Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Stewart County

Stewart County

Stewart County was formed in 1803 from Montgomery County

(Acts of Tennessee 1803, Chapter 68)

The county seat is Dover.

There was a fire at the Stewart County courthouse in 1862.

 

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Selected Published County Histories

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Stewart 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 Stewart 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 Cumberland City and Dover.  Scattered early issues are available from 1876, and a complete run begins in 1949. 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 Steward 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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Stewart County Formation Act

ACTS OF TENNESSEE 1803, CHAPTER 68:

"An Act to divide the county of Montgomery and form a new county out of the lower part thereof."

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That Montgomery county be divided by a line which shall commence in the Kentucky line, thirteen miles west of the meridian of Clarksville, and run south to the southern boundary of this state; and all the territory west of the said line be constituted a separate and distinct county called and distinguished by the name of Stewart.

SECTION 2. BE IT ENACTED, That James Elder be appointed surveyor to run the division line between the said county of Stewart and the county of Montgomery, and that he be allowed the sum of two dollars and fifty cents per day for his services, and that he be authorized to employ two chain carriers and one marker for the purposes aforesaid, which several sums shall be paid out of the funds of said county.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED, That for the purpose of fixing on the most central and eligible place for the permanent seat of justice, that James Elder, Amos Bird, James Haling, Harry Small, and John Blair, esquires, be appointed commissioners for that purpose; and that they or any three of them, first being sworn, fix the same on Cumberland River, twelve and a half miles west of the eastern boundary of said county, or as near thereto as convenience will admit of; and that said commissioners be allowed the sum of two dollars for each and every day they are necessarily employed therein, which money shall be paid by the county as aforesaid.

SECTION 4. BE IT ENACTED, That the first court of said county of Stewart shall be held at the dwelling house of Mr. Martin, near the bald island, from thence to adjourn to such place as they may think proper, until the public buildings for said county are ready for their reception.

SECTION 5. BE IT ENACTED, That the sheriff of Montgomery County shall have power to collect the taxes for the present year, and all arrearages of taxes due for any preceding year, from any of the inhabitants of the said county of Stewart in as full and ample manner as if this act had not been passed.

SECTION 6. BE IT ENACTED, That elections for governor, representatives to congress, members to the general assembly and field officers shall be held in said county at the place of holding courts, and shall be conducted under the same rules and regulations as established by law; and in all cases of elections the sheriff shall be bound by the laws now in force and use in this state, and shall observe the same rules and regulations in making returns and comparing votes as are now observed and in use in the electoral district composed of the counties of Montgomery and Robertson.

SECTION 7. BE IT ENACTED, That the law authorizing and establishing separate elections and general musters at Palmyra, in Montgomery County, passed at the last general assembly, is hereby repealed and made void.

SECTION 8. BE IT ENACTED, That as soon as practicable after the aforesaid commissioners shall fix on the place for erecting the court house, prison and stocks in the county by this act established, that George Petty, Caleb Williams, and James Tagert, be and they hereby are appointed commissioners, who are hereby authorized to contract for, and purchase from the owner or owners, thirty acres of land, including the place so fixed as aforesaid, which said thirty acres of land, when so purchased, the commissioners last mentioned shall take a deed or deeds in fee simple, to them and their successors in office, for the use and benefit of the said county of Stewart.

SECTION 9. BE IT ENACTED, That the last mentioned commissioners, or majority of them, shall, as soon as may be after purchasing and obtaining a title to the thirty acres of land as aforesaid, cause a town to be laid off thereon, to be called and known by the name of Monroe, for county purposes, reserving one and an half acres for the public square, including the spot fixed on for erecting the court house, prison and stocks of said county, which one and an half acres in the plan of the said town shall be denominated the public square.

SECTION 10. BE IT ENACTED, That the said commissioners be, and they are hereby authorized, to sell the lots of said town at public sale, at a credit of six months, giving sixty days previous notice, by advertising the same in the Tennessee Gazette; and when sold shall take bond, with sufficient security, for the payment of the purchase money to themselves and their successors in office; and the said commissioners, or a majority of them, are hereby authorized to execute in due form of law, deeds of conveyance, in fee simple, for the same, to the purchasers, which shall be good and valid in law to all intents and purposes.

SECTION 11. BE IT ENACTED, That the money arising from the sale of the aforesaid lots shall be by the said commissioners applied to the payment of the said thirty acres of land, and the building of the court house, prison, and stocks for said county. And they are hereby authorized to contract with a suitable person or persons to erect the same; the court house to contain convenient rooms for juries.

