Perry, Hickman and Lewis (Goodspeed, 1979)
  • History of West Point and Surrounding Territory (Welch, 1962)
  • History of West Point, Tennessee (Welch, 1999) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Pictorial History (Lawrence County Historical Society, 1994)* [name index]
  • Life in the Holler Near Iron City, Tennessee (Marshall, 1996)
  • Our Hometown, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: The Crossroads of Dixie (Carpenter & Carter, 1986) [name index]
  • Places in Lawrence County, Tennessee: "Then and Now" (Cole, 1994)
  • Private Acts of Lawrence County, Tennessee (McIntyre, 1984)

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

 

Published Local Records
  • 1820 Lawrence County, Tennessee Census (Douthat, 2003)* [surname index]
  • 1850 Census, Lawrence County, Tennessee (Including Some Other Early Records) (Carter & Hudgins, 1973)* [surname index]
  • 1880 Census Lawrence County, Tennessee (Sistler, 1999)* [alphabetical by head of household]
  • At Rest, Supplement: Cemetery Records of Lawrence County, Tennessee [vol. 1 Fall 1983 - Oct 1994; vol. 2 Oct. 1994 - 1998; vol. 3 Nov. 1998 - Dec 1999; vol. 4 Jan. 2000 - Dec. 2000] (Myhan, 1998-) [surname index in each volume]
  • Cemetery Records of Lawrence County, Tennessee: At Rest, With Supplement (Old Cemeteries Society of Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1984)* [surname index plus separate surname index for supplement]
  • Cheatham County, Tennessee, Dickson County, Tennessee, Hickman County, Tennessee, Humphreys County, Tennessee, Lawrence County, Tennessee [1891 enumeration of male voters] (Reed, 1992) [name index for each county]
  • Deeds and Other Conveyances Certified April 1860 - January 1867: Abstracts from Deed Book O (Niedergeses & Ramsey, 19??) [name index]
  • Early Sales and Ownership of Lots in Lawrenceburg: Lawrence County, Tennessee (Morrison, 1970) [surname index]
  • Excerpts Copied from the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Lawrence County, Tennessee ... of the July Term, 1822 to October Term (1957)
  • "In Their Own Words" (Myhan, 1998) [name index]
  • "In Their Own Words": Book 2 (Myhan, 1999) [surname index]
  • Lawrence County Court Records [July 1822 - Oct. 1826] (Alford, 199?) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1860-1840 Census, Private Acts, Miscellaneous (Carpenter & Carter, 1977)* [surname index for 1860, surname index for 1840]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1870 Census (Carpenter & Carter, 1977) [surname index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1880 Census (Carpenter & Carter, 1982?)
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee 1930 Head of Household Index (Niedergeses, 2005) [alphabetical by head of household]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Bible, Family, and Tombstone Records (WPA, 1938)
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records : 1900 (Franks & Rice, 1994)* [surname index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee : Census Records: 1920 (Franks & Rice, 1994)* [surname index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Census Records: b 1910 (Franks & Rice, 1995)* [surname index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee Census Records, 1820, 1830 & 1840 (Rice, 1994) [combined surname index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, vol. 1, 1818-1823 (WPA, 1936) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee Deed Books [Vol. 1, Books A-E, August 1819-January 1836; Vol. 2, Books F-H, March 1836-March 1846] (Hutchings, 2001-)* [name index in each volume]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, General Index to Deed Books A-P, 1819-1871 (WPA, 1939) [grantor index arranged by years then by first letter of surname of grantor; followed by grantee index arranged by years then by the first letter of the surname of the grantee]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Marriage Record, 1838-60 (WPA, 1939) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee Marriage Records, 1818-1923 (Carter, 1979)* [alphabetical by groom, surname index for bride]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1861-1866 (WPA, 1938) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Marriages, 1818-1838 (Lawrence County Historical Society, 1965) [alphabetical by groom, surname index for bride]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Marriages, 1838-1923 (Lawrence County Historical Society, 1961) [alphabetical by groom, alphabetical by bride]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Road Record Book, 1853-1883 (WPA, 1938) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Rule Docket, Chancery Court, 1848-1871 (WPA, 1936) [name index]
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee Wills [vol. 1 1829-1838; vol. 2 1838-1843] (Willis, 2003)
  • Lawrence County, Tennessee, Wills and Inventories, vol. B, 1829-1847 (WPA, 1938)
  • Marriage Index Lawrence County, Tennessee [vol. 1 1924-1959; vol. 2 1960-1999] (Crowder, 200?)* [name index in each volume]
  • Marriages of Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1854 (Whitley, 1982) [name index]
  • Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822 (Carpenter & Carter, 1980?)*
  • Name Index to History of Tennessee ...: Together with ... Sketch of Lawrence, Wayne, Perry, Hickman, and Lewis counties (Marsh, 1972) [surname index]
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery: Monument Names & Dates with Cemetery History (2005) [alphabetical]
  • Postmasters & Post Offices of Lawrence, Giles, Maury, Wayne Counties, Tennessee; Lauderdale and Limestone Counties, Alabama (19??) [name index]
  • Second Creek Church, Book #1: June 26, 1830, to December 1906 (Williams, 19??) [name index]
  • Second Creek Church, Book #2: January 1907 to November 1948 (Williams, 19??) [name index]

