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White County, Tennessee
Genealogy
White County is located in Middle
Tennessee, one of the state's three "grand divisions."
White County was formed in 1806 from Smith and Jackson Counties.
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I have a few photographs from an estate in Texas that I would like to
reunite with family. One photo is marked Goodwin Studio Sparta,
Tennessee. Additional photo of lady in that picture is marked
Grandmother Graham. Please contact me if you think these are your
people. I'd be glad to send the pictures to you.
Rachel Scott Hillis
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White County History
John White (1751-1846) was a Revolutionary War soldier, fifer,
surveyor, and frontiersman. In 1789, John left Amelia County, VA, and
moved his family to the Cumberland Mountains in what is now Tennessee.
John had to fight the Cherokee Indians for the right to live on the
land, for the Cherokee were not confined to the Cumberland Plateau
until the 2nd Treaty of Holston in 1791. By 1800, dozens of new
settlers had come to the "Mountain District", including more kin
of John White.
Meanwhile, the movement West continued. In 1785, a highway was opened
between Knoxville and Nashville, and hundreds of settlers passed through
the area. Bon Air Springs, on this highway, developed as the first resort
area in the South. Further settlement led to the establishment of the town
of Sparta in 1802.
In 1806, a petition for county organization, signed by 155 residents, was
presented to the General Assembly in Knoxville. On Sep 11, 1806, White
County was formed, partitioned from Smith and Jackson Counties. It was a
huge area, encompassing all of what is now White and Warren Counties, and
parts of the counties of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Grundy, Putnam,
and Van Buren.
Over the next few decades, White County was itself partitioned, causing the
eventual move of the County Seat from it's original location near the White
homestead to Sparta, where it remains. Because of this partitioning,
early research should also include Putnam, Van Buren, and Warren
counties.
It should be noted that, while the state of Tennessee accepts John White
as the person after whom White County was named, some genealogists have
asserted that the county was actually named after James White, the
founder of Knoxville.
Return to top of page
White County Topography and Migration
White County is in Middle Tennessee, in the Cumberland Mountains,
midway between Nashville and Knoxville, and covers an area of 377 square
miles. Called "the Mountain District", it's scenery is said to rival the
Swiss Alps. The Center Hill Lake and Recreation Area lies at the eastern boundry of the county, the "Calf Killer" River runs through the middle of the county, and the beautiful Caney Fork River
runs around the southwestern border, near the Warren and DeKalb County lines. Earliest migration was by frontiersmen coming through the Cumberland Gap, but later settlement was due in part to a highway between Knoxville and Nashville that was opened in
1785.
Many of the early settlers of White County came from Hyde County, NC. For more information,
visit
Hyde County Migration.
For mapping services, try the sources below:
For Census maps, go here.
For more current information about the area, go here.
Return to top of page
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about White County Research
Question: Where is White County located?
Answer: White County is in Middle Tennessee, midway between Nashville and Knoxville. It is bounded by Putnam, Warren, Van Buren, DeKalb, and Cumberland Counties.
Question: What is the population?
Answer: In the 2000 Federal Census, county population was 23,102.
Question: What towns are included in the county?
Answer: The largest town in the county is Sparta, the county seat, with a population of just under 4,600. Other communities nearby include Bon Air, Bon DeCroft, Cassville, De Rossett, Doyle, Quebeck, and Walling.
Question: Where can I get lodging?
Answer: White County Hotels/Motels
Return to top of page
White County Research Help
- General Sources
Tennessee State Library, general
Tennessee State Library, White County specific
Shelby County Register of Deeds, all-county search
Death Records (1949-2005)
Marriage Records (1980-2005)
Divorce Records (1980-2005)
- County Archives
White County Archives
Geraldine Pollard, Archivist
Room 304, Courthouse
Sparta, TN 38583
931-837-4066
wcarchives@blomand.net
Office Hours:
Monday & Tuesday - Noon to 4:00pm
Wednesday & Thursday - 8:30am to Noon
Other times by appointment
- County Historian
Mary West Holland
P.O. Box 15
Doyle, TN 38559
- Libraries with Genealogical Resources
White County Library
Family History Books
144 South Main St
Sparta, TN 38583
931-836-3613
Cathy Taylor, Director
The library is open Tues-Sat, 9-5, and has a very concise and well-organized collection of
Census, Marriage, and Cemetery Records, family histories, and local history, especially
pertaining to White, Putnam, Warren, and nearby counties.
