Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Marion County

Marion County

Marion County was formed in 1817 from Indian lands

(Acts of Tennessee 1817, Chapter 10)

The county seat is Jasper.

There was a fire at the Marion County courthouse in 1922.

 

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Selected Published County Histories

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Marion 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 Marion County records is available on our website.  Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased.

Earliest records include:

 

The following reel is available on interlibrary loan from the Library and Archives:

 

Newspapers on Microfilm

Newspapers were published in Jasper, Sequatchie and South Pittsburg.  Scattered early issues are available from 1873, and a complete run begins in 1922.  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 Marion 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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Marion County Formation Act

ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1817, CHAPTER 109:

 

"An Act to establish a new county south west of Bledsoe and south of Warren and Franklin counties."

 

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That the territory south west of Bledsoe, and south of Warren and Franklin counties, shall constitute a county by the name of Marion.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That said county of Marion shall be bounded as follows, to wit: Beginning on the North West mountain, at the fork of Brush creek, where the road leading from Bledsoe county to Warren county crosses the same; thence down the said creek to the mouth; thence up Sequachee [sic] River to the mouth of Prigmor's Powder Mill Creek; thence up the said creek to the top of Walden's Ridge; thence down the top of said ridge, to the bluff on Tennessee River; thence south to the southern boundary line of this state; thence west to the top of the ridge that divides the waters of Crow Creek and Mud Creek; thence up the said ridge to the top of the mountain that divides the waters of Tennessee from Elk River, and the Caney Fork of Cumberland River to the beginning.

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

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

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That elections for company officers for the county of Marion, shall be at such places as the commandant of militia in said county may appoint, which said elections shall be held on the first Thursday in June next, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions as are prescribed in like cases.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That said county of Marion, shall be a part of the district for electing a Governor, representatives to congress, electors to elect a president and vice president of the United States, and members to the General Assembly, to which the county of Bledsoe 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 officer of said county, shall make return of the polls of said elections, to the sheriff or returning officer of said county shall make return of the polls of said elections, to the sheriff of Bledsoe County, in the town of Pikeville, on the day next succeeding each election, and upon comparing the votes, they shall declare the candidate for the representative of said county of Bledsoe and Marion, who may have the highest number of votes, duly elected, and give certificate accordingly; and it shall be the duty of the sheriff of Bledsoe county, to make the return of votes in said counties of Marion and Bledsoe, for senator of said district, members 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 Bledsoe County, to attend at the place appointed by law for holding court in Marion 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 8. BE IT ENACTED, That so soon as the treaty lately made with the Cherokee Indians, shall be ratified by the government of the United States, this act shall take effect and be in force, and until that period the inhabitants therein shall still be attached to, and considered a part of Bledsoe County.

 

Passed on November 20, 1817

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Marion 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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• Ball, Donald B. "The Long Island mounds", Marion County, TN & Jackson County, AL." TN Anthrop. 1 (1976), pp. 13-47.
• Beimfohr, Oliver W. Battle Creek coal, Marion County, TN. Vanderbilt U. thesis, 1941. 69 pp.
• Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Marion County, Preliminary #26). Nashville, TSLA, 1971. 51 pp.
• Blevins, Jerry. Union Primitive Baptist Church book, 1821-1868. Huntsville, AL, the author, 1987. 125 pp.
• Cameron, Walter M. Memoirs of Marion County, TN, 1893-1946. Jasper, Jasper Journal, 1946. 48 pp.
• Chattanooga MSA, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 25 pp.
• Davies, Gareth J. Geology & chronology of two caves in the Cumberland Plateau, Marion County, TN. U. Southern MS thesis, 1987. 164 pp.
• Faulkner, Charles H. Westmoreland-Barber site (40MI11), Nickajack Reservoir, season II. Knoxville, UT Dept. Anthrop., 1966. 150 pp.
• Flood insurance study: Marion County, TN, unincorporated areas. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1979. 31 pp.
• Floods on TN River & Sequatchie River & tributaries in Marion County, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1962. 55 pp.
• Garner, Isaac L. A study of certain phases of the educational & economic conditions of Marion County, TN. UT thesis, 1930. 76 pp.
• Gremillion, Kristen J. & Richard A. Yarnell. "Plant remains from the Westmoreland-Barber & Pittman-Alder sites, Marion County, TN." TN Anthrop. 11 (1986), pp. 1-20.
• Hack, John T. Interpretation of Cumberland escarpment & highland rim, south central TN & northeast AL. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1966. 16 pp.
• Hackworth, Elizabeth R. Quality in the common. Memphis, Castle Books, 1993. 114 pp.
• Hall, William. Management practices of soybean producers in Marion County, TN: a research summary of a graduate study. Knoxville, UT Ag. Ext. Service, 1971. 19 pp.
• Harris, Euline. Civil War 1861-1865 tidbits. Whitwell, the author, 1990. 184 pp.
• Harris, Euline. Murder, mayhem & more. Whitwell, the author, 1991. 1 vol. (extractions from various Marion County newspapers of murders, accidents, disasters, oddities, court cases, etc., 1895-1929)
• Harris, Euline. Sequachee Valley News, Marion County, TN, gossip columns. Whitwell, the author, 1990. 1 vol. (articles from the Sequachee Valley News)
• Hiatt, Ellen O. Sequatchie Valley: a historical sketch. Photographs by Marguerite Hiatt. Nashville, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1916. 32 pp.
• Lasater, Lee. Ancient owners of Marion farms, & early history of Owen Methodist Church. N.p., M.S. Harris, 1985. 56 pp. (originally published in the Sequachee Valley News in 1946 & 1947)
• Link, Gertrude B. A history of Marion County, TN. Murfreesboro, 1953. 113 pp.
• Marion County Planning Comm. Population & economic analysis, Marion County, TN. Chattanooga, n.p., 1969. 74 pp.
• Marion County Planning Comm. The Marion County plan, Marion County, TN. Chattanooga, n.p., 1969. 158 pp.
• Melear, Nathan D. The clay mineralogy of the Raccoon Mountain formation in its type area, Scratch Ankle Hollow, Marion County, TN. U. GA thesis, 1986. 17 pp.
• Soil survey, Marion County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1958. 88 pp.
• Solis, Carlos. Cultural resource investigations in the Guntersville Reservoir area, Marshall & Jackson counties, AL, & Marion County, TN. Tuscaloosa, AL, U. AL Office of Arch. Research, 1987. 121 pp.
• The story of Marion County: its people & places. Compiled by Marion County Hist. Soc. Dallas, TX, Curtis Media Corp., 1990. 583 pp.
• TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
• TN Div. Forestry. A preliminary management plan for the horseshoe properties forest management demonstration in Marion, Hamilton, & Sequatchie counties, TN. Nashville, the division, 1946. 18 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of Marion County, TN. 2 vols. Knoxville, TVA, 1934. var. pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Social & Ec. Div. Research Sec. Effect of proposed national forest purchases on county finance in the Cumberland plateau of TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1937. 65 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Social & Ec. Div. Research Sec. The effects upon local finance of real property purchases by the TVA, survey #8: Guntersville Reservoir counties. Knoxville, TVA, 1939. 50 pp.
• US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Tracy City, Palmer, Daus, Sewanee, Monteagle, White City, Whitwell, Ketner Gap, Sinking Cove, Orme, South Pittsburg, Sequatchie, Wauhatchie, Chattanooga, Eureka, Doran Cove, Bridgeport, Shellmound, Hooker.
• Webb, Nonie H. Marion County, TN: the county with a future. Jasper, the author, 1987. 104 pp.
• Webb, Nonie H. The story of Ketner's Mill. Jasper, the author, 1987. 179 pp.

