Sample Sidebar Module

This is a sample module published to the sidebar_top position, using the -sidebar module class suffix. There is also a sidebar_bottom position below the menu.

Sample Sidebar Module

This is a sample module published to the sidebar_bottom position, using the -sidebar module class suffix. There is also a sidebar_top position below the search.
Research Assistance

Marriage records are maintained at the individual county courthouses where licenses were granted. Early marriages were required to take place in the county where the license was obtained. However, Tennessee law changed in the late 20th Century to allow marriages to take place in any Tennessee locale after a legal license is obtained from a Tennessee County Clerk.

Many counties have marriage records dating to the county's formation. Marriages prior to the county's formation may have occurred in the parent county.

Before 1838, marriage records were not recorded in the large books familiar to researchers.  Individual bonds were the only records filed with the Clerk.  Beginning in 1838, state law required the bonds to be recorded in permanent volumes.  Clerks recorded the bonds retroactively, but many of the original documents could have been lost before the recording began.  Likewise, transcription errors could have occurred.

Beginning in 1914, Marriage and Divorce Records were registered in the State Department of Vital Statistics in Nashville.

Divorce records are also maintained at the county level. Some early divorces were granted by the State General Assembly from 1797-1858; they have been transcribed into a book.  Divorces were also granted by the Superior Courts (1799-1810), Circuit Courts (1810-present), and Chancery Courts (1835-present). The TNGenWeb Project Web site has an article on early Tennessee divorce laws.

The Tennessee State Library & Archives has a detailed explanation of marriage and divorce records. TSLA offers limited look-up services by mail for a fee. Click here to view details.

The Shelby County Register of Deeds has a database on-line for searching Tennessee marriages and divorces from 1980-2005. Click here to go to the site.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all content and images contained in this domain path [jefferson.tngenealogy.net] are copyrighted exclusively to Billie R. McNamara.  All international rights reserved. All material donated by others or located on-line is identified, and copyright in those items is vested in the owner(s).  No copyright infringement is intended by the inclusion of Web-available information on this site for the benefit of researchers.

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