- LDS Family History Centers
There are none in White County. See Putnam and Warren Counties
- Courthouse Offices with Genealogical Material
Register of Deeds Office
All deeds and land entries, 1806-present
County Clerk's Office
- Court Records and Administrations, 1806-present
- Marriages, 1809-present
- Tax Records, 1811-present
- Probate Records, 1833-present
- Birth and Death Records, 1881-present
- Large amounts of loose records, mostly receipts and estate inventories, but some marriage bonds and licenses
Address for the above:
County Clerk
1 E Bockman Way
Sparta, TN 38583
931-836-3712
- Bible Records
Gillette
Knowles
Swindell
- Books and genealogical materials
Genealogy Classifieds
- Census Information
Dates available:
1820-1880 Indexed
1880, 1900-1920 Soundex (Get Soundex codes here)
- Cemetery Records
Zoomable map of White County, showing all cemeteries recognized by USGS. Not for Netscape.
TNGenWeb Cemetery Database
The White County Genealogical-Historical Society has published a two-volume, 1124 page
Cemetery Book based on the work of the late Fred Clark. Follow the link to order it.
National Cemetery Administration
The White County and Putnam County Libraries have temporary, unpublished collections.
In the Archives there are listings for several small cemeteries.
U.S. Geological Survey maps of 78 White County cemeteries.
Letter to Mary Dibrell Fiske (c. 1935) containing cemetery inscriptions.
Lost Creek Austin Cemetery, White County.
Big Fork Cemetery, White County.
Ditty-Fergus Cemetery on Ditty Road, White County. Currently being restored by Cynthia Russell.
Old Jericho Cemetery Cemetery, White County.
Anderson Cemetery Cemetery, White County.
Moore Cemetery Cemetery, White County.
- Census Records Online
1820
1830
1840
1860
1840-1930 5th Civil District, White County
1870 (partial)
1880
1870 5th Civil District, White County
1880 5th Civil District, White County
1890 5th Civil District, White County
1891 Taxpayer Enumeration
1900 5th Civil District, White County
1930 5th Civil District, White County
For Census maps, go here.
- Church Histories
Mt. Gilead Methodist Church
Mt. Pisgah Methodist Church
Big Fork Baptist Church, Cummingsville, bef 1840
Old Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church
- Death Records
TSLA, 1914-25, A-K
TSLA, 1914-25, L-Z
Nashville Christian Advocate (Middle Tennessee)
Searchable Database, 1926-1935
Obituaries, The Cookeville Press, 1894
Obituaries, The Cookeville Press, 1895
Obituaries, The Cookeville Press, 1896
- Early Local Residents
Green Carroll
William Chisam and family
Burgess Clark (1763-1851)
Rev. A.G. Copeland on early Ministers in White County
Rev. A.G. Copeland, Reminiscences of White County
Rev. A.G. Copeland, Recollections of My Early Ministry
William C. DeRossett
Aaron England
Francis Fergus
John Knowles
Letters of Maria White Lowrey
William Parkinson
William Rice (1794-1845)
John Wilhoite
- Genealogical and Historical Societies
White County Genealogical-Historical Society
P.O. Box 721
Sparta, TN 38583
931-836-2293
Contact: Geraldine Pollard
Annual membership: $10.00 single/$15.00 family
Publications available:
1820 Census, $9.00
Price includes postage.
Cemeteries of White County, $75.00
Shipping: $8.00
Visit their website for other publications, or to place orders.
East Tennessee Historical Society
Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 330948
Nashville, TN, USA 37203-7507
Regular bi-monthly meetings are held in Nashville, Tennessee, on the
third Saturday
of January, March, May, July, and September. The November
meeting is an all-day
seminar usually featuring a nationally known
genealogical lecturer. Details of each
meeting are posted on our site.
Tennessee Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 381824
Germantown, TN 38138-1824
- Genealogists
(local to White County, fee required)
Kristi Moffitt, Van Buren County
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists
- Korean War
Help identify the remains of these White County Korean War veterans.
- Links
Other White County material
Notes on Kirkland's store, an early (1830s & 1840s) store that existed south of the Caney Fork, near
Cane Creek (Haston Big Spring area), and an early meeting house & school that existed in the same general
location as early as 1832.
Legends and Stories of White County
National Archives
Library of Congress
- Maps
Zoomable map of White County, showing all cemeteries recognized by USGS. Not for Netscape.
1807 Map of 3rd Surveyor's District, including detail of Sparta
1895 Tennessee Atlas Project
Civil Districts of White County, ca. 1955 (may not be accurate for 19th C)
County formation maps of Tennessee
David Rumsey Collection
Delorme
GNIS
Historic Tennessee Maps
Library of Congress
Tennessee Census Maps
TerraServer
ToPoZone
University of Georgia
University of Texas
U.S. Geological Survey Map Server
U.S. Geological Survey maps of 78 White County cemeteries
White County, showing local communities
Yale University
- Microfilmed public and private records
Many White County records have been microfilmed by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Click here
for synopsis with roll numbers.
