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Finding Birth & Death Records in Tennessee
Births & Deaths Before 1908 There was no official statewide registration of births and deaths in Tennessee before 1908. Four cities did keep some earlier birth and death records, which are available through the Tennessee State Library & Archives. Searches of these records can be requested by mail, if the year of the event is known.
*The web site for the Memphis Public Library has an online index to Memphis death records that covers the years 1848-1945.
When the Social Security Administration was created in 1935, the agency asked for birth certificates as proof the applicant qualified for entry into the program. Most Tennesseans who wished to apply, however, were born prior to the 1908 law that first required the keeping of birth certificates. Beginning in 1935, Tennessee began to issue Delayed Birth Certificates. These certificates were not issued automatically; the applicant had to request the record from the state, and must supply supporting documents or letters. Searches of the Delayed Birth Certificates for birth years 1869-1906 can be requested by e-mail, if you can provide TSLA with specified information: name of the individual, an approximate date or year of birth, the county of birth (if known), and (if known) the name of the mother. Delayed birth records for the birth years 1907 on are held by the Office of Vital Records, Tennessee Department of Health. Births & Deaths 1908 - 1912 These records were kept across the state by clerks in each Tennessee county. They have been microfilmed and are available at the Tennessee State Library & Archives. Searches can also be requested by mail. The Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1912 is available on the TSLA web site. The index gives the individual's name, county of residence, year of death, and the death certificate number. 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. Births & Deaths 1913 The law requiring birth & death registration expired in 1913, and no records were recorded for that year. 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. Births 1914 - Present (Long Form Copies) These records are available from the Office of Vital Records. Births 1949 - Present (Short Form Copies) These records are available from the Office of Vital Records. Deaths 1914 - 1957 These records are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Searches can also be requested by mail. 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. Please note that the majority of the index does not include listings for children under two years of age. The sections for Grundy County and Jackson County, however, do include listings for children under two years of age. The Statewide Index to Tennessee Death Records 1914 - 1923is 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 web site for the Shelby County Register of Deeds has posted an online index to Shelby County death records for the years 1848-1956 and to state-wide Tennessee death records for the years 1949-2005.
Deaths 1958 - Present These records are available from the Office of Vital Records.
Updated March 14, 2008 |
Tennessee State Library and Archives
403 Seventh Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
reference.tsla@state.tn.us | Web Policies