SECTION 12. BE IT ENACTED, That the said commissioners shall keep a fair and regular account of all monies by them received and expended, which shall be laid before the court of said county, when demanded. And the said court shall have full power and authority to levy a county tax, not exceeding twelve and an half cents on each hundred acres of land, twelve and an half cents on each white poll, twenty five cents on each black poll, twenty five cents on each town lot, and one dollar on each stud horse kept for mares, for the purpose of defraying the expense of the public buildings; which tax, if necessary, may be levied for three successive years and no longer, unless otherwise provided for by law, and shall be collected in the same manner and by the same persons as public taxes are; and the money arising from said taxes shall be paid by the collector thereof, first deducting the same per centum for collection as is by law allowed for collecting public taxes, into the hands of the aforesaid commissioners or a majority of them, to be applied to the purposes aforesaid.

SECTION 13. BE IT ENACTED, That the said commissioners shall give bond with sufficient security in the sum of one thousand dollars each, payable to the chairman of the court of said county and his successors in office, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties enjoined on them by this act.

SECTION 14. BE IT ENACTED, That the first court held for the county by this act established, shall commence on the first Monday succeeding the fourth Monday in January, one thousand eight hundred and four.

 

Passed on November 1, 1803

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Stewart 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 :

• Stewart County in General
• Bamberg Colony
• Dover
• Fort Donelson/Henry Campaigns & Battlefields
• Land Between the Lakes

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Stewart 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)
• Anderson, Bob. The vascular flora & the construction of the Keel Spring Nature Trail of Stewart County, TN. Murray State U., 1991. 28 pp. (presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of independent studies)
• Autry, William O. A cultural resource reconnaissance of the Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, with archaeological survey of selected areas, Stewart County, TN. Nashville, Vanderbilt U., 1979. 2 v.
• Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Stewart County, Preliminary # 35). Nashville, TSLA, 1973. 55 pp.
• Brandon, Helen G. A history of Stewart County, TN. UT thesis, 1944. 101 pp.
• Brock, Henry R. A survey of the woody flora of the Stewart State Forest, Stewart County, TN. Austin Peay St. U. thesis, 1969. 43 pp.
• Davis, Jerilee S. The charcoal iron industry of Montgomery & Stewart counties, TN. Austin Peay State U. thesis, 1976. 87 pp.
• Davis, Kelly L. Slavery in Stewart County, 1850. N.p., 1982. 29 pp.
• Dragoo, Don W. "Investigations at a Paleo-Indian site in Stewart County, TN." Eastern States Arch. Fed. Bull. 24 (1965), pp. 12-13.
• Dye, David H. Archaeological testing at the Guices Creek site (40SW71), Stewart County, TN: final report. Memphis, MSU Anthropological
• Research Center, 1983. 246 pp. (its Occasional papers # 12)
• Everett, Claire. The Crockett's Creek Baptist Church & the Pryor family. N.p., 1979. 44 pp. (photocopy)
• Goodspeed's history of TN (Stewart County, pp. 894-920, 1289-1329). Goodspeed, 1886.
• Guerin, Wayne. "Some folkways of a Stewart County community." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 19 (1953), pp. 49-58.
• The history of Stewart County in pictures. Compiled by the Stewart County Hist. Soc. Dallas, TX, Taylor Pub. Co., 1989. 160 pp.
• Kosachunis, Patricia. Index to Stewart County heritage, vol. 1. Compiled by Patricia Kosachunis & Mary Pulley. Cumberland City, the author, 1989. 1 vol.
• Lovelady, Joyce & Charles Lovelady, eds. Arlington, Cumberland City, Erin, TN, & the Wells Creek Valley. Dover, Lovelady Publications, 1989. 618 pp.
• McClain, Iris H. A history of Stewart County, TN. Columbia, 1965. var. pp.
• Morse, Dan F. Report of the 1962 excavations in the Stewart County, TN, portion of the Lake Barkley Reservoir. Knoxville, UT, 1962. 212 pp.
• Norton, Mark R. & John R. Broster. "Archaeological investigations at the Puckett Site (40SW288)."TN Anthrop. 18 (1993), pp. 45-58.
• A preliminary report of the results of backshoe test trenches for buried archaeological deposits along the Cumberland River on the Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, Stewart County, TN. Monroeville, PA, GAI, 1982. 5 pp.
• Seeber, R. Clifford. A manual of public service agencies in Stewart [& other] counties in TN, August, 1942. Murray, KY, TVA, 1942. 118 pp.
• Soil survey, Stewart County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1942, 1953.
• Spain, Ernest L. An occurrence of Pleistocene clay near Indian Mound, Stewart County, TN. Vanderbilt U. thesis, 1933. 78 pp.
• Stack, Jacqueline C. A study of the vascular flora & certain vegetational aspects of the lower Bear Creek watershed, Stewart County, TN. Austin Peay State U. thesis, 1982. 137 pp.
• Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson County solid waste management plan. Clarksville, SMR Regional Planning Board, 1994. var. pp.
• Stewart County, TN: water use survey, TN-Tombigbee corridor study. Memphis, Memphis State U. Civil Eng. Dept., 1981. 16 pp.
• Stewart County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
• Stewart County Hist. Soc. Stewart County heritage. Dover, the society, 1980. 1 vol.
• TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
• TN Valley Authority. Land Acq. Dept. Background appraisal study, KY Reservoir area. Knoxville, TVA, 1939. (vol. 6: Stewart County)
• TN's iron industry revisited: the Stewart County story. Prepared under the direction of Land Between the Lakes. Dover, TN Comm. for the Humanities, 1987. 41 pp.
• Thornell, Fran. "'The handkerchief story' & 'The haunted house': two middle TN ghost stories." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 19 (1978), pp. 71-75.
• US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Rushing Creek, Linton, Johnson Hollow, Roaring Spring, Hamlin, Tharpe, Bumpus Mills, Indian Mound, Woodlawn, Paris Landing, Standing Rock, Dover, Cumberland City, Needmore, Poplar Creek, McKinnon, Stewart, Erin, Ellis Mills.
• Voight, Robert C. Defender of the common law: Aaron Goodrich, Chief Justice of Minnesota Territory. U. MN dissertation, 1962. 176 pp. (Goodrich was a Stewart County attorney & legislator)
• Wilson, Charles W. Geology of the Wells Creek structure, TN. Nashville, TN Div. Geol., 1968. 236 pp.