 

Local Records on Microfilm

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

Earliest records include:

  • marriages from 1818
  • wills from 1829
  • deed index from 1820
  • chancery court minutes from 1840
  • county court minutes from 1827
  • circuit court minutes from 1832
  • tax books from 1859

 

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

  • Deed Index -- 1820-1908 (#33, 1 reel)*
  • Marriage Bonds -- 1818-1829 (#63, 1 reel)*
  • Marriage Bonds -- 1830-1839 (#64, 1 reel)*
  • Marriage Bonds -- 1840-1849 (#65, 1 reel)*
  • Marriage Bonds -- 1850-1859 (#66, 1 reel)*
  • Marriages -- 1818-1889 (#14, 1 reel)*
  • Wills -- 1829-1855 (#30, 1 reel)*
  • Wills -- 1856-1868 (#31, 1 reel)*
  • Wills -- 1858-1868; 1887-1919 (#32, 1 reel)*
  • WPA Records, Lawrence County (Record Group #107, Roll 50, 1 reel). Roll includes County Court Minutes, Vol. 1 (1818-1823), General Index to Deed Books, A-P (1819-1871), Wills, Inventories, Etc., Book B (1829-1847), Marriage Records (1838-1860 & 1861-1866), Rule Docket, Chancery Court (1848-1871), Road Record Book (1853-1883) and Bible, Family & Tombstone Records (undated).*

 

Newspapers on Microfilm

Newspapers were published in Crestview, Lawrenceburg, Loretto and Summertown.  Scattered early issues are available from 1846, and a complete run begins in 1939.  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
  • Cumberland Presbyterian Church Records. Lawrenceburg, 1904-1973 (Microfilm Manuscript #463, 1 reel)*
  • Emma Bloom Schindler Diaries, 1890-1916 (Microfilm Manuscript #537, 1 reel)*
  • First Presbyterian Church Records. Lawrenceburg, 1938-1973 (Microfilm Manuscript #464, 1 reel)*
  • First United Methodist Church Records. Lawrenceburg, 1909-1979 (Microfilm Manuscript #653, 3 reels)*
  • Flat Woods Methodist Church Records. Lawrence County, 1915-1948 (Microfilm Manuscript #700, 1 reel)*
  • Freewill Baptist Church Records. Lawrence County, 1915-1946 (Microfilm Manuscript #589, 1 reel)*
  • Lawrence County (Tenn.) Store & Miscellaneous Account Books, 1855-1939 (Microfilm Manuscript #1654, 4 reels)*
  • Lawrence County Miscellaneous Records, ca. 1800-1940 (Microfilm Manuscript #566, 3 reels)*
  • Loretto United Methodist Church Records. Loretto, 1918-1971 (Microfilm Manuscript #481, 1 reel)*
  • Richland Presbytery Minutes. Lawrence County, 1894-1903 (Microfilm Manuscript #896, 1 reel)*
  • St. Joseph Methodist Episcopal Church, South Records. Lawrence County, 1918-1972  (Microfilm Manuscript #476, 1 reel)*
  • Second Creek Primitive Baptist Church Records. Lawrence County, 1830-1973 (Microfilm Manuscript #462, 1 reel)*

Search for Manuscripts Material in our Catalog 

 

 

Census Records
  • Census on microfilm for Lawrence County:  1820-1880, 1900-1930
  • State-wide census index:  1820-1880
  • State-wide census index on microfilm  (Soundex):  1880,  1900-1930
  • Lawrence County census records in book form:  1820*, 1840*, 1850*, 1860*, 1870, 1880*, 1900*, 1910*, 1920*

 

Additional Research Aids for Lawrence County

 

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

 

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Lawrence County Formation Act

ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1817, CHAPTER 42:

 

"An Act to establish a new county, west of Giles, and south of Hickman and Maury."

