Tennessee began keeping birth records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide birth records for the years 1908-1912. To find a birth record, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known).
The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier birth records: Nashville (beginning in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1879); and Memphis (beginning in 1874). Only the early Nashville birth records are indexed.
TSLA can search the unindexed records for one year only; you must provide us with the name of child, date of birth, the city, and name of parents (if known). TSLA has copies of the city birth records for Memphis for 1874-1883; early Memphis birth records for 1884-1907 are held by the Memphis / Shelby County Archives.
An online index to Shelby County birth records for the years 1874-1906 is available on the web site of the Shelby County Register of Deeds.
TSLA also has "delayed" birth certificates for persons born 1869 - 1906. These delayed certificates were filed at the request of the individual or that person's representative for legal reasons. To locate a delayed birth certificate, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). E-mail TSLA and we can check our index to the "delayed" birth records for a specified name. Please specify that you are requesting a "delayed" birth certificate.
For birth records after 1912 or for "delayed" birth certificates filed for persons born after 1906, contact the Office of Vital Records.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- There is a $20 fee to search for a birth record. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to search for a birth record. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
Tennessee began keeping death records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide death records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1957. To find a death record, we need the following information: name of individual, date of death (or three year range to search), county of death (if known) and name of spouse (if known). Please keep in mind that some deaths were not recorded, due to poor record-keeping by local officials.
The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier death records: Nashville (beginning in 1874); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1872); and Memphis (beginning in 1848). Only the early Nashville and Memphis death records are indexed. TSLA can search the unindexed records for one year only; you must provide us with the name of individual, date of death, the city, and the name of the spouse (if known).
An online index to Shelby County death records for the years 1848-1956 and a state-wide index to Tennessee death records 1949-2005 is available on the web site of the Shelby County Register of Deeds.
Davidson County (as distinct from Nashville) began keeping their own death records in 1900 and continued to do so through 1913. An index to Davidson County Death Records 1900-1913 is available on the TSLA web site.
For death records from 1958 to the present, contact the Office of Vital Records.
PLEASE NOTE:
The Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1912 is available on our web site. The index gives the individual's name, county of residence, year of death, and the death certificate number.
The Partial Index to Tennessee Death Records has been completed for thirty-seven Tennessee counties. The index, which covers the years 1914-1925, gives the individual's name, age, year of death, and death certificate number. This index does not include children under two years of age.
The Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records (1914-1923) is a long-term project to index Tennessee death records for the years 1914 on, and includes children under two years of age. The index will eventually replace the Partial Index to Tennessee Death Records 1914-1925. The index lists name of deceased, county of death, and volume and page number of the certificate.
The index to Davidson County Death Records 1900-1913 is available on the TSLA web site. The index gives following information on the deceased: last name, first name, race, age, date of death, place of burial, and a citation to the original death certificate.
An online index to Shelby County death records for the years 1848-1956 and a state-wide index to Tennessee death records for the years 1949-2005 is available on the web site of the Shelby County Register of Deeds.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- There is a $20 fee to search for a death record. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to search for a death record. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
TSLA has a printed index which lists the names of individuals who received North Carolina land grants in Tennessee and land grants obtained directly from the state of Tennessee. E-mail TSLA with the name of the individual, and we will check to see if there is a listing in the index.
A copy of the original land grant document can be purchased, once the index has been used to identify the volume, page and district showing where a grant is recorded.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- For a $5 fee, TSLA can photocopy and mail a list of all land grants for one specified surname. This fee covers the cost of copying up to ten pages. The $5 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- There is a $20 fee to copy a land grant. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to copy a land grant. The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
Original case files of the Tennessee Supreme Court are housed at the State Library and Archives. Card files for East, West and Middle Tennessee provide a partial plaintiff / defendant index. E-mail TSLA and we will check a name by e-mail at no charge, and notify you of the cost of a copy of a case file if found.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- There is a $20 basic fee to photocopy items in the Supreme Court case files. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. (Some case files may be very large; we will quote a price for the remaining pages in the file.) The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to photocopy items in the Supreme Court case files. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. (Some case files may be very large; we will quote a price for the remaining pages in the file.) The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
Photocopies of items in record groups, including the State Penitentiary records, can be ordered, if the location of the information is provided (volume and page or box and folder number). The Index to Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 is available on the TSLA web site.
TSLA will search the two published volumes of Tennessee Convicts: Early Records of the State Penitentiary, 1831-1870 for a listing of a name. The entries in these two volumes are verbatim transcripts of the original records. If the individual was in the state penitentiary during 1831-1870, e-mail TSLA and we will check to see if there is a listing for the subject in the index. There is no charge to check this published index, and TSLA will notify you of the cost to make a copy of the record if found.
If the individual was in the state penitentiary after 1870, you will need to submit a written request with the following information: name of individual and a five year date range. TSLA does not accept e-mail requests to search prison records dated after 1870.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- For a $5 fee, TSLA can photocopy and mail the listings for one surname from the published index Tennessee Convicts: Early Records of the State Penitentiary, 1831-1870. This fee covers the cost of copying up to ten pages. The $5 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Public Services, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- There is a $20 fee to search for a penitentiary record dated after 1870. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to search for a penitentiary record dated after 1870. If the record is found, we will mail a copy to you. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
Photocopies of items in the papers of Tennessee's governors can be ordered, if the box and file number are provided. E-mail TSLA and we will check to see if there is a listing for the subject in the index at no charge. We will notify you of the cost to make a copy of the record if found.
Many of the governors' collections are available on microfilm and can be borrowed on interlibrary loan free of charge.
ORDERING INFORMATION AND FEES:
- There is a $20 basic fee to photocopy items in the Governors Papers. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. (Some files may be very large; we will quote a price for the remaining pages in the file.) The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
- RESIDENTS OF TENNESSEE (with a current Tennessee postal address) will pay a $10 fee to photocopy items in the Governors Papers. This fee covers the cost of copying up to twenty pages. (Some files may be very large; we will quote a price for the remaining pages in the file.) The $10 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
- Please note that we ask that you submit each search request on a separate form. There may be a waiting period of up to 3-4 weeks before you receive a reply.
Updated March 14, 2008