For an index to Roll 151, Wills and Settlements (1810-1825), click
here.
In addition to these official records, the TSLA also has on microfilm:
- Early newspapers from Sparta and Bon Air. Scattered dates from 1820, and complete from 1967.
- Early church records for
Mount Gilead Methodist-Episcopal Church
Sparta Methodist-Episcopal Church
First Methodist-Episcopal Church
- Newspapers
The Sparta Expositor, Suzanne Dickerson, editor (Founded 1877)
34 West Bockman Way
Sparta, TN 38583
931-836-3284
- Poorhouse
White Co residents from 1850 Census
- Prison Records
Prisoners in State Penitentiary
- Revolutionary War veterans from White County
Extract from 1840 Census
Newspaper article about John Knowles
Veterans from White County
Veterans from Warren,
White, and surrounding counties
Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Haston and children
Thomas Welch Pension Application
- Social Security Research
Calculate SSN state of issue
- Tax Records
1812 Tax List
White County Tax Lists, 1811-1826 (incomplete)
White County Tax Lists, 1811-1839 (area S of Caney Fork)
White County Tax Lists, 1811-1876 on CD
White County Tax Districts -- Overview
- Vital Records
Tennessee State Library
Tennessee Vital Records Resource Page
Mountain Press
- War of 1812
Tennessee Unit Histories (includes other counties)
White County Tax Districts -- Overview
- War Between the States Sources
Resource Page
- World War I Veterans, White County
TSLA
- Persons Willing to do Look-Ups in Private Materials
Mitzi Freeman
White County Vital Statistics 1914-1925 (deceased names, place of birth, parents names, POB)
Larry Miller
White County Census -- 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920
Betty Stark
Directions and look-ups in and around Putnam County
David Walling
Tennessee Bible Records
Tennessee Marriage Bonds
Tombstone Inscription and Manuscripts
- Family Web Pages
Bohannon
Broyles
Creeley
Denton
Fergus, Ditty
Franks
Godard/Goddard
Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Haston and children
Jones, Gracey, Hitchcock
Hembree
Keathley/Keithley
Lollar
McGowan
Moore/Denton
Price, Weatherford (Wetherford)
Pryor
Rice
Scarbrough, Cox
Spears
Weaver
- Surname Resources (sometimes limited)
See also Surname Page
Natalie Bumbalough Clark
Bumbalough, Davis, Bryant
Sandy Keathley Herd, Gist, Cummings, Keathley
Diana Williams Walling, Herd
Rex Bertram Gist
Barbara Robinson
Jim Holland Holland, Rose
Diana Pearson White
James Bass Weaver
Mitzi Freeman Price, Wetherford/Weatherford
Marguerite Songy Prince
Will Smith Rice
Michael Cardon Frasier, Willson, Dodson, Yates, Davis, Nichols, Scarbrough, Sapp
Meg Gentry Bookout Barger, Clouse, Brumbalough (Bumbalow, etc.)
Ken Robertson Hollingsworth, Sparkman, Hill, Keathley, Mays, Smallman, Drake, Anderson, Denney
David Scarbrough Scarbrough
Joe Swift Swift
Bill Taylor Taylor, Jernigan, Lewis, Ellen
- Middle Tennessee Business Links
- Sparta Chamber of Commerce
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White County Historic Sites of Interest
Wild man of White County.
Ancient graves of White County.
The Rock House Shrine, built as a stage coach inn in the 1840s, is operated
by the Rock House Chapter of the DAR. It is on Highway 70, east of Sparta, TN.
Mount Gilead Cemetery is south of Sparta, near Doyle, TN. Operated by
Mount Gilead Methodist (Episcopal) Church (founded in 1826), it contains
graves dating back to the mid-1850s.
Depending on your point of view, the local hero of White County may be
"Champ"
Ferguson, a notorious Confederate guerilla leader. After the war, he and his unit were promised amnesty,
but, in the usual pernicious Federal way, he was instead singled out and hanged for "war crimes", one of only
two Confederates so distinguished. Picture here
His last request was to be buried in the rebel soil of White County.
Tombstone here
Trial records of "Champ" Ferguson
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Return to top of page
 Go to Jackson County page
Go to Putnam County page
Go to Smith County page
Go to Warren County page
Return to Tennessee Genealogy page
You are visitor number since June, 1996.
This page copyright 1996-2008 by
Sandy Keathley. Material submitted by other researchers
remains the intellectual property of those individuals.
Page last updated Sunday, June 29, 2008.
This TNGenWeb Project website is hosted by USGenNet, a nonprofit web-hosting service solely supported by tax-deductible donations. If this website has provided you with useful information, please consider making a donation to USGenNet to help keep websites like this online.
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