 

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That the Territory, south of Hickman and Maury, and west of Giles County, shall constitute a county to be known by the name of Lawrence County.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That said county of Lawrence, shall be bounded as follows, to wit: beginning on the south boundary line of the state, where the west boundary line of Giles County intersects the same; then west with the state line so far, that by running north to the Duck River ridge, then eastwardly with the top of said ridge to the north west corner of Giles County, will include a constitutional county and no more.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That for the due administration of justice, the court of pleas and quarter sessions, and the circuit court in said county, shall be holden at the house of Doctor Joseph Farmer, until otherwise provided for, under the same regulations and restrictions, and shall exercise and possess the same power and jurisdiction, as possessed by said courts in other counties in this state.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That the sheriff of Lawrence county, shall hold an election at the place appointed for holding courts in said county, on the first Thursday and Friday in March next, for the purpose of electing Field officers for said county of Lawrence, under the same regulations and rules as are prescribed by law in similar cases, and the militia of said county of Lawrence, shall constitute the fifty-seventh regiment, and shall be attached to, and become a part of the fifth brigade.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall be the duty of the commandant of said fifty-seventh regiment, having been first commissioned and sworn agreeable to law, to divide the militia of said regiment into at least eight companies, and it shall be the duty of said commandant to issue writs of election for company officers in said companies, giving at least fifteen days notice, in the company; which election shall be conducted in the same manner as in other cases for company officers.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That said county of Lawrence shall be a part of the district for electing a Governor, representative or representatives to congress, elector to elect a President, and Vice President of the United States, and members to the general assembly, to which the county of Giles now belongs, and that elections be held at the place of holding courts in said county, at the time, and in the manner by law directed and the sheriff or returning officers of said county shall make return of the polls of said election to the sheriff of Giles county, in the town of Pulaski, on the day next succeeding each election, and upon comparing the votes they shall declare the candidate for the representatives of said counties of Giles and Lawrence, who may have the highest number of votes, and give a certificate accordingly, and it shall be the duty of the sheriff of Giles county, to make the return of votes in said counties of Giles and Laurence, for senator of said district, member of congress, governor, &c., as heretofore directed by law.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That it shall, and may be lawful for any justice of the peace for Giles County, to attend at the place appointed by law, for holding court in Laurence County, at the first court of pleas and quarter sessions, appointed to holden for said county, for the purpose of administering to the justices of said county the necessary oaths.

 