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Bamberg Colony

Mark, L. The new Bamberg colony in the state of Tennessee in North America. Bamberg, Germany, n.p., 1846. pp.

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Dover

Gramley, Richard M. Prehistoric lithic industry at Dover, TN. N.p., Persimmon Press, 1992. 138 pp.

Marcher, Melvin V. Geology of the Dover area, Stewart County, TN. Nashville, TN Div. Geol., 1962. 39 pp. (its Report of investigations # 16)

Mooney, Chase C., ed. "Some letters from Dover, TN, 1814-1855." THQ 8 (1949), pp. 154-84, 252-83, 345-65; 9 (1950), 64-83, 155-70.

Stewart County Heritage, Dover, TN. Dover, Stewart County Hist. Soc., 1980. v. 1. (a collection of historical sketches & family histories written by the people of Stewart County)

 

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Fort Donelson/Henry Campaigns & Battlefields

• Ambrose, Stephen E. The campaigns for Fort Donelson: a review of the encounter with vignettes of the men who fought & articles on the surrounding action. Harrisburg, PA, Eastern Acorn Press, 1983. 44 pp. (reprinted 1992)
• Bearss, Edwin C. "The construction of Fort Henry & Fort Donelson." WTHSP 21 (1967), pp. 24-47.
• Bearss, Edwin C. "The fall of Fort Henry, TN." WTHSP 17 (1963), pp. 85-107. (reprinted 1963 by Fort Donelson National Military Park)
• Bearss, Edwin C. Historic structure report, Dover Hotel, Fort Donelson National Historical Site, Stewart County, TN. Denver, CO, Denver Service Center, US National Park Service, 1972. 184 pp.
• Bearss, Edwin C. "Unconditional surrender: the fall of Fort Donelson." THQ 21 (1962), pp. 47-65. (reprinted 1962 by Fort Donelson National Military Park) "A Confederate private at Fort Donelson, 1862." AHR 31 (1925-26), pp. 477- 484.
• Confederate States of America. House of Representatives. Sp. Comm. on the Recent Military Disasters. Report of the special committee, on the recent military disasters at Forts Henry & Donelson, & the evacuation of Nashville. Richmond, VA, Enquirer, 1862. 178 pp. (reprinted 1972 in CSA, Official Reports of Battles, Confederate Imprints Collection Series)
• Cooling, B. Franklin. "The Battle of Dover, Feb. 3, 1863." THQ 11 (1963), pp. 143-151.
• Cooling, B. Franklin. "Fort Donelson National Military Park." THQ 23 (1964), pp. 203-220.
• Cooling, B. Franklin. Forts Henry & Donelson: the key to the Confederate heartland. (1st ed.) Knoxville, UT Press, 1987. 354 pp.
• Cooling, Benjamin F., ed. "A Virginian at Fort Donelson: excerpts from the prison diary of John Henry Guy." THQ 27 (1968), pp. 176-190.
• Crummer, Wilbur F. With Grant at Donelson, Shiloh & Vicksburg, & an appreciation of General U.S. Grant. Oak Park, IL, E.C. Crummer, 1915. 190 pp.
• Cummings, Charles M. "Forgotten man at Fort Donelson: Bushrod Rust Johnson." THQ 27 (1968), pp. 380-397.
• The great panic: being incidents connected with two weeks of the war in TN. By an eyewitness. Nashville, Johnson & Whiting, 1862. 36 pp.