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Jasper

• Harris, Euline. Ye old court house at Jasper towne. Whitwell, the author, 1991. 1 vol.

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Kimball

• Flood insurance study: town of Kimball, TN, Marion County. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1987. 8 pp.

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New Hope

• Blevins, Jerry. Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church book, 1888-1916: church located in the New Hope community, Marion County, TN. Huntsville, AL, the author, 1988. 71 pp.

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Nickajack Area

• Bachman, Ernest A., Jr. "The Nickajack Dam sites." TN Arch. 22 (1966), pp. 6-12.
• Chattanooga Area Regional Council of Governments. Nickajack Lake resort analysis. N.p., 1977. 31 pp.
• Driskell, Boyce N. Cultural resource investigations in the Nickajack Reservoir area, Marion County, TN. Tuscaloosa, AL, the author, 1990. 119 pp.
• Faulkner, Charles H. & J.B. Graham. "Excavations in the Nickajack Reservoir: season 1." Nashville, TN Arch. Soc., 1965. 92 pp. (its Miscellaneous paper #7)
• Hensley-Schmidt, Inc. Master plan report: Nickajack Resort State Park, Marion County, TN. N.p., 1973. 46 pp.
• Nickajack Reservoir. Nashville, TN Wildlife Resources Agency. Annual.
• Nickajack Reservoir land management plan. Prepared by TVA, Resource Dev. Group, Reservoir Lands Planning. N.p., TVA, 1990. 67 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. The Nickajack project: a report on the planning, design, construction, initial operations, & costs. Knoxville, TVA, 1972. 349 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Nickajack-Chattanooga area recreation study. Prepared by the TVA in cooperation with federal, state & local area agencies. Knoxville, TVA, 1973. 77 pp.
• TN Valley Authority. Reservoir lands planning: final report, feasibility analysis for the Little Cedar Mountain area of Nickajack Reservoir. Submitted to TVA by Economics Research Associates. Norris, TVA, 1989. 1 vol.

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South Pittsburg

• Annexation study for areas southeast & southwest of South Pittsburg, TN. Prepared by Local Planning Assistance Office for South Pittsburg Municipal Planning Comm. & South Pittsburg Board of Mayor & City Council. Chattanooga, the office, 1993. 1 vol.
• Flood insurance study: city of South Pittsburg, TN, Marion County. (Rev. Oct. 16, 1992.) Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1992. 9 pp.
• Kelly, Martelia C. A history of South Pittsburg, TN: the first one hundred years. South Pittsburg, Hustler, 1973. 124 pp.
• South Pittsburg on the TN River, Marion County, TN. N.p., privately printed, 1887. 29 pp.

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Whitwell

• Harris, Euline H. Whitwell scrapbook. Whitwell, the author, 1987. 300 pp.

 

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