Passed on October 21, 1817

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Lawrence 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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Lawrence County in General
  • Alford, Bobby. History of Lawrence County, TN. N.p., the author, 1994. 181 pp.
  • Annals of Lawrence County, TN. Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County Hist. Soc., 1970-1972. 2 vols.
  • Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Lawrence County, Preliminary #27). Nashville, 1971. 61 pp.
  • Cole, Estha. Places in Lawrence County, TN, "then & now." Loretto, the author, 1994. 101 pp.
  • Flood insurance study: Lawrence County, TN, & unincorporated areas. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1988. 15 pp.
  • Goodspeed's history of TN (Lawrence County, pp. 749-763, 807-849). Goodspeed, 1886.
  • Lawrence County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
  • Lawrence County Hist. Soc. Bulletin. No. 1-55, 1953-1967. (monthly) Lawrence County Hist. Soc.
  • Matthews, James T. Characteristics of Lawrence County beef producers & their farms; Management practices of Lawrence County beef producers; Factors influencing beef management practice adoption by Lawrence County beef producers (three related special problems in lieu of thesis, UT, 1968. 150 pp.)
  • Moore, Lewis E., ed. "Glimpses of Lawrence County history," a class anthology for American History 2121L, Columbia State Community College, winter quarter, 1970. Columbia, the college, 1970. 73 pp.
  • Morrison, John F. A brief history of early Lawrence County, TN. By John F. Morrison, Jr., the county historian of Lawrence County, TN. Lawrenceburg, n.p., 1968. 50 pp.
  • Murray cycle. A bicentennial series: "Great moments in Lawrence County history." No. 1, Oct., 1975-no. 15, Dec., 1976 (a special series of the Murray cycle, Lawrenceburg, TN, Murray Ohio Co.)
  • Oldham, Patricia C. Lawrence County, TN: planning for the global economy: an examination of local human capital development, emerging telecommunications technologies, & the increasing self-sufficiency of local economic development. UT thesis, 1994. 156 pp.
  • Preparing for economic growth & change, Lawrence County. Prepared by M. Lynn Holliday et al. Nashville, TN Advisory Comm. on Intergovernmental Relations, 1990. 84 pp.
  • Rowles, W.P. Life & character of Capt. Wm. B. Allen, of Lawrence County, TN, who fell at the storming of Monterey on the 21st of September, 1846; with an appendix, containing a number of his essays & speeches. Columbia, J.J. McDaniel, 1853. 228 pp.
  • Soil management of Lawrence County farms according to their soil resources. Knoxville, UT Ag. Exp. Sta., 1951. 48 pp.
  • Soil survey, Lawrence County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1905, 1959.
  • Stearns, Richard G. Hydrology, geology, & erosion by leaching in Skillman Basin on the western highland rim, Lawrence County, TN. Nashville, TN Dept. Conservation, 1971. 33 pp.
  • TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
  • TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of Lawrence County, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1934. var. pp.
  • US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Riverside, Henryville, Summertown, Sandy Hook, Ovilla, Deerfield, Ethridge, Campbellsville, Westpoint, Long Branch, Lawrenceburg, Bodenham, St. Joseph, Loretto, Bonnertown, Appleton.
  • Wilson, Charles M. The impact of industrial development on Lawrence County, TN. UT thesis, 1965. pp.
  • Wilson, John M. Geohydrology of Skillman Basin on the western highland rim, TN. Nashville, TN Dept. Conservation, 1968. 79 pp.
  • Yesterday & today in Lawrence County. Vol. 1, Apr. 1978-. (triannual) Lawrence County Hist. Soc.

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David Crockett in Lawrence County
  • Kelly, C.C. Tennessee's hero of the Alamo, Col. David Crockett & businessmen's directory. Written & compiled by Sen. C.C. Kelly. Lawrenceburg, n.p., 1922. 24 pp.
  • Lawrence County Hist. Soc. David Crockett in Lawrence County, TN: historical information. Lawrenceburg, 1953-1955. var. pp.
  • Morrison, John F. & Bob Hamslely. The real David Crockett, a short, authentic, illustrated history of TN's famous hunter, frontiersman... & hero of the Alamo, Col. David Crockett... Lawrenceburg, n.p., 1955. 38 pp.

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Iron City
  • Industrial Development Board of Iron City. Economic resources report, Iron City, TN. Iron City, the board, 1982. 97 pp.

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Lawrenceburg
  • Album: the historic Lawrenceburg region. Lawrenceburg, First National Bank, 1976. 35 pp.
  • Alexander, William F., Jr. & John T. Morrison, Jr., comps. Early sales & ownership of lots in Lawrenceburg, TN. Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County Hist. Soc., 1970. 97 pp.
  • Bryce, Sibyl N. History of the First Methodist Church, Lawrenceburg, TN, 1824-1962. Lawrenceburg, J.D. Vaughan Pub. Co., 1962. 76 pp.
  • Carpenter, Viola H. & Marymaud K. Carpenter. Our hometown, Lawrenceburg, TN: the crossroads of Dixie. Lawrenceburg, Lino-Litho Printers, 1986. 457 pp.
  • Fleming, Jo L. James D. Vaughan: music publisher, Lawrenceburg, TN, 1912- 1964. Union Theological Seminary dissertation, 1972. 173 pp.

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Loretto
  • History of Loretto, TN area: as we remember; as we've been told. History Committee, Estha Cole, chairman. Loretto, Byler Press, 1986. 154 pp.
  • Reeves, Charles E. Loretto in the happy long ago, 1800-1954. Lawrenceburg, n.p., 1954. 15 pp.

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Summertown
  • Curtis, Sandy. A look at the past. Lawrenceburg, Bassham's Print Shop, 1976. 106 pp.

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West Point
  • Smithson, Jesse H. A history of West Point, TN, formerly Blountville. N.p., 1981. 209 pp.
  • Welch, Paul. A history of West Point & surrounding territory: "I tell the tale as 'twas told to me" & other things from memory. Lawrenceburg, the author, 1962. 137 pp.

 

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