• Hamilton, James J. The Battle of Fort Donelson. South Brunswick, NJ, Joseloff, 1968. 378 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. By F.F. Kiner, Chaplain, Fourteenth Iowa infantry. Lancaster, PA, E.H. Thomas, 1863. 219 pp.
• Newberry, John S. ...A visit to Fort Donelson, TN, for the relief of the wounded of February 15, 1862: a letter, by Dr. J.S. Newberry... NY, 1862. (US Sanitary Commission, no. 42)
• Provine, William A., ed. "General John B. Floyd's report of the Battle of Fort Donelson." THM 5 (1919), pp. 152-155.
• Roland, Charles P. "Albert Sydney Johnston & the loss of Forts Henry & Donelson." J. So. Hist. 23 (1957), pp. 45-69.
• Stonesifer, Roy P., Jr. The Forts Henry-Heiman & Fort Donelson campaigns: a study of Confederate command. PA State U. dissertation, 1965. 426 pp.
• Stonesifer, Roy P., Jr. "Gideon J. Pillow: a study in egotism." THQ 25 (1966), pp. 340-350.
• Treichel, James A. "Lew Wallace at Fort Donelson." TN Mag. Hist. 59 (1963), pp. 3-18.
• US Army Service Schools, Fort Leavenworth. Fort Henry & Fort Donelson campaigns, Feb., 1862: source book. Fort Leavenworth, KS, the General Service Schools Press, 1923. 1488 pp. (the first edition appeared in 1912; it was compiled by Col. A.L. Conger, infantry. This volume is a revision & enlargement of the first edition & was compiled by Col. C.H. Lanza, field artillery)
• Walker, Peter T. "Command failure: the fall of Forts Henry & Donelson." THQ 16 (1957), pp. 335-360.
• Wilson, Terry. "Against such powerful odds": the 83rd Illinois infantry at the Battle of Dover, TN, Feb., 1863. THQ 53 (1994), pp. 260-271.

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Land Between the Lakes

• Egerton, John. "TVA: the halo slips: the Land Between the Lakes dispute." Nation (July 3, 1967), pp. 11-15.
• Gillis, Deborah L. A study of the macroinvertebrate faunas of two temperate springs, Land Between the Lakes, Stewart County, TN. Austin Peay State U. thesis, 1991. 119 pp.
• Huddleston, Edwin G. The land between the rivers. Nashville, Nashville Banner, 1957. 12 pp.
• Laycock, George. "Land Between the Lakes." Field & Stream (Mar. 1965), pp. 130-133.
• McReynolds, Mary L. Early secondary succession on abandoned farmland in the Land-Between-the-Lakes, Stewart County, TN. Austin Peay State U. thesis, 1969. 32 pp.
• Nance, Jack D. Ancient man in Land Between the Lakes. N.p., TVA, n.d. 40 pp.
• Smith, Frank E. Land Between the Lakes; experiment in recreation by Frank E. Smith. Introduced by Roderick Nash. Lexington, U. Press of KY, 1971. 123 pp.
• Sprano, Mark. Land Between the Lakes, work area 53, unit 53 ecological study area: present conditions & recommendations. N.p., 1975. 21 pp. (prepared for Robt. E. Drexler, Supervisor Forest Management, Land Between the Lakes)
• Wallace, Betty J. Between the rivers: history of the Land Between the Lakes. Clarksville Center for Biology, Austin Peay U, 1992. 294 pp.

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