Information Available On Volunteer State

The Volunteer State entered the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state. Being the 34th in size, this state has 95 counties. Nashville is its capital.

Have you guessed that Tennessee is the topic of today’s column?

Early settlers of Tennessee generally came from Virginia and the Carolinas by way of the Cumberland Gap and other land routes. Some settlers from New England and Pennsylvania poled keelboats from the Ohio River up the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers; others came up the Mississippi River.

Most early settlers were of English or Ulster Scottish origin, although some were of German, Irish or French ancestry.

The Family History Centers can help you order a wide variety of Tennessee data from the main library in Salt Lake City: Bible records, biographies and cemetery, census, church, court, military, naturalization, newspaper, probate and vital records.

The original service and pension records of Tennessee veterans of the Revolutionary War are available on film, as are lists of soldiers who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Indexes to the service records of Tennessee Civil War veterans also are available.

Of special interest are the published results of a series of questionnaires sent to all Union and Confederate veterans concerning their war experiences.

Many Cherokee records from Tennessee also are available through the center, including the 1851 Cherokee Nation census and the Guion Miller enrollment records of Eastern Cherokee applications, 1906-1909. The applications were made to receive compensation for their land that the government usurped in the 1830s. The applications document Cherokee ancestry; more than 45,000 applications are indexed and available on 348 rolls of microfilm.

But many Tennessee resources are not microfilmed; access to these records must be made either in person or by mail. These include a collection of 100,000 alphabetized surname folders in the Williamson County Public Library, W611 Main, Franklin, Tenn. 37064. The library does not do research, but if you send it a self-addressed, stamped envelope, it will advise you if a surname is in its collection and send you a list of area researchers.

“The Research Outline for Tennessee,” published by the Family History Library, is a ninepage guide describing everything one must know about starting a search for Tennessee ancestors. The guide may be ordered from the library in Salt Lake City or at any local Family History Center.

The new Ancestors Plus store (formerly LaDecor) at Shadle Center in Spokane also carries these state research outlines. The cost is about $1.

Another extremely useful resource is “Tennessee Genealogical Research” by Dr. George K. Schweitzer. This 110-page book covers in great detail everything you’ll need to know about researching in the Volunteer State. You may order a copy for $12 from the author at 407 Regent Court, Knoxville, Tenn. 37923.

The Tennessee Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 111249, Memphis, Tenn. 38111-1249, recently published results of its Tennessee Ancestry Certificate Program which began in 1986. This hardbound book highlights genealogical data on 568 of the state’s early settlers, plus more than 4,100 of their descendants to the present. “Tennessee Settlers and Their Descendants” may be ordered for $35 from the society at the address above.

You also might wish to contact the society to inquire about other Tennessee resources and helpful information by mail.

A new queries-only publication for Tennessee families is “Tennessee Family Connections,” edited by Robert Johnson, and available for $20 for one year (four issues) from P.O. Box 241145, Memphis, Tenn. 38124-1145.

Non-subscriber queries may be submitted for $5 and must be printed in double-space form and must list only one primary surname per query. The on-line addresses for more information are Genie:R.Johnson155; Prodigy:JWDN87A; and CompuServ: 74361,3517.

Free queries may be submitted to the Nashville Banner newspaper for its weekly genealogy column. Send your Tennessee-related query to David R. Logsdon, c/o 1100 Broadway St., Nashville, Tenn. 37203.

Reminder

Saturday’s meeting of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society will begin at 1 p.m. in the downtown Spokane Public Library’s meeting room. Andy McClung, a library staff member, will discuss “The U.S. Serial Set.”

All area genealogists are invited to attend.

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