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

Jefferson County is one of only a few East Tennessee counties that have mostly-intact records since the County's date of formation (1792). Prior to that date, records for present-day Jefferson County can be found in Greene, Hawkins, Sullivan, and Washington Counties, Tennessee; and in the State Archives of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. The records are governed by state law, and the County Public Records Commission is responsible for ensuring that the laws are upheld.

Of primary interest to genealogists and historians are the County Court Minutes, Wills and Probate Records, Marriage Records, Tax Records, and Land Grants and Deeds.  Each type of record has its own benefits and pitfalls in genealogical or historical research.  A complete inventory of available Jefferson County records, with a cross-reference to State Library & Archives and LDS microfilm accession numbers, is contained in Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Jefferson County, Tennessee, by Billie R. McNamara (1995).

Thousands of loose records, vitally important to researchers, are currently stored in boxes in a vault at the Courthouse in Dandridge.  Contact the Jefferson County Archives for details about the status of preservation, indexing, and accessibility of specific records.

In the 1960's and 1970's, the State of Tennessee undertook a project to catalogue and microfilm existing public records in each county courthouse. In the case of Jefferson County, these records include early town minutes of New Market and Dandridge. The film collections have been periodically supplemented since that time.

Important Note:  In 1995, Billie McNamara compiled a list of record books in the Jefferson County Courthouse and compared that list to the official microfilm rosters of the State of Tennessee and the LDS Church. Ms. McNamara found numerous errors in those rosters and provided corrections to those organizations. However, she was never advised whether the lists were updated.

Important private records, such as manuscript compilations, church records, and newspapers, were also filmed upon request of the owner. A nearly complete set of Jefferson County microfilm is available at the Dandridge Memorial Library, while the McClung Historical Collection (Knoxville), and the Tennessee State Archives (Nashville) each have a complete